Alternating Knuckle Extension Method

Jo, you will not get stomped on, i have been in your shoes and sometimes, they can hurt! I am here for you if you need someone to look at what you are doing, I'd be more than happy to. There are a lot of "good" musicians who would like to help you out with the theremin.

The learning curve on the theremin is odd, at least for me. I'll make bound and leaps of improvements and then stahl for 2 months, then a little, then regress a little bit cause i wanted to tweak this or that or volume hand needs to be more stable etc. It's a difficult road because the theremin is a mirror of who we are and what we feel like on any given second. If you dont feel well, or are tired, the theremin will sound like it, that is for sure!

@coalport:   We're cool...God knows I'm a jerk sometimes, and I have to admit it and apologize.  I'm sorry  you were having a bad day.  Maybe I was too, and this prompted me to respond when I could have just said nothing.  I was disappointed and hurt a little by your comment because you ARE one of the best players in the world, so your opinion on things carries more weight.  I love this instrument a lot, so my goal on this forum is to do whatever I can to promote it and bring new players into the fold.  If you can help encourage some newbies, maybe they will stick with it, and this would help to accomplish this.  I by no means want you to stop with honest appraisals of videos when players are brave enough to post them.  I have taken one of your comments about one of these videos to heart, and this is why I try to keep my fingers curved and separated now.  And, if enough newbies are encouraged to keep with it, maybe you can sell more instructional DVDs...so encouragement would be good business for you...a kind of enlightened self interest...

"Shane! Come back Shane!"

Just a couple of little things I would like to point out in my own defense before I too move on. Whatever people may think about things that I say in regard to theremins and thereminists, either here in TW or on the Levnet, I simply tell the truth as I see it. I never call people (other than myself) names, and when I express an opinion, positive or negative, I go to great lengths to explain exactly why I feel the way I do. 

We need to remember that in a good debate, disagreeing with someone else's opinion is NOT an attack on that individual.

My purpose is to promote the theremin and to share what I have learned about it (both the good news & the bad, and there's plenty of both) with those who are interested. I do not believe that there is anyone who has ever abandoned the theremin because of anything I have written about the difficulties involved with learning to play it. On the other hand, I have received dozens of private emails over the years, some of them from people who are now recognized as some of the finest thereminists in the world, telling me that they took up the instrument in the first place because they heard me play. 

I am not a theremin cheerleader, I do not wish to "network" with people on the internet, nor do I have any desire to personally meet the people in the theremin cyber-community. I have no YouTube friends or subscriptions and do not care for any (although I cannot prevent others from "subscribing" to me). I guess what I'm trying to say here is that, for me, the whole internet exercise is an entirely impersonal exchange of information......or certainly more impersonal than it seems to be for others. 

When I read comments about who or what I am from people I have never met, I often find them very peculiar because the writers are not writing about me at all. They are writing about their own idea of me. IOW, they're writing about themselves. 

I think perhaps what we need to cultivate is the art of allowing others to be whatever they have decided to be, without any demand or expectation that they satisfy us.

I think this Pringle chap is a half decent thereminist, and his family makes dern good tater chips too!

I think his greatest attribute is that he will be BRUTALLY honest about your technique, or lack of it, if an opinion is solicited.

He has helped me

Although the man's personality quirks are maddeningly annoying, he has a heart of gold.

But it should be remembered that all of us are flawed human beans.

FEELEEP

Jo wrote:

"I know I'm gonna get stomped for saying this, but I've had much bigger struggles learning to play other instruments, with or without instruction.  Just getting a musical sound out of a woodwind or a bowed instrument, or a chord out of a guitar, took me a lot longer than playing a scale in tune on a theremin, and some of those instruments I went on to play pretty well after a few months.  I guess I just haven't found the point in theremin playing where the learning curve gets steep yet, but I've already been playing with and in front of other musicians for a couple of weeks now, and they all are pretty impressed with my progress."

