" Very interesting stuff. It doesnt really get into the philosophy of it all, just the Facts" - Neil

Really glad theres no philosophy - LOL - with facts like that, who needs philosoply ? ;-)

"Why strive for stability, linearity, good tone, affordability, etc. when the spirits obviously desire otherwise?"-Dewster

You are missing the point! - The whole art of us evil engineers, who those holy honerable CIA agents are trying to thwart, is that we have found ways to entrap these spirits and force them (against their will) to be contained and controlled.

"I just realized I'm approaching this market entirely wrong.  My weaknesses as an electrical engineer are actually my strengths as a Theremin Shaman." - Dewster

Again, slightly off target - The Shaman actually doesnt entrap the spirits - he releases them.. but in exchange they must entrap (possess) the minds of those who hear the theremin, and delude these victims into believing there is stability, good tone etc, and that they can afford the entirely dysfunctional spiritless theremin.

So any engineering weeknesses one has do not help you - they only cause you to design inferior entrappments - To be a Shaman, you do not need any engineering at all - your are just posing, using "engineering" as a cover story for what you are doing - and what you really need to be good at doing.. these are (1) Bullshitting (2) Talking / negotiating with spirits, without getting too drunk.

As an engineer, the whole art is in developing entrapment devices which only produce musical distortion.. who gives a damn about the wishes of some 10kR resistor spirit ? - theyr ten a penny!

Fred

Dewster:   "I just realized I'm approaching this field from an entirely wrong angle"

I didn't know you could approach a theremins field from a 'wrong angle' .... Maybe thats why they are so hard to play!   I need to change my ANGLE!!

So far the best tone and linearity I have achieved is by using a hammer... unfortunately it is not very affordable to use that technique.

My sincere apologies, BTW, to the originator of this thread.. "New to group" and you get to see, rather too quickly, what a bunch of raving lunatics some of us here (Not me, I hasten to add ;-) are!

Welcome to Terrapin World! ;-)

Fred.

...and now for your listening pleasure, the Public Broadcasting System brings you songs from the tortured aether performed by The Raving Lunatics theremin, kazoo, and chamber pot band..... 

Searching on Google for a "little bear" who builds theremins, I got this rather interesting "hit":

Compare Theremin: Ether Music and Espionage to Little Bear (An I Can Read Book)

- What can I say ! ;-) The choice is yours about which book you give your 3 year old! ;-)

I love the Facebook link on this page.. " still cant decide? Ask your friends! "

ROFLMAO!

;-) Fred.

I know this thread is an old one, but I thought it worth pointing out this ancient story from somewhere in North America: the ancient Greeks used an instrument rather like a Theremin, powered by burning a kind of cocanut oil. Alexandra the Great took it to what is now called New York. It is said that Archimedes was a virtuoso, and was deeply engrossed in repairing a loose coil connection when he was killed by a Roman soldier. The Greeks called it an Aeradaktulopsychicmusika.