Theremin

[fendman]

I have been practicing  the Rain Song quite a lot lately by Led Zeppelin...cos I love the song and as you will know if you don't play a song for even a few months you need to refresh the part  that's between your ears.

Anyway in the process of all this I read somewhere that JP  used a theremin ...so just wondered if anyone else had tried one or built one. There seems to be no end of circuits for them and kits, some units on flea bay are going for really stupid prices.

So if anybody has experience of the Theremin I would love to here you tell all.

About Theremin
Theremin kits are on the market once again in the United Kingdom. Simply log on and buy the kit that takes your fancy. The Theremin, invented in 1919, was among the early few musical instruments that were fully electronic. The credit of it's invention goes to a Russian by the name of LÈon Theremin. It's uniqueness lies in its ability to be played without being touched. The musician stands before the instrument and gently waves his or her hands in the proximity of two metal antennae. The distance from one antenna determines frequency (pitch), and the distance from the other controls amplitude (volume). Typically, the pitch is controlled by the right hand and the left hand controls the volume. Some performers have been known to reverse this arrangement. The theremin’s circuitry has two radio frequency oscillators, one of which operates at a fixed frequency. The other is a variable frequency oscillator. A beat frequency in the audio frequency range is generated by the difference in the frequencies of the two oscillators from one moment to the next. This results in audio signals that are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker, thus producing a sound. When building your own theremin, referring to earlier schematics might prove helpful. A theremin is made up of power supply for which chokes or capacitors are used, the main chassis, mounted coils (coupling to be avoided), pitch oscillator coils of the right dimensions, forms, audio transformers, multi-section, power-style resistor and, the antennae, which need to have the correct diameter.

All sounds painful

Mike

[lincolnic]

I got one of these kits as a present, but I haven't gotten the chance to build it yet. Soon, though!

http://harrisoninstruments.com/101/101_description.html

[nieradka]

I play the theremin classically, and have been playing it for 4 or 5 years. Im not familiar with the song in question, but i can answer some things in general, if you have questions.

It depends largely what you want to do with it. If you just want to make woo woo sounds occasionally or play ambiently you can get away with a cheaper theremin. A burns zep theremin is a pitch only theremin which is fine for what it is. A pitch only theremin doesnt have a volume rod, (In a typical theremin dynamics and articulation of the notes are done with the left hand, - the farther the left hand is away from the volume rod, the louder the note) so it will be more limited. 

If you want to be able to play on key, play scales, and actually play melodies, a better, more professional  theremin is in order. The theremin is one of the hardest instruments to learn, as there is no tactile feedback. Better theremins have a more stable and linear pitch field, that is the notes are more predictably and evenly spaced. The Moog etherwave is the standard model most people start with, but like any instrument it isnt cheap (around 350 usd). Cheaper, acceptable models would be the burns b3 pro, or the lost volts lv-1, they are by most reports not quite as good, but still good enough and a decent cheapish option.

There arent any kits im aware of that good enough for serious use, if you want a ambient noise maker, the jaycar kit is a value for the money, and there are alot of mods. Avoid the paia kit. Its overly complicated, and a crappy design. In general building a theremin is more difficult than building a pedal. There is a decent amount of information available on thereminworld.com, its the main forum, and theres info on all the kits, schematics, and pre-built models available.

[fendman]

nieradka that was very interesting !!! You certainly gave me a lot to go on, I am a lot wiser now...and have been all over the net with this, I like the cello,  and couldn't believe there was a Theremincello

Really pleased you gave me all the info, I see what you are saying about the difficulty level of playing this instrument. You don't touch it at all, well I will carry on reading more on it when I have some time.

Thanks for your time on this, and all the best in your classical playing  now and in the future. You are obviously very dedicated,

Good luck

Mike

[pedalman]

last year I was on that hunt. I don't remember the web-page but somebody had a really nice kit for 150-275 bucks depending on the model. it even came with a nice hardwood enclosure. keep looking. the best info is usually the link off of a link off of a link. lol

[calciferspit]

I have a "zep" theremin that was about $75 and it plays fine. Not as pretty sounding as an analog device but lots of fun through pedals.