... but why the hell would you listen to one?
This last question is unfortunately never answered.
The theremin is a good example of we made it "because we can" instead of "because we should".
Of course, glad to be proven wrong.
This last question is unfortunately never answered.
The theremin is a good example of we made it "because we can" instead of "because we should".
Of course, glad to be proven wrong.
Here is Clara Rockmore performing it (I think this is a video of the recording on The Art of the Theremin) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdFSU8sn3mo . There's a very nice arrangement of La vie en rose from the same sessions.
She developed a lot of the Theremin techniques and - despite some argument about how practical vs. performative they are - is likely the best Theremin player ever. She was previously trained as violinist and an answer to why you would _play_ a theremin: her tendinitis killed her violin career but could keep playing music with the force-less theremin.
There are also a surprising number of well-known pop (etc.) songs that include a theremin somewhere. Not my list, but I see most of the ones I'm aware of here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0p2SpBZ3xDEjemAVlwmWeF?si=...
There are definitely some strong uses of theremin in there, but after sampling a few I also found some that I don’t think are theremin at all, which makes me wonder if that’s a common theme - whether a good chunk of that list isn’t theremin, but other instruments.
For example, Wonderboy (Tenacious D) seems to be using a synth with portamento (aka glide), which is pretty common and does sound a little like theremin while the pitch is sliding, but ultimately gives a very different effect, mostly because when it reaches the target note, it holds the note strongly. Theremin’s effect tends to be disorienting because you can’t hold an exact note, so it’s either sliding around or people use a lot of vibrato.
Another one I confirmed is not Theremin is Lovely Head by Goldfrapp. Again, this vaguely sounds like it could be a theremin, but there are plenty of signs it’s either heavily processed and edited, or just not a theremin. My first guess was a guitar under heavy filtering or via MIDI, but then I found this: “ What is often mistaken for a theremin synth in the song is, in fact, Alison's vocals manipulated through a Korg MS-20 synthesiser.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovely_Head
[0]: https://youtu.be/watch?v=183tEhupiSQ
[1]: https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/loki-theremin-nat...
My son took this album to scout camp. https://duckduckgo.com/?hps=1&q=%22Music+Out+of+the+Moon%22&...
Backstory is they weren't allowed to bring electronics to camp so he brought a portable, 1921 hand crank 78 player, some bakelite 78s and extra needles.
Pixies - Velouria
White Stripes - Little People
Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love
Rolling Stones - 2000 Light Years From Home
Mercury Rev - Holes
Beach Boys(1) - Good Vibrations and I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
(1) Sort of. Electro-Theremin but I'll count it.
[1] https://thefutureheart.com/2013/09/29/deserters-songs-15/
Rapid intercut tight shots of different pairs of feet gradually increasing in tempo. Girls scream. Cool hip young black guy disappears or dies. Audience shouts They're behind you!
It's like asking "why even have an 808, who likes this thing?"