I commented that the I find theremin-playing to be difficult.  I decided to elaborate on this comment.  My comment is made from the standpoint of one who goes out to play live (I play tonal music and accurate intonation is needed for my music).  To play live has difficulties on any instrument and the technical requirements to enable a fine theremin performance are not generally understood.  What follows are some of the issues that I've encountered away from my own studio.

Rushed setup

It is not uncommon to have less than 15 minutes to set up on stage, tune, and do a soundcheck.  In such situations, I generally set up off stage -- or, at least get the theremin out and plugged in (since it takes an Etherwave Pro 20 minutes to stabilize).  Also, it is not uncommon to have only five minutes to vacate the stage after one's performance.  If you like to have a dedicated theremin speaker behind your head, there will not be one provided and you likely will not have time or space to set it up.  The previous performer may be schlepping equipment through your control zone during this time, too.

Poor Balance - can't hear note heads

The "head" is the initial attack that should be audible to the thereminist and not audible to the listeners.  It is during this split-second that a thereminist makes subtle pitch adjustments such that the theremin sounds in-tune to the listeners.  When the theremin is mixed in with everything else -- in a stage monitor or in the mains, the thereminist can't hear the note heads and doesn't stand a chance.

Poor Balance - can't hear accompianment or other instruments

This is the opposite of the note-head problem -- namely that the theremin level is so loud compared to the other instruments or accompiament that to play in tune is impossible.  After all, one needs to tune to something!  Also, the listeners will hear the note heads -- sometimes before the thereminist does!

Noisy environment

This is similar to the above issue -- excessive noise masks the sound of the other instruments or accompianment to which one needs to tune.  Pitched noise is even worse.  Try to play the theremin while a truck backs up within a block (beep-beep-beep) or a helicopter flies overhead!

Unstable power, hum, and weirdness

A bad cable connection, hum, or unstable power eats up one's setup time.  The sound guy will feel, having solved the bad cable problem, that everything is ready to go.  Also, in some venues a change in the brightness of the stage lights will change the theremin's tuning.  I did a sound check once where I could not keep the Epro in tune.  Finally noticed it changed everytime they fiddled with the stage light brightness. 

Control zone

People walk right through it while trying to set the note spacing.  Never fails.  I am playing, someone walks past, I stop playing -- trying not to show a nasty look -- and I contribute to the notion that thereminists are tempermental and anal.

Unstable stage platforms

This negatively impacts one's precision but the swinging pitch rod reduces the effort to play with vibrato.

Heat, sweat, flying insects

Ever hear the opening pitch of "Sad Little Ghost"?  (On my website.)  One time I was holding one of those wonderful long notes as a mosquito landed on my arm and took a nice long drink.  Well, I held the note anyway.  Guess that means that I am willing to suffer for my music. :)

For outdoor concerts, it is advisable to use bug repellent.  Also, rub repellent on the rod.  June bugs are so large that when they fly into the rod, the result is a kind of "sonic ping".

Also, I played once when the heat-index was around 115.  The sweat really burned my eyes (This when I played the National Anthem for a swim meet a few years ago).  My mental conversation alternated between: "Oh it's hot, this sounds good, sh*t my eyes are burning."  So much for a calm, zen state of relaxation!

Logistics

To travel via airline with theremin is pretty horrible.  Baggage handlers are careless.  As of last year, I decided not to carry music equipment unless I can either drive to the event or fly there in via Cessna (one of the advantages of being a pilot and member of a flying club).

Compromised sound design

For me, this is one of the biggest issues: namely that I've designed all my work to be heard in 5.1 surround sound.  While the compositions are entertaining in stereo, to hear them in surround is to hear them as intended by me -- the composer.  Again, when the sound system is provided and when there is little/no setup time, it is nearly impossible to perform in surround.  I have seriously considered limiting my live performance to situations where I use my sound system, play in surround sound, and am provided adequate set up time.

Of course, this means that I will rarely perform but there is a part of me that wants to put my foot down and say, "Enough is enough.  No more compromise.  I know what it takes to deliver a great performance and if I'm not allowed to do it, then that is that."

