Conference napalm::commusic_v1

    Like many of us, I guess, my only exposure to the Theremin was old
    SciFi film soundtracks, an obscure San Francisco band called Lothar 
    and the Hand People (Lothar was the Theremin) and occasional articles
    in the music comix, in which some classical concerts during the
    Theremin's heyday were alluded to.
    
    Thanks for some names and background !
    
    karl

    Oh yeah!, I've had the Rockmore recording on vinyl for about 6 or 7
    years.  Glad to see it out on CD.  A friend of mine saw Clara play at
    Yale once.  He later gave her a phone call (She was, and still may be
    listed in the Manhattan white pages!)
    
    Interesting note:
    
    Moog tried to build and market a "modern" theramin a number of years
    ago.  The plan was to market it with Schirmer (the music publishing
    people).  Clara was to do some promotional work, but backed out because
    she did not like the "feel" (Heh, heh) of Moog's Theremin...
    
    Seriously, has anyone considered building a Theremin Midi Controller?
    
    -Ed
    

    If I'm not mistaken, I think Keith Emerson played one in his live
    appearances in the mid-seventies.
    
    Scott

Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin also used a theremin (theramin?) in the middle 
sectin of "Whole Lotta Love", both live and in the studio. It seems like a 
pretty interesting instrument....

Alan S.

Admittedly, a theremin has been a low priority (along with an ARP 2600, 
etc.), but it intrigues me enough to want to buy one if I could find one.
I suppose the chances of that are slim, huh?

I've heard that they are not too difficult to build, if you have the 
schematics, and the inclination. Does anybody know where schematics (or even 
a real live working theremin) can be obtained? Don't beat me up if it's 
already posted in here somewhere.

Mike D

    Do you folks have *any* idea how hard these things are to actually
    play?   Clara Rockmore was right up there with the perfect masters of
    muscle control.  Remember, it works by capacitance so your overall body
    position relative to the unit influences both pitch and volume.  Zero
    setting is fun.  The reason that Rockmore was so good was that she
    could stand stock-still (endurance!) for the entire performance, and she
    invented/perfected some very rapid hand/finger motions which allowed
    her to articulate individual notes.  She had been an accomplished
    violin player, so she was used to an instrument without keys or frets.
    
    I had a Theramin, and played it a certain amount.  It became quickly
    clear that it was fun for an effect, but I wouldn't ever get tonal
    music out of it.  This was the old SWTPC kit.  Date was about '74.
    It's really too bad that SWTPC went into computers and went broke.
    I'm still using their Universal Tigers (Power Amps).
    
    	Eirikur  (another owner of the Rockmore CD)
    

	Check out Computer Music Journal, one of the four last year, the
	one with her picture on the front. There was a soundpage from the
	album as well. Good article.

	/pjh

How does one go about getting a copy/subscription of/to the Computer Music
Journal?

Thanks,

Curt

    Would the person answering .8 please post the info in topic 7?

    Thanks.

-b

It's been awhile since this discussion was active, but I've always found 
the theremin to be a facinating instrument.  I remember seeing a schematic
for one in a rather large book of electronic projects in a library about
15 years ago and wanted to copy it at the time, but never did.

All I recall was that the circuit was quite simple and I thought that I 
could successfully build one, even though I had very little experience 
with electronics.

Does anyone have, or know where a schematic for a theremin might be 
obtained?

Greg

    
    Hmm...
    
    The buddy of mine who saw Clara play at yale tried to build one from
    a schematic he found in Popular Electronics.
    
    Try the library!
    
    -Ed
    

    
               <<< KDX200::DKB200:[NOTES$LIBRARY]GUITAR.NOTE;1 >>>
                              -<  Guitar Notes  >-
================================================================================
Note 2.1735                      For Sale/Wanted                    1735 of 1762
SOURCE::ZAPPIA "career interruption"                 10 lines  30-DEC-1991 12:11
                             -< Theramin - wanted >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I'm in search of a theramin or the parts to build one.  If you have
	either please contact me.

