Learning to Play the Theremin - Looking Back at my First Year!

[LearningPiano80]

Wow, very nice :) Enjoyed your Video about your first year playing theremin :) How much hours did you put in it?

I've a similar story, but unfortunately without annotations ... I'll just pass my first year playing piano and did a compilation of the learned pieces ... I posted this video as video response, if you don't mind :)

[Thereminstrel]

@LearningPiano80

Thank you for your comment. I'm glad you added the video response; I've enjoyed listening to your piano-playing very much. I've played the piano for many years (since early teens) - the theremin is my latest project musically, and is such huge challenge. During the first year my practicing was very intense ... too many to count! Presently, (another year on) I have less time for practicing and haven't posted a new video for a while; hopefully I will get some time soon.

[xXxSoAd95FaNxXx]

this is cool!!!!!

[Thereminstrel]

@xXxSoAd95FaNxXx

Thank you!!

[xXxSoAd95FaNxXx]

@Thereminstrel ur welcome

[frwiss]

Soon your 2 year Thereminiversary! Beautiful music and nice idea of video. Encouraging for every musician. Thank you.

[Thereminstrel]

Thank you for your comment.

Yes, in about one month I will have been playing the theremin for two years; it now seems a regular part of my life that I couldn't imagine being without!

[TheGrundrauschen]

Thanks for this timeline! Your pretty fast with your progress! Gives me hope that I can someday get some tunes right too! :-)

[Thereminstrel]

Good, I'm glad this has been helpful to you.

Each person will vary as to the speed they progress. However, while most can pick out a squeaky off-key tune within a few hours/days, progressing to good tuneful playing is a long, slow job, and needs much patience and practice. For the first several months, if I missed a few days of practice I felt like I was starting over again - it took me over a year to feel more secure about playing and general technique.

Enjoy your theremin journey!

[leahpar88]

great video:)

watching you playing this instrument kind of encouraged me to buy my own theremin... I just can´t decide wich one to take.

but I think I´ll go with the b3 (actually it´s the only one I can afford right now).I mean it´s just for the beginning ..maybe when I get the hang of playing the theremin I´ll buy a better one...what do you say?

[Thereminstrel]

Thanks for your kind comment.

A B3 theremin would be an excellent instrument to learn on. I think the delux b3 is better than the standard b3 as there's more length between the pitch antenna and volume loop, so it's a little easier to play. Have fun learning!!!

[oblepikha]

I really found this helpful. I just got a theremin and look forward to steadily improving as you have shown it is possible. Thanks very much! Oh yes, and I like your ties!

[Thereminstrel]

Thank you! I'm glad the video has been helpful.

With proper tuition almost impossible to find, I know that when I began to learn, Youtube was invaluable. It allowed me to observe players (both good & less good), listen to the sounds they made, and carefully watch what they were doing (either right or wrong) to get those sounds!

Changing ties helped differentiate the weekly videos, otherewise the thumbnails showed nothing but a headless person with a black box!)

Enjoy your new theremin!

[Dubersive]

You are incredible, good sir.

I ordered my first Theremin the other day, and your videos are the only thing keeping me from going mad from the anticipation. I find your sound to be much more smooth and relaxing than most others, and I aim to emulate you once my Etherwave gets here!

Thanks for sharing all your progress and advice with us :)

[Thereminstrel]

Thank you for your kind comment.

I'm always pleased to hear of someone eagerly awaiting their new theremin; I'm sure you'll have great fun once it arrives. If you have any questions while learning, I'll be happy to answer them if I possibly can.

Meanwhile, have you checked out Thomas Grillo's Youtube theremin lesson videos? This was how I started - however, he now offers a DVD giving in-depth tuition, which you might find helpful.

Enjoy your new theremin!

[neurocelso]

today I saw you playing

tonite I bought my first theremin

THANKS :)

[Thereminstrel]

That's excellent news! The reason I prepared this video was to encourage others to try this amazing instrument for themselves. I hope you have as much fun learning to play the theremin as I have had!

[neurocelso]

still waiting.... I can't stand it ! :D

btw, I've read around about the fact that the theremin may be one of the most difficult instruments... and that is skaring me :D I'm an amateur guitar and bass player, and I can sing pretty well, I hope that this will help me in mastering the theremin :) just to have an idea, how many hours a day did you practice during this first year?

buona vita!

[Thereminstrel]

I think Clara Rockmore once said that ''the theremin is the most difficult instrument to play WELL.'' Almost anyone can play spooky noises or squeak a semi-ok tune ... but precision-playing, especially of classical music, is indeed quite difficult. Part of the difficulty is that there are no keys, frets or valves giving notes of a set value - and the slightest ''wrong'' move sends you out of tune, so you have to stand VERY still.

