theremins rule

at band practice last night, theremins came up. it was totally random, so we wiki'd it, and i'm pretty fascinated. these instruments sound sad. like a wailing ghost. and how nerdy! the sound is produced by radio frequencies and electrical currents, so you wave your hands around two antennae to control pitch and volume, and you get sad ghost sounds. apparently it's one of the earliest electronic musical instruments. it's really quite beautiful and lovely to watch (good) performances. i love wailing ghosts. i really want one. and i want a theremin. hahaha.

here's a big nerd on youtube to tell you all about the instrument. and he'll even play you 'video killed the radio star' (but not very well).



but here's a beautiful example of theremin playing by clara rockmore who is apparently one of the greats in theremin playing (and is a totally rad old lady). watch her hands and the expression on her face; listen to the phrasing and the dynamics in her playing. that's a performance.