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dude View Drop Down
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Points: 1338 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: theremin
    Posted: March 13 2004 at 08:04
Does anyone remember the Theremin invented by Leon Theremin in 1918 it was the worlds first electronic musical instrument which through a process called "HETRODYNING" could sense the proximity of an electromagnetic field and convert that proximity(oscillation/proximity) to sound.The user would stand in front of it and use his hands to move towards and away from the instrument(being careful not to move any other part of his body as the theremin could not distinguish between where the electromagnetic field emenated from and the users hands).it is regarded as the forerunner of the synthisiser.It was used extensivly in the 30,s and40,s(until the developement of thes synth overtook it)in horror movies etc,it is a fantastic and eerie sounding instrument(i have some theremin music in my collection although i do not know where it came from) that would lend itself well to prog.My question is...does anyone know if the Theremin is still being used and are there examples of it in prog ?

Edited by dude
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Peter View Drop Down
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Points: 9669 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 13 2004 at 08:57
Beach Boys (masters of prog!Wink): "Good Vibrations."
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
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Points: 132 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 13 2004 at 09:00

I think the Theremin is in more use now than ever. I don't know much about it from before 1970's, but many of today's electronica bands are using it. Gomez and Hooverphonic are two examples where the latter is a quite good band. I really don't like Garbage, but once on a party, listening to one of their albums, I was shocked when the distincitve sound of the Theremin occured.

The Theremin is today mostly used in combination with a synth., but a musician I know is considering to by a Theremin box. He didn't say much more, except from that it is really expensive.

In prog-rock context the only musician I know that has used Theremin is, not surprisingly, Captain Beefheart.
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maani View Drop Down
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Points: 2632 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 13 2004 at 11:12

Peter:

Beach Boys - masters of prog...hmmm...as good as or better than ABBA?

Peace.
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Tauhd Zaļa View Drop Down
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Points: 340 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 13 2004 at 11:20

Dude,

I thought that was "Ondes Martenot" another instrument of the same kind invented by Maurice Martenot in 1928 ?

Here is the link with samples of sounds :

http://www.chez.com/cslevine/ondes/
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Dan Bobrowski View Drop Down
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Points: 5243 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 13 2004 at 14:18

Reminds of those old Sci-Fi movies. Builds tension, that spooky ethereal sound of the Martain invasion. Cool.
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Tauhd Zaļa View Drop Down
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Points: 340 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 13 2004 at 14:37
Originally posted by danbo danbo wrote:

Reminds of those old Sci-Fi movies. Builds tension, that spooky ethereal sound of the Martain invasion. Cool.

Yes

Like the recent parody "Mars Attack"

"tatt ta tatrattaa tata tacktata tra"

(I'm crazy !)
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Points: 400 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 13 2004 at 15:28

Originally posted by dude dude wrote:

does anyone know if the Theremin is still being used and are there examples of it in prog ?

Thanks to the work of Jimmy Page and Ronnie Montrose in the seventies, I would say that the theremin has remained alive and well if not exactly "popular".

The French group Air, Man Or Astroman, Einstein's Secret Orchestra, the British group Coil, the Flaming Lips, Garbage, Aimee Mann and many others use it today.  There are many in the electronic/trance field using one.

As far as prog or prog-like users, John Zorn, King Crimson, Liquid Visions, and Marillion use/have used the theremin.

And we must never forget the imortal Lothar And The Hand People.
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dude View Drop Down
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Points: 1338 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 13 2004 at 21:36
LOTHAR AND THE HAND PEOPLE!! now there is a band i had completely forgotten about, didnt they have that song "SEX AND VIOLENCE"?("thats the end of the record folks the record ends just about here".........)
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Points: 112 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 14 2004 at 11:16

One musician who has used the Theremin who was not mentionned is :

Jean Michel Jarre . You can even see him play it in his latest DVD "Oxygene in Moscow"

He is an elctronic music with some prog influence, especially in his earlier albums like "Oxygene"  and Equinox . Highly recommended by the way, alot of you might enjoy it alot.
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Points: 2689 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 01 2008 at 17:58
The other night I was at a solo theremin concert, by Pamelia Kurstin.  Twas splendid!
rotten hound of the burnie crew
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Points: 29630 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 01 2008 at 18:51
Dude, you're not a door to door Theremin salesman by any chance are you?

Edited by Slartibartfast - June 01 2008 at 18:52
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Points: 997 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 01 2008 at 19:31
Let's not forget La Maschera di Cera: Agostino Macor plays some fine theremin on LuxAde!

Edit: Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wKTRdYcLuI
The theremin is a box with "Macor" on it...


Edited by Soul Dreamer - June 01 2008 at 19:58
To be the one who seeks so I may find .. (Metallica)
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Points: 4659 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 01 2008 at 19:45
Randy California, the teenage wiz kid who played with Jimi Hendrix before Hendrix hit big in England, used a  theremin on the first few Spirit albums in the late sixties.

First he had it sitting on his amp, but later had one mounted to his guitar.

This is where Page is generally believed to have gotten the idea to use a thermin in Led Zeppelin.  




Edited by ClemofNazareth - June 01 2008 at 19:47
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Points: 10094 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 01 2008 at 19:47
Radiohead uses this semifrequently 


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Points: 463 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 01 2008 at 19:50
Angelo from Fishbone has been using one on albums and on tour the last decade or so.
Not a prog example, but still...Smile
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Points: 7559 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2008 at 07:00
Originally posted by Tauhd Zaļa Tauhd Zaļa wrote:

Dude,

I thought that was "Ondes Martenot" another instrument of the same kind invented by Maurice Martenot in 1928 ?

Here is the link with samples of sounds :

http://www.chez.com/cslevine/ondes/

 
The Ondes Martenot was used to astonishing effect by the composer Messiaen in his "Turangalila Symphonie" - which is a stunning progressive listen Wink
 
The big difference between the Ondes Martenot and the Theremin is that the former has a keyboard. It was invented as a result of a meeting between Maurice Martenot and Leon Termen - as detailled here (you will also find 2 excerpts from the Turangalila) Big%20smile
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Rocktopus View Drop Down
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Points: 4202 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2008 at 07:36
The true heroine of theremin, russian Clara Rockmore. Here's a myspace tribute page


She looked spectactular.





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Points: 7559 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2008 at 08:09
^Clara was amazing - good call!
The important thing is not to stop questioning.
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Points: 10387 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2008 at 08:39
The Red Masque regularly use a theremin; have a look at this video of them, in which the keyboarder sometimes switches to theremin (around the 3 minute mark, for example):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr9Ne6OyKo0


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