A440 Lamp

dewster you *do* understand how much lag there is in a six-component analog circuit, do you not?

A chromatic tuner allows you to find each single starting note over 8 octaves, entry, jump or whatsoever without audible pitch fishing and not only one single tone (which the a=440 lamp would give you) for under $40. Change the jumper setting of your EPlus to transform the useless headphone output into pitch preview and connect your tuner there. On an EStandard, add the 6 component analog circuit from Moog’s hot rodding manual to get a tuner output.

The a=440 lamp is of no use when you play for example Rachmaninoff’s vocalise which starts on E4, a fifth above, or Saint-Saëns’ swan which starts on G2, more than an octave below. Add the fact that most philharmonic orchestras tune nowadays on a=442 or 444 to make the strings sound more brilliant or, the other way round, you’ll be accompanied by aunt Elsie on grandpa’s old piano which slipped down to 432Hz over the years, and you’ll understand that this lamp, as brilliant the idea was 100 years ago, makes absolutely no sense.

After several years of theremin practice and accompanying music lessons which include ear training, you won’t probably even not longer need the tuner because you know the music and you know your pitch field by heart.

Why walk with crutches if you can drive a Tesla?

Additional recommendation: placing the tuner on top of the Etherwave will change the response of both, pitch and volume, antennas. The way to go is to fix it with a clamp on the mic stand slightly below the theremin, so that you can find your starting note with a quick glance downwards, then look up to the conductor and start playing in tune and in time.

No pitch aid (besides well trained ears) should be used during playing, it takes away your concentration and will degrade your musical expression.

"dewster you *do* understand how much lag there is in a six-component analog circuit, do you not?"  - Daniel MacKay

There's nothing inherently fast about analog electronics.  Digital period measuring is likely faster and definitely more accurate, particularly on a simple clean signal.

Daniel,

Your project was a fun one that might of captured the interest of theremin beginners. Like has happened for the last 20 years the bit-shifters come along and slap it down like they have done anything that works properly. This is not bragging, it is fact. For most the theremin will always be a hobbyist adventure.

Christopher

Thierry:

The a=440 lamp is of no use when you play for example Rachmaninoff’s vocalise which starts on E4, a fifth above, or Saint-Saëns’ swan which starts on G2, more than an octave below.

Well yes, because as a professional musician you "audiate" up or down from your A440, but you have to start somewhere.

Other fretless instruments have an open string that they can start from; theremin players do not.

Me, I have a tuning fork -- A440 -- that I whack against my knee and touch to my head to get my starting pitch.

Grandpa's "Can you believe it hasnt been tuned in 25 years" -- you can't do anything about that, you have to get Aunt Elsie to give you a note :-)