Pumping

... No sure I want to now? lol

Thierry: I tell my students (who are mostly amateurs) to work on a new piece in the following manner.......

What you describe is lovely, except for one thing. Your method assumes that the students already know about the art of expression, phrasing etc., and the chances are THEY DON'T. 

"....add the most possible phrasing to the piece (vibrato speed and depth, shaping the transitions between tones)...."

This is the problem with Clara Rockmore's book, METHOD FOR THEREMIN. She offers advice like, "Now, the quality of the sound is all-important. Mold it with a beautiful vibrato and beautiful phrasing." This is utterly meaningless for someone who does not know what beautiful vibrato and phrasing are!

The really deceptive part of all this is that everybody THINKS they already know what is beautiful and what isn't, but they don't. Learning to listen to yourself objectively is an art in itself, and it is an ability which I suspect few thereminists even believe they need to acquire. The value of a teacher is that there is an objective and experienced set of ears listening to what you are doing. These ears can and should save you years of frustration and disappointment by constantly steering you toward your goal. 

The worst situation you can end up in is studying with a teacher who is incompetent. This can easily happen with an instrument like the theremin because there are no standards or universally accepted methods for teaching the instrument. If I go to study a traditional instrument with someone who has a degree from Juilliard or the Mannes College in the particular instrument I am interested in, I can be fairly confident the instructor knows what he or she is talking about. 

With the theremin, it's ANYTHING GOES! 

What Thierry offers is a very wise and thoughtful approach.  I'm sure his students benefit from his guidance.

As a footnote, my previous advice was directed to those of us who already jumped in the deep end without any instruction or lessons of any kind.

"The value of a teacher is that there is an objective and experienced set of ears listening to what you are doing. " - Coalport

And this is possibly where theremin learners are disadvantaged - if you want piano lessons, you can usually find a competent teacher in your local area - not so with the theremin!

And perhaps - just perhaps.. You Tube and the like fills this gap a bit? If people could post their awful renditions with the object of getting constructive feedback, without the fear of being lambasted and made to sit in a corner wearing a hat of shame - then perhaps this medium could be used to improve the standard of playing.

Seems to me that there is a big oppertunity for exploiting this medium.. If there was a way that learners could post their stuff for viewing by only a few "tutors" and other students, then we could avoid cluttering public access 'places' with awful theremin rubbish - I personally would never post what I can do, simply because its awful! - But would (probably) post if I knew it was understood that I am doing so simply for advice, and that this would not lead to a tirade from outraged perfectionists, and that my "performance" would not bee seen by the general public.

Fred.

It is difficult to teach a musical instrument by video exchange. You could post a video to a private site of some sort, and get all kinds of lovely advice, generously offered by well-meaning thereminists who don't know WTF they're talking about. 

Since the people offering advice are going to be coming from a variety of different levels of accomplishment, each playing with his or her own self-taught technique, how is the one receiving the advice supposed to discriminate? 

This is why I have always advised newcomers to the theremin never to take any advice from anyone whose playing they have never heard, or do not like. One of the first things many people do after playing the theremin for a few months is to start telling others how to play. This seems to be an exercise in self-validation but it is something no one would do on a traditional instrument for which there are accredited and accomplished teachers. 

Organizers of theremin conferences and get-togethers used to invite me to teach at their events: "Oh, it's just going to be so great! Lydia will be teaching, and so will Carolina, and maybe Pamelia, etc. etc. etc...." .

I have never accepted these invitations because you end up in a situation where people who know little or nothing about the theremin go from teacher to teacher, each one teaching an entirely different method, and then the student is expected to sort it all out.

oh what the heck...

Why not post this video? Besides, I have been insulted many times in my life already (I get knocked down, but I get up again) and I take criticism pretty well so... Does that makes me a masochist?

I know mamy of you do not know this aria but it is beautiful... I have been playing for 1 1/2 year now... anyone can comment on the video if they feel like, but Peter, you can be as brutal and as mean as youd like since you were the one who planted the theremin seed into my heart and I have great admiration for you, your playing and honesty :)

Let the criticism (constructive ones hopefully) begin! :)

"One of the first things many people do after playing the theremin for a few months is to start telling others how to play. " - Coalport

LOL ;-) - You got me there!

Fortunately, they were pitch only theremins.. but what does one do when there are hundreds of people who dont have a clue, wanting to play the instrument? I could show them the basics, how hand movement was all that was needed to play notes - they didnt need to wave their arms about...

And that they didnt need to grab the antennas and try to use these as joysticks!  -- (I had two antennas (6mm diameter stainless steel studding on the inside with aluminium tube threaded over this and an outer diameter of 10mm) bent, and it required a vice and lever and a lot of force to straighten them..)

Fortunately I have had a couple of lessons from Lydia - but even so, I was a million miles from being "qualified" to "teach" - But what do you do?

Fred.

Amey - Im not going to comment on your last performance, because I think I might be biased.. I think Ive fallen in love - LOL ;-)

Fallen in love? Oh well, that is good that you have been taken by the theremin playing! It really couldn't be anything else, since you can barely see me in the video haha. 

‘coalport’ has a fair point I think when he brings up the notion that those wanting lessons should take those lesions only from those they have heard and like.

However, and I think this is quite a big however, I’d hazard a suggestion that most people who have a fleeting acquaintance with this instrument, who only want to experiment with it, use it to recreate Sci-fi film soundtracks and use it to play their favourite tunes with are unaware that there are different playing styles.

Amy, I am not qualified to pass comment on your playing.

To me, that was one of the most superb pieces of "theremin" music I have ever heard - Every note, every dynamic, was (to my ears) perfect..

But like I said - I may be biased! ;-)

And I certainly am not "qualified" to make pass any sort of 'judgement' on a technical level - All I can say is that I enjoyed it hugely, and there was nothing which (for me) reduduced this enjoyment - no pitch errors I noticed, no pumping - I could not fault anything.

Biased? No - perhaps not - If I had just heard this without knowing who had produced it, I think I would still have the same opinion (and if I knew the creator was a woman, would be on the way to "falling in love" LOL ;-).

And the sound of your theremin is beautiful! - Makes me wonder a bit why were chasing the RCA sound.. Or perhaps the truth is that the theremins sound is far less important that whos hands are playing the "invisible strings".

As an aside - you dont need to see someone to "fall in love" - even blind people fall in love..

then again..... perhaps only "blind" (or blinded) people fall in love.........