[Thereminstrel]

Knowing how to sing is useful because you will be used to ''hearing'' the next note in your head. This internal pitch-sense helps you play in tune. (Singing & theremin-playing at the same time is almost impossible because breathing causes enough body movemnt to send you out of tune).

Plenty of practice is helpful, but don't over-do it & get discouraged. Better to play a little (hour or two) EVERY day, rather than one long practice session per week. The most important thing is keeping it fun!

[neurocelso]

Thanks for the kind words, the stillness involved doesn't scare me, I practice zazen and I'll love to improve in some other way my balance control, so the T. is one again welcome :)

While I'm still waiting for my first T. to arrive I'm getting used to move around in the air my right hand as if the T. was there, trying to catch the right direction of the next note of a melody I'm istening to or singing :D

great support you gave me, I owe you at least a video on youtube of my very first session :D

[neurocelso]

check my first theremin video please :)

[id10nOrm]

thank you for this. very good exposition of the theremin learning process.

do you know of any other linear theremin (other than the E-Pro) that i would actually be able to buy?

[Thereminstrel]

As far as I know there are no other theremins as linear as the E-Pro currently in production. However, E-Pros occasionally appear on eBay.

Theremins made by Wavefront are more linear than the E-Standard, but not so much as the E-Pro. They're a quality instrument with an excellent timbre.

I'd suggest continuing with your present theremin (E-Standard?) for now; it's a great theremin to learn on - & Moog have hinted that a new design Pro- theremin may appear in the not-too-distant-future!

[acordeon70]

.excelente video

estas tocando muy bien

you are playing really very nice!!!

[Thereminstrel]

Thank you for the kind comment.

Gracias por mirar el vídeo!

[jerrymartin79]

Congratulations on your anniversary! You've made simply amazing progress - and this video is a great inspiration to everyone learning out there - keep practicing everyone! :)

[Thereminstrel]

Thanks! I can hardly believe it's a year since I first discovered the theremin - the time has flown by!

[ThomasGrillo]

Excelent documentation of your progress.

Here's to the next year! ;)

Keep up the great works!

[Thereminstrel]

Thanks, Thomas! And thank you again for your good advice throughout the year; there were times when, without your encouraging words, I might have given up!

[dvision23]

Boy, what a fantastic video journal! The annotations are extremely helpful. Isn't amazing how much we learn just by DOING? Thanks for taking the time to create this and put it up for the theremin wolrd to enjoy.

BTW, when I go back and look at the first YT video I did, a Bach piece, it's incredible. I'm thrusting my fingers out, very odd technique. And I may never be able to remember the absurdity of that were it not for the recording.

[Thereminstrel]

Thanks! Yes, DOING is the best way of learning ... even if you start out doing it wrong, you can learn from your mistakes; (video-recording practice sessions certainly helped me spot my own technique problems!) As there are so few teachers available, there's little other choice when learning the theremin ... but I guess it's that challenge that makes it fun!

I'm glad I resisited the urge to delete those early horrible-sounding attempts; perhaps now they'll be of encouragement to others.

[car000333]

sorry i know nothing about theremins, but i have 3 questions

1- how does it work?

2- does it make any other sounds?

3- can you feel anything? or is it like rhythmically waving your hands in the air?

[Thereminstrel]

Hard to explain how a theremin work briefly, but ... its circuitry includes two radio frequency oscillators; one at a fixed rate, the frequency of the other determined by the thereminist's right hand (acting as the grounded plate of a variable capacitor) as it moves beside the upright antenna; this controls the pitch. The difference between the two frequencies creates audio signals heard via an amplifier. Using a similar principle, the left hand's proximity to the loop antenna modulates volume.

[Thereminstrel]

Simple version: as the right hand gets closer to the upright antenna, the note get higher. As the left hand gets further from the loop antenna it gets louder.

Other sounds? Most theremins have dials to adjust waveform & brightness. Depending on how they're set, the sound can vary between violin-like & a soprano voice. Theremins vary; some sound like a cello or muted brass.

The only thing you feel is is frustration as you keep missing the 'invisible' notes & astonishment when you hit them!

[conquerearth]

I'm really glad you did this retrospective. Its a great guide for anyone starting out. I'm inspired.

[Thereminstrel]

Thanks! It's interesting that there's little difference between any two consecutive segments ... but the difference between the first and last is pretty astonishing, (even though I say it myself!)

I hope it will encourage anyone wanting to learn - and those who've just started learning not to give up ... because it's so easy to get discouraged by that apparent lack of progress.

[GordonCharlton]

Congratulations on your first year. That difference between the first and the last snippet is quite remarkable.

[Thereminstrel]

Thanks! I guess that's one of the advantages of keeping a video-record ... it helps you see that you HAVE improved, even if you feel like you haven't!