Pedal for a "pizzicato" effect?

Dominik: The faster the volume hands movement the shorter the attack.

I guess, this ingenious principle should be a standard for the volume control!

Bendra: A problem I've had is it's hard to mix normal legato play with this new stacatto attack because it's very easy to fall below the gate threshold when you dont mean to.Very true! Nevertheless interesting to play with a noise gate.Not really an answer to Boulayos question: I am using velocity in my subscope theremins. The attack may not be sharp as that from an opening noise gate, but legato play just remains possible. The faster the volume hands movement the shorter the attack. While the volume after the attack / fast movement simply corresponds to the hands position like normal. The faster the movement the shorter the needed travel. Thus after a short attack, volume can be zero again.

I like this approach a lot, although I'm interested in how easy it is to alternate between this staccato and normal theremin notes. When the dial is tuned all the way up does legato play become difficult? If so maybe an expression pedal would be better than a hand dial so that it could be adjusted easily during play? That way you could selectively use the sharper attack to emphasize a note; like a catch in a singer's voice or for an (appoggiatura) grace note, or use for one particular phrase where you want it.

One of the reasons for my interest in this subject is that I love Tango music and play tango with a local group of musicians (mostly harmonica and trumpet, they tolerate the theremin when I bust it out). In tango the contrast between staccato (actually marcato but don't worry about the difference) and legato from one phrase to another is really critical. For an example of what this is  like, observe the opening section of e.g. this piece (there are many others of course - this is a very common pattern): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t358RhVhIck

Of course the goal isn't to exactly replicate the sound of a violin, but that is the type of contrast I'm going for (preferably without stressing my hands too much - a tapping type motion would be ideal). Normal theremin hardware can't produce a sharp enough attach to satisfy the needs of a tango orchestra during marcato passages (yes, even with the volume loop tightened all the way, even with plates, even with wonder-woman's hand speed), so currently my solution is to just not play during those passage. That's a legitimate approach, but I'd like to be able to do more

Thinking out loud of what is possible, it will take time before I can experiment again as just putting my shoes on is a real challenge.  

Bendra excellent sample of what you are interested in. This is why I always ask people for sound bytes. Often I can help builders improve their sound.

A theremin by its very nature is a legato sound I think,   breaking the Notes apart might be the goal?

In my first sound byte, as heard before, the sound ON is maximum speed without any distortion though it may seem, it is the human ear that perceives it as a bit of a twang. In the second sound byte I slow the ON or turn-on speed for a slightly different effect. 

The way I might setup at first, and it would evolve, would be to have the Volume loop in two pieces where the front half plays like normal sound off, normal when palm is resting on the front half of the loop no sound and use the back half of the loop for finger tapping for quicker Note turn-on.

I am not a musician so do not know proper words. Both the turn-on and off decay can be adjustable between the speed heard in the two samples for the desired effect, using real resistance so no distortion is added to the sound.

The audio signal would be taken from the EWS audio output jack so no Modification is needed to be the instrument. This setup would be designed to stand independent of the EWS box. It would be a second Volume loop on a mic stand replacing the need for using the EWS volume loop.  If desired a simple mod adds a switch when flipped keeps the EWS volume control always On when using this add-on.  This Volume control could be two parallel rods spaced to fit palm to fingers. You could have a Note half off and pop it back to full On with finger tip hand leaning forward.

Christopher
Hwy79.com

JPascal: The faster the volume hands movement the shorter the attack. I guess, this ingenious principle should be a standard for the volume control!

Thanks. The envelope simply follows the players intention, so i tend to double your words.

bendra: I like this approach a lot, although I'm interested in how easy it is to alternate between this staccato and normal theremin notes. When the dial is tuned all the way up does legato play become difficult?

It's all in the video. Legato play means slow movements – see above (faster > shorter / slower > longer). It simply adapts to velocity. But i guess you need a super-sharp attack, so the noise gate may be the better choice..

DOMINIK: I agree that something else is needed for a true tango marcato/pizzicato effect. but your approach seems very promising for some other applications, keep up the good work!

oldtemecula: "The way I might setup at first, and it would evolve, would be to have the Volume loop in two pieces where the front half plays like normal sound off, normal when palm is resting on the front half of the loop no sound and use the back half of the loop for finger tapping for quicker Note turn-on."

If you look at about 0:50 of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24PhJx0UmYs you will see that His Excellency Thomas Grillo achieves something like this by gripping the sleeved volume antenna and tapping the metal on the control panel. I've actually tried this but it doesn't seem to work on my setup (maybe Etherwave standard vs Plus? Or something else?). I was really disappointed that it didn't work for me because I was looking forward to trying to control the pitch with my head movements (I'm odd like that)

Two antennae  and resting the palm/wrist on one while tapping the other sounds like it could work, [EDIT: sorry, I re-read your comment and I misunderstood the first time]

"The audio signal would be taken from the EWS audio output jack so no Modification is needed to be the instrument. This setup would be designed to stand independent of the EWS box. It would be a second Volume loop on a mic stand replacing the need for using the EWS volume loop.  If desired a simple mod adds a switch when flipped keeps the EWS volume control always On when using this add-on.  This Volume control could be two parallel rods spaced to fit palm to fingers. You could have a Note half off and pop it back to full On with finger tip hand leaning forward."

I'm not sure I've ever seen a freestanding volume loop - I guess it could work if it was "parked" right next to the theremin so it was in the same position. Or maybe instead leave the existing volume loop alone and add a pair of thin plates on top of the left-hand side of the instrument one in front of the other; place the thumb (or palm) on the nearer plate and this mutes the volume, tap on the second plate with fingers to make a tone (at full volume as now nothing will be above the volume loop - can add a normal volume expression pedal to reduce volume while tapping if desired). Or will anything like this on top of the case compromise the pitch antenna too much?  In case it's not obvious, I'm also thinking out loud, as it were

My theremin design was intended to be Stand Alone Volume Control placed anywhere around you. This has a very practical application when adapting to certain people's needs.

Libraquarius mentions part of his design as cheating or not authentic and I say do what works so the end result is original and as beautiful as you can make it, compared to conventional musical instruments.

Pitch perfect notes? That is what a keyboard is for not a theremin.

The analog and digital theremin do meet in the middle with a whistle sound, this is the worst of analog and what seems like the best of digital in sound. Some whistles can be beautiful.

As I talk about a stand alone volume control it can expand into other dimensions like another effect that might be of value someday in a Thereminists future. I call it real time octave shifting. The way I am seamlessly switching octaves may have other utility like the previous volume snapping effect. When I think about the theremin in a performance it should always be fluid.

Christopher

Here's another vid I made with my noise gate