But digital circuitry makes the sound of those theremins more stable and less harmonically complex. To control volume, the performer’s other hand acts as the grounded plate of another variable capacitor. When a hand approaches the antenna, the natural frequency of that circuit is lowered by the extra capacitance, which detunes the oscillator and lowers its resonant plate current. This series tuned circuit is then connected in parallel with the parallel tuned circuit of the variable pitch oscillator. With the antenna circuit disconnected, the oscillator is tuned to a frequency slightly higher than the stand-alone resonant frequency of the antenna circuit.
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- The reference standard used by both builders and performers to evaluate the tone quality of a theremin is the sound emitted by the first model manufactured by RCA.
- It consists of a box with radio tubes producing oscillations at two sound-wave frequencies above the range of hearing; together, they produce a lower audible frequency equal to the difference in their rates of vibration.
- Built around 1930, the RCA theremin consisted of a hollow wood cube with a sloped lid perched atop four spindly, tapered legs.
- When the thereminist uses their body to interfere with the electromagnetic field, the instrument measures the difference between the fixed and the variable oscillators, and translates this difference to a pitch (or amplitude).
We uncover the secrets of the phantom fundamental, a spooky audio illusion that has us hearing pitches that may not actually exist. Not long after adapting the device to harness this capability, Theremin had the opportunity to show it off to Lenin, who was so taken with his new instrument that he recruited him to gather intelligence on a US tour. Physics Today, published by AIP, is the trusted source for news and insights in the physical sciences. Musician Jean-Michel Jarre used the instrument in his concerts Oxygène in Moscow in 1997 and Space of Freedom37 in Gdańsk in 2005, providing also a short history of Leon Theremin’s life.
Performance technique
The theremin has two antennae – one horizontal and one vertical – each of which has an electromagnetic field surrounding it. You play it by moving your hand in front of the instrument, creating interference. Relatively simply circuitry coupled with a certain cult novelty makes the theremin one of the most hackable instruments out there. From vintage, vacuum tube devices to musical toys made out of LEGO bricks, there are theremins and theremin kits to suit every fancy.
Concert music
This translation is governed by a concept known as the heterodyne principle. Digital, also known as hybrid, theremins use microprocessors or digital signal processors not only to interpret the position of the player’s hands relative to the antennas but also to generate sound. Those theremins often come with built-in effects, pitch quantization, and banks of preset sounds, some of which attempt to emulate the classic theremin.
The theremin’s sound
Silvia Alonso-Pérez ( ) is a professor in the department of industrial engineering at the University of La Laguna in the Canary Islands, Spain. Endlessly eerie and magnificently mysterious, the theremin has inspired musicians, scientists, makers and artists for generations — and will, no doubt, continue to do so for generations to come. With no complicated chords or fingerings, at first glance, the theremin seems like it should be a cinch to play. So why do many enthusiasts consider it the world’s most difficult instrument? The theremin was the product of Soviet government-sponsored research into proximity sensors. Get access to handy tools to help you better manage your money, so you can stay in control of your spending and saving – all from the convenience of an app.
At that frequency, the antenna and its linearisation coil present an inductive impedance; and when connected, behaves as an inductor in parallel with the oscillator. Thus, connecting the antenna and linearising coil raises the oscillation frequency. Close to the resonant frequency of the antenna circuit, the effective inductance is small, and the effect on the oscillator is greatest; farther from it, the effective inductance is larger, and fractional change on the oscillator is reduced. Playing the theremin requires precision and a trained ear, so previous musical experience helps a lot. A classically trained violinist, she quit playing when tendinitis affected her bow arm. As fate would have it, meeting Theremin resulted in her adopting this new instrument, and with time, becoming its most recognizable face thanks to her controlled performances.
- The Standard Moog Etherwave features pitch and volume antennae, as well as rotary pots for controlling waveform and sensitivity.
- Working in the laboratory of famed theoretical physicist Abram Ioffe, Theremin had developed an early wireless motion-detection alarm system and a device to measure the density and dielectric constant of gases.
- The instrument’s controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas that function not as radio antennas but rather as position sensors.
- Nowadays, while not resoundingly famous, the theremin has been at the service of popular culture as a vehicle for the eerie or the quirky.
Nowadays, while not resoundingly famous, the theremin has been at the service of popular culture as a vehicle for the eerie or the quirky. The soundtrack for the TV show Loki, composed by Natalie Holt, features plenty of theremin to enhance the puzzling, uneasy weight of the story. The go-to instrument for an extra-terrestrial encounter, the theremin was used to score various science fiction films in the 1940s and 50s, most famously The Day the Earth Stood Still, scored by Bernard Hermann. It also appeared in the soundtrack to various horror and mystery movies, among them Miklós Rózsa’s 1945 score to the Alfred Hitchcock film Spellbound. What’s more, even if you don’t have access to a theremin, that doesn’t need to stop you from incorporating its unique sound into your music.
These antennas capacitively sense the relative position of the hands and control oscillators for frequency with one hand, and amplitude (volume) with the other. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker. Music researchers estimate that there are more than 1,500 musical instruments in the world. And out of all of these, there’s seemingly only one that can be played without physically touching it—the eerily-sounding, hypnotic-looking theremin. While it has been around for about a century, many believe it still has plenty of untapped potential. The music created by the theremin is as unique as its history, and its possibilities have inspired musicians across genres and generations.
The frequency of the other oscillator is almost identical, and is controlled by the performer’s distance from the pitch control antenna. Each of the theremin’s two https://p1nup.in/ antennae are connected to circuits that oscillate at radio frequency; one oscillator’s frequency is fixed, while the other’s is variable. When the thereminist uses their body to interfere with the electromagnetic field, the instrument measures the difference between the fixed and the variable oscillators, and translates this difference to a pitch (or amplitude). Analog and digital theremins differ significantly in their tonal character.
In such systems, when the antenna is removed, the oscillator moves up in frequency. The instrument’s controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas that function not as radio antennas but rather as position sensors. Each antenna forms one half of a capacitor with each of the thereminist’s hands as the other half of the capacitor.
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The theremin was originally developed in the USSR by researcher Leon Theremin, while he was hard at work developing a high-frequency oscillator capable of measuring electric force through gases. As he experimented, he discovered that he could change the pitch of an audio signal generated by this oscillator by changing the position of his body in relation to the electromagnetic field he was attempting to measure. The theremin (/ˈθɛrəmɪn/; originally known as the ætherphone, etherphone, thereminophone2 or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named after its inventor, Leon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928. The theremin is an instrument that typically consists of a wooden box with two antennae; one controls pitch, and the other controls amplitude (loudness). Skilled performers can play melodies by hovering and moving their hands ever so slightly around the instrument.
Still, if you’re interested in electronic instruments, synthesizers, and electric circuits, the theremin is a great topic to research, even if you don’t end up trying to play it yourself. Check out a few of the examples below for more information, or just a bit of easy listening. The reference standard used by both builders and performers to evaluate the tone quality of a theremin is the sound emitted by the first model manufactured by RCA. Known for producing what is sometimes called the holy grail of theremin tones, it has a resonant, woody low end; a sweet high register; and the distinctive warm harmonic coloration that is characteristic of vacuum-tube circuitry.
