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Howie Diddot Inner circle San Francisco & Los Angeles California 3288 Posts |
I just purchased this Moog Theremini on the Guitar Center website; I have been fascinated with it since I experimented with a demo unit at a Guitar Canter.
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Moog/Theremini.gc This is what it does https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd4jvtAr8JM I'm going to build a table top performance table to hide it so I can move my hands and make strange sounds while performing kids shows, it will connect with my PA system Many of the Star Wars and space movie music has been recorded with a Theremin. Just Waving your hands around the antennas will produce a spooky type sound if you set the controls correctly, so a transformation of an object sitting under a silk or cup with waving your hands will make it magicial for a kids show. When it arrives on Tuesday, I need to experiment and see if covering the two extended rods will affect the sound. If I can cover the vertical rod with a magic wand and the other with a thin piece of plastic and still get strange sounds even if they are distorted, I'm golden My backup plan is to make a slit down the entire length of the wand to expose the rod and extend the box to encase the horizontal rod. This is a priority project that will be in my first show when I perform again in September It can't be overused in a show but I believe it will enhance a few routine. Any thoughts? |
Donald Dunphy Inner circle Victoria, BC, Canada 7563 Posts |
Here's the use of a Theremin in a magic performance.
Also, as seen on The Big Bang Theory: - Donald
Donald Dunphy is a Victoria Magician, British Columbia, Canada.
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Howie Diddot Inner circle San Francisco & Los Angeles California 3288 Posts |
Thanks Donald,
A very nice use of the Theremin. I'm glad you posted it. I plan on hiding mine in a box, but I can now see that I can control it as I perform, which was a concern I had |
Jef Eaton Special user 526 Posts |
One hand controls the pitch and the other controls the vibrato. It is not an easy instrument to play, but fun. Good luck with the project.
kandumagic.com
<BR>jjeaton@aol.com <BR>Creator of what my Mom thinks are the funniest kid show props around! |
Howie Diddot Inner circle San Francisco & Los Angeles California 3288 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 24, 2016, Jef Eaton wrote: Hi Jeff; It's been a long time since we chatted. I don't want to play a melody. or a song like '"HAPPY BIRTHDAY" I want to wave my hands over it and make uncontrolled "magical" sounds, I did it in Guitar Center and it sounded fine; the Mood has lots of controls and buttons to play with and change stuff |
Jef Eaton Special user 526 Posts |
I am sure you can have fun with it and make some really cool sounds. I just wanted to make you aware that it takes practice to "play" the instrument.
Have fun!
kandumagic.com
<BR>jjeaton@aol.com <BR>Creator of what my Mom thinks are the funniest kid show props around! |
M. Tesla Regular user Coral Springs, Florida 154 Posts |
Actually, I was just reading about those a few days ago...I think the Moog Theremin led to the first electronic synthesizers (used by musical groups)...here's a few neat links with theremins...recognizable tunes...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6KbEnGnymk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjnaciNT-wQ
While the amount of water has remained static, the amount of Tequila and Triple Sec available for making Margaritas has expanded enormously. So you see, we have made progress after all. ~Anonymous
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Howie Diddot Inner circle San Francisco & Los Angeles California 3288 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 26, 2016, Jef Eaton wrote: Jef; I'm tone deaf, I can't even play a Kazoo; the only instrument I can play is the radio; I wont play the Theremin I'll play with the kids along with the Theremin to liven up the show |
Howie Diddot Inner circle San Francisco & Los Angeles California 3288 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 26, 2016, M. Tessler wrote: I don't know the history of the Theremin; I am always looking for methods to make my show unique and different then any other kids magician in my area. As soon as I ran my hand accross it at the Guitar Center (for about 15 minutes) changing the controls, I knew I needed one |
M. Tesla Regular user Coral Springs, Florida 154 Posts |
The theremin was orginally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone, or termenvox/thereminvox) ad is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the thereminist (performer). It is named after the Westernized name of its Russian inventor, Léon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928.
The instrument's controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas that sense the relative position of the thereminist's 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. The theremin was used in the movie soundtrack of "The Day the Earth Stood Still." It has also been used in theme songs for television shows. This has led to its association with eerie situations. Theremins are also used in concert music (especially avant-garde and 20th and 21st-century new music) and in popular music genres such as rock. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremin
While the amount of water has remained static, the amount of Tequila and Triple Sec available for making Margaritas has expanded enormously. So you see, we have made progress after all. ~Anonymous
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Howie Diddot Inner circle San Francisco & Los Angeles California 3288 Posts |
Thnks for some of the history of Theremin; I at times wish I could play any musical instrument so I can add more songs to my show, the only song I have now is the ABC song that is very popular in the show, even the parents join in to that song.
I just received the unit, I want to test it out, but fortunately, or unfortunately for my excitement of receiving it on a Saturday is that I have shows all weekend and I don't have the time to even look at the instruction manual. I purchased the Theremin for exactly as you stated in your description, to create sounds for fun eerie situations; a preliminary script for it's use is to have a kid stand up and weaves his hand with no sound; then two more kids stand as I lead the three kids in waving their hands with no sounds; then have everyone get up as I secretly turn on the Theremin and when everyone waves their hands the sound happens; I can probably add another routine to this as I use it in shows; the standing and stretching in the middle of the show will also help the kids retain attention so the show will go well I will use it for much more routines such as waving my hands during a PB&J routine. |
Ray Pierce Inner circle Los Angeles, CA 2607 Posts |
I used mine many decades ago for a Shadow (Light) Box routine I did at the Magic Castle. Rather than create shadows I made lights appear on the screen and animate to the theramin score. I will admit I added a little echo and reverb to it to thicken up the sound but it was a fun routine.
Ray Pierce
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Howie Diddot Inner circle San Francisco & Los Angeles California 3288 Posts |
Yes Ray,
I am looking forward to having fun with the routines and other things I haven't even thought of yet. I have this one routine where I turn a handle, so I am guessing I can perform it near the Theremin and get a nice sound effect as I turn the handle |
Howie Diddot Inner circle San Francisco & Los Angeles California 3288 Posts |
The Theremin came today and it took me awhile to calibrate it to do what I want it to do. Jef is correct, if I wanted to actually play a tune, it would be very complicated to set up, there is way more than just One hand controls the pitch and the other controls the vibrato to set this model up, but the way I want to use it, it sounds fantastic.
I covered the vertical antenna with a hollow plastic magic wand to hide the antenna and it does not affect the sound at all so this is another problem solved. Another issue is the built in Theremin PA system is not loud enough, so I have to decide if I want to connect it to my existing PA system or buy a small inexpensive 10W PA to build into the performance tabletop table I am going to build; I'm leaning towards buying the PA system so it will all be self contained. My ultimate plan is to have the table set aside and place whatever trick I am going to use with the Terimin on top of the table before I pick up and move the table into the performance area; I want to make it look like the trick and the table go together; it would look very suspicious to move the table in first and then place the trick on top of it |
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