	I believe the difficulty in finding one has to do with the type of 
	capacitors used which are no longer made.  Please advise me if I'm 
	mistaken.

	Thanks,
	- Jim (USOPS::ZAPPIA)

PAIA used to sell a theramin kit (in the 1970's). You might give them
a call & see if they still sell the documenation:

	PAIA Electronics, Inc.
	P.O. Box 14359
	Oklahoma City, OK 73113
	(405) 843-9626

If I'm not mistaken, the capacitors used are nothing more than flat copper
plates with a single wire soldered to it & there were 2 plates - one is
for frequency (you wave your hand over both), and the other was for 
volume. I remember building one a long long long time ago & it was nothing
too difficult.

								Jens

    Also, in the latest (Feb.) issue of Electronic Musician, there is a
    company (sorry, spaced the name) that is re-issuing the REAL THING!
    
    AND, in case that's not enough, for some $$$, you can have this new
    theremin MIDI'fied!!!!!
    
    Bill

    Re: .14
    
    Sounds like a good way to clog up your sequencer...I have enough trouble
    thinning out data from aftertouch and mod pedal, never mind the
    amount of data a theremin would generate!
    
    						Brian

The re-issue is from Big Briar, which Moog was affiliated with in some way.  I
don't know if he still is, but I would bet....

	Eirikur

   I built a theremin as my final project in electronic school 11 
years ago.  I modified plans I found in a Popular Electronics or 
sumptin' from about 1965-67.  It cost about $200.00 for the whole 
thing, $90.00 for the oak box and $110.00 for the parts including copper 
board, mylar and all the stuff needed to etch the board.  The most 
expensive parts were 4 tuning coils at @$9.00/each.  I had to send to 
CA., couldn't find 'em in Cleveland.  

   I still have my schematics, but I've heard that tuning coils are 
VERY hard to find.  I also had brief correspondance with a theremin 
player from N.Y. state, who sent me a schematic for a solid state unit 
that uses two chips!! (one was a 555 timer I believe).  He said it had 
about 2 1/2 octave range, and needed a volume pedal for volume - only 
one antenna.  My unit has infinate audio range and I by-passed my volume
antenna and just use a footpedal also.  My volume control didn't have 
enough dynamic range, 5-8 inches was the physical range, while the 
pitch control covers 4-6 feet.

   I've used it in bands for years, and my wife and I played in Japan 
a few years ago using theremin and EPS, and I still use it when I give 
talks to schools about Edison and inventors - it's a real crowd 
pleaser.  It is absolutly devistating through a delay, REALLY FATTENS 
up the sound.  Beautiful whale (wail?) sounds.
   
I got a "B" on it in electronic school, cuz I couldn't play 
"America the Beautiful" or some such rot.

   Clara is a wondeful note player, but I think of it also as a
conceptual instrument (I guess I play conceptual music(Pere Ubu)),
I also play EML (an old synth w/ lots of knobs). I find it-theremin- 
to be a very expressive instrument, you can use your whole body.  
It is the only instrument that can go the entire audio range as a glissando.
It is also been called "the only TRUE electronic instrument" cuz you 
don't touch it, just control parameters with your body.

   A friend of mine who is going to school in NYC said Mr. Leon Theremin 
is residing in NY now, and has given talks.  I believe he moved here last 
year from Russia.  One of my goals in life is to meet him, I better 
hurry, he's quite old.

    Re: .14
    
    The Big Briar units start at $1800 (gag) but are modeled to look like
    the old RCA models from the 20s.
    
    Re: .17
    
    On the schematics, would you be willing to make copies available?  Be
    glad to send you a SASE for a set.
    
    							Brian

I have a book with a crummy little theremin in it, Electronic Music Projects,
$1.25 new, $1 used. plus postage. from radio shack.
THere's an optical player in 49 easy-to-build electornic projects from tab 1337
6.25 new, $2 used.
Tom