Such a lovely instrument

[ikazlar]

It's sad to see so much a minimum traffic in this forum. Someone, 80 years ago or so was creating history with Theremins. Now it's almost abandoned and look... even Moog stopped producing the Ethervox.

I have been tempted to learn Theremin because of its uniqueness... but I want the real deal... I don't care how expensive it is. These movements in the air make me go wild. I don't care how difficult it is. It can take about 10 years to learn piano, for instance, so why not Theremin?

[shadowing]

First of all, believe me, if you've got the time and patience, learning to play the Theremin is worth it. I've been at it for six years and I'm just as enthralled with the instrument now as I was the first day I made a noise.

As far as the popularity of the instrument and the fact that it has yet to take the media and public consciousness by storm -- my opinion is that it HAD its heyday. Once Theremin went back to the Soviet Union and RCA halted production, only a handful of players were left.

There is actually footage on old 1950's TV shows like "You Asked For It," that feature Dr. Samuel Hoffman and a few other players. Hoffman even made an appearance on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

What's so amazing is that what Theremin players DO on these shows is identical to what they do NOW -- they play a song, they give a simplified explanation of the instrument, then then they get the host to try it. The End.
So, the instrument is relegated to the status of novelty.

There are quite a lot of Theremin players who perform in public at present, but I believe it will only occupy a small space in popular culture. Seeing Lydia Kavina in concert was fantastic, but people in the audience believe THEY could never do that. The truth is that the Theremin is like any other instrument in one respect -- IT TAKES A LOT OF PRACTICE TO BECOME GOOD AT IT. And finally, at the risk of making a disparaging remark, quite a few Theremin players, as with players of other instruments, tend to have a sort of exclusion-ist attitude. I truly feel that more generosity of spirit is called for -- sharing playing techniques, sharing it more joyously with the public, etc. (This last comment may make a few people upset, but it's been my experience.)

I perform in public for audiences of all ages and people are consistently fascinated, but the more serious among them soon find the prospect of playing daunting.

All we can do is continue performing in unique ways and give audiences MORE than funny noises or a distanced performer.

I wish you luck. Purchase a Theremin and have fun!