This feeling "hit" me after a severely compromised performance where the house system was monoraul without a subwoofer channel and the load-in had to be accomplished within 30 minutes of the start of the concert.  My sound check was two notes.  People walked through my control zone so much that I could barely tune.  The performance was ok under the circumstances but was much less than it would have been had I had an iota of control over the situation.

Now, those who play other instruments are subject to many of the same issues -- the difference with the theremin is that one must tune it while playing it while, being electronic, the sound source (the speaker) is easily (and generally) disembodied from the instrument.

Concluding ramblings

With the addition of a few factors that one encounters in the outside world, to play the theremin changes from something easy and relaxing to a battle against time and one's own patience.

To compensate for poor balance, I usually just wear headphones on stage with a mix that is balanced for my needs.  I also wear an earbud (pitch preview) under my headphones.  I once tried to put the pitch preview signal into my headphone mix (to avoid the earbud) but that was less than successful.

But as I mentioned, I'm ready to insist on control for my performances.  While it is fun to play the theremin, I don't enjoy delivering a compromised performance.   

I feel responsible for my performances -- I don't blame anyone or anything else for problems.  It is my responsiblity to choose performance situations that enable successful results.

In other words, for me, to play the theremin is difficult.  Your results may vary.

Kevin said: "In other words, for me, to play the theremin is difficult.  Your results may vary."

That was a colorful writing where I could visualize everything you spoke of and one I will keep in my personal collection. I might send you a can of "deet" as your dedication to the music overrides human instinct and protects nature.

Kevin you understand when I say:

"The theremin she makes me suffer"

"Simple does not apply to theremins"

"She will dictate her needs as they must be tailored which may not be yours."

Jo, those metal fingernails have their place but not on the chalkboard, you may well be the devils advocate. You should take up golf, theremins are an old man sport with a few exceptions. TW is Temple of Wisdom and you keep chewing gum with your mouth open. (-'

Q: What's the difference between a theremin and a chainsaw?
A: You can tune a chainsaw.

LOL, Rs Theremin!

Golf, too, is a game of frustration!  None-the-less, I'm always up for a round.

Kevin wrote: ...some of the issues that I've encountered away from my own studio.

Really appreciating bringing all this to light.  In the time since I joined this forum and got my first theremin, I've learned a few songs and picked up an organ player, and when the point comes when we feel like we have a presentable set, we probably will be performing as a duet in some small venues around my relatively small town, namely vintage stores, small bars with stages, coffee shops, etc. I've played bass, guitar, and sang in punk and industrial bands for about a decade in these types of places, and know generally what the challenges are for any type of musician. The peculiarities of a theremin are going to force me to attack some new problems, as well as adapt some solutions to old problems.

Rushed setup

I've been giving this some thought since the day I turned on my B3, ignored the advice to let it warm up, and continually alternated between playing some and diddling the pitch knob to keep the field playable.  The Burnses don't usually take a full 15 minutes to warm up, and they are relatively tolerant to temperature changes in my experience, but I know to always expect the worst-case scenario live, and usually get an even worse case I never anticipated, so my solution here would probably be to show up early and insist on opening if there are other acts, so I can have my gear on stage warming up. 

I have a very old tube amp that I have always played guitar through (I DON'T plan to use it for theremin, but this is a similar problem), with an excruciatingly long warmup time due to the age of the electrolytic caps and the transformers.  Using that amp, I have always insisted on either opening, or having it on stage behind the other bands so it has time to warm up.

Another possibility here would be to alternate between theremin and non-theremin pieces, opening up with some guitar or whatever to give it the time to warm up while we are performing.  My set is still very adjustable for something like that at this point.

Poor Balance - can't hear note heads

This is a problem I've also encountered in singing. It may even be worse for singing, because you have a heavy monitor on the floor in front of you, over which you have no direct control.  In smaller venues at lower volumes I can at least hear my own voice acoustically, which helps a lot.  A similar solution for theremin could be to replicate my home setup, with a small keyboard amp directly behind me, as high as possible.  Thankfully, any larger venue I may have the fortune of performing in around here all employ good sound guys, most of whom are good friends of mine, so we can discuss this in depth and work out what needs to be done with the monitor mix.

Poor Balance - can't hear accompianment or other instruments

My act as it stands right now has a very simple setup: one theremin, one organist, possibly a drum machine and programmed synth bassline in some songs.  I hope, given my experience with more robust outfits, that this simplicity will give us the headroom to find a good balance in the stage mix.

Noisy environment

This is one of those things you just can't control for. I'll be putting a lot of thought into this pitfall now that you bring it up, and hope muscle memory and exceptional hearing will help me out some.  I do live and practice on a busy street corner between three fire stations in a city which is perpetually on fire, as well as housing a hospital which is a regional hub of the medical community.  Every time someone within a hundred mile radius runs over a beehive with their lawnmower or sets themselves on fire or has a hunting accident, a siren invades my sonic space, which is about every fifteen minutes during a typical day.  Maybe that will give me some conditioning.

Unstable power, hum, and weirdness

My problems are compounded here using Burns theremins. They are very sensitive to the strength of the grounding.  We were experiencing a heatwave and drought for the past week, and believe it or not, THAT weakened the grounding of our local grid enough to give both my B3 and B3 Deluxe that certain hoarseness, with the oscillators very audibly trying to lock in the lower couple of registers.  I've discovered that an old, compromised surge protector made the problem even worse.  A couple of days ago I tried using a wall outlet instead, which helped greatly, and last night we finally got rain, which fully restored my tone.

Stage grounding is a very crucial thing regardless of your instrument (not only for tone but also for safety), which is often overlooked by venue electricians.  Back to my old tube amp, it had a two-prong power cable when I bought it, and the first night I took it out to a very large venue which no longer exists, the stage wiring was very bad, but not in a way which would be noticeable to anyone using a modern amp with a three-prong cable.  I couldn't get near a microphone without getting a very annoying shock.  I've since replaced the cable with a three-prong type.  I've also been shocked getting too close to a theremin while holding a guitar in an even worse wiring situation on the street.

Control zone

I'm fortunate here in that even the very small venues of our city now all have nice deep stages.  I don't expect to run into this problem unless I play on the street.

Unstable stage platforms

A non-issue for me for the same reasons as above at the moment.  If the impossible happens and we start playing out of town, I may have to revisit these stagee design issues.

Heat, sweat, flying insects

Seems like I've heard the bug hitting the antenna story before.  I haven't noticed this type of thing causing any audible problems with my theremins.  I have had a housefly land on my pitch antenna, but I guess it wasn't enough of a ground to really affect the pitch.  It may have caused the flimsy Burns antenna to wiggle some, but it seems to be pretty tolerant to that kind of thing.  I mostly plan on playing indoors, so hopefully insects won't be too much of a problem.  The heat issue I guess is going to be a matter of the tolerances of my instruments.  As for it affecting my concentration, I am the zen master in that respect.

Logistics

I never plan to fly with a theremin.  I'm just not dealing with that.

Compromised sound design

I think I can safely say that you and I take opposite approaches to arrangement in this respect.  I plan more for the live performance, with the recording as an afterthought.  I've simply played live more than I have recorded over the course of my musical career.  Because of this, I tend to write and arrange pieces so they sound fine in mono with flat equalization and very minimal effects and post-production.

Thanks a lot for sharing your challenges.  I haven't played the theremin live yet, so everything I've said up there is all hypothetical and untested, but you have done a great deal to help me prepare for that first show, whenever it happens.

Jo, those metal fingernails have their place but not on the chalkboard, you may well be the devils advocate. You should take up golf, theremins are an old man sport with a few exceptions. TW is Temple of Wisdom and you keep chewing gum with your mouth open. (-'

Q: What's the difference between a theremin and a chainsaw?
A: You can tune a chainsaw.

But dude, the theremin is freaking awesome, and so easy to figure out!

So Jo are you east or west of Colorado? Talking about fire.

Maybe we can hang out? LOL