Buying a theremin in the UK

Hi

My daughter will be 17 in October and for some time has been saying she wants a theremin. She is musical but I know theremins are difficult beasts to play. She may give up on the theremin so I don't want to pay too much for an instrument. My son has a CUBE guitar amp. Would I be right in thinking that this would be okay to use with the theremin?

Also I am non-technical so ideally want a theremin that plays "out of the box". I see "Burns B3" models for sale on ebay at a quite reasonable price. Would one of these fit the bill? 

Are there any issues about moving from American 110 volt 60HZ to UK 240 volt 50Hz? Is it easy enough to get a converter?

In a nutshell I want a "good" musical theremin for a 17 year old that will not give me any hassle and will not cost too much.

Any suggestions will be gratefully received! 

You'll need a step down transformer (240 to 110V) to run a B3 in the UK. This will add to the initially lower price of the B3's, as much as shipping costs, import duties and sales tax which the british customs will ask you for. You risk to end up with 120£ more than the initial price. 

The smaller B3s (Standard and DeLuxe) are good for sound effects and playing around but are difficult to play in a precise manner because of the restricted range and the very unlinear tone spacing. The only B3 which I can really recommend (I've tried all!) is the B3 Pro, but that isn't that cheap.

I'd rather recommend you to contact Wilco Botermans via his Website www.ethermagic.eu and ask for a reasonable quote for a Moog Etherwave Standard theremin which should be available for around 400€ and which is a decent instrument with a reasonable spacing between the antennas, which is easier to play and to learn, and which may be modified/upgraded later.

And 400€ is nothing compared to a decent violin, cello or grand piano. Below that price you'll mostly get "woooo-wooooeeeeeeoooo" toys. ;-)

"My daughter will be 17 in October and for some time has been saying she wants a theremin." - cei477

It is, I think (at least from my expierience) quite unusual for a 17 year old to be interested in such a strange musical instrument.. has she ever played a theremin, and has she played / does she play any other musical instrument? What sort of music is she into? Some idea about why she wants a theremin, and what she hopes to do with it, might help.

"She is musical but I know theremins are difficult beasts to play. She may give up on the theremin so I don't want to pay too much for an instrument."

Here is the crunch - not all theremins are equal.. a cheap instrument may be a lot more difficult to play than a more expensive one - so I think the likelyhood of her giving up is higher if she gets a cheap one.. Not to say that she wont give up if she gets an expensive one though..

Also, (and I am not a musician - I am a theremin designer primarily) I have found that some people get on with different models better than others - I think it is quite a personal thing.

Alas, there are no music shops I know of in the UK where people can try out different theremins.. but there are occasional workshops held in Oxford run by Lydia Kavina where one can get a chance to play and some tuition from probably the best theremin teacher on earth.. Sadly, there doesnt seem to be a workshop scheduled any time soon..

From whats available, I agree with Thierry - The Moog Etherwave is probably the best bet.. These theremins also have a good resale value even on Ebay, so if your daughter didnt get on with it, some of the cost could be recovered, and the loss would probably be the same as if one bought a cheaper theremin which has a lower resale value.

Fred.

I agree. Moog. The name alone has value just like Fender or Gibson in the guitar world.

When I was first learning guitar, my playing skill and enjoyment increased dramatically when I went from a no name Japanese to a Gibson.

Rolland makes several versions of the "cube" amplifier. If it's the little 15 watt, 8 inch speaker version, it will work, but not well. There are many small amps in this class and I have yet to find a decent sounding one, for guitar or theremin. Their speakers and cabinets are just too small.

A theremin won't do any damage to the Cube, but will probably overdrive it. A theremin can also be played through a home stereo line input. You will need a quarter inch to dual RCA adapter for that.

Rob.

"My daughter will be 17 in October and for some time has been saying she wants a theremin." - cei477

It is, I think (at least from my expierience) quite unusual for a 17 year old to be interested in such a strange musical instrument.. has she ever played a theremin, and has she played / does she play any other musical instrument? What sort of music is she into? Some idea about why she wants a theremin, and what she hopes to do with it, might help.

"She is musical but I know theremins are difficult beasts to play. She may give up on the theremin so I don't want to pay too much for an instrument."

Here is the crunch - not all theremins are equal.. a cheap instrument may be a lot more difficult to play than a more expensive one - so I think the likelyhood of her giving up is higher if she gets a cheap one.. Not to say that she wont give up if she gets an expensive one though..

Also, (and I am not a musician - I am a theremin designer primarily) I have found that some people get on with different models better than others - I think it is quite a personal thing.

Alas, there are no music shops I know of in the UK where people can try out different theremins.. but there are occasional workshops held in Oxford run by Lydia Kavina where one can get a chance to play and some tuition from probably the best theremin teacher on earth.. Sadly, there doesnt seem to be a workshop scheduled any time soon..

From whats available, I agree with Thierry - The Moog Etherwave is probably the best bet.. These theremins also have a good resale value even on Ebay, so if your daughter didnt get on with it, some of the cost could be recovered, and the loss would probably be the same as if one bought a cheaper theremin which has a lower resale value.

Fred.

She has very catholic tastes in music. Off the top of my head she likes pop music from every decade (from Beach Boys to Radiohead), Sinatra, Nat King Cole, classical. She likes ambient music (Eno, Budd). She really is a musical magpie. She plays the piano (is Grade 6 level). Not sure what was "she wants to do" with the instrument (except play it presumably). 

I do take your point about playability vs quality. I saw a few youtube videos of some chap playing the B3 which is what initially attracted me to it. But if import duties and power converters and Uncle Tom Cobley inflate the price then I can see how the Moog instrument becomes more attractive.

I have taken up Thierry's suggestion and contacted Wilco Botermans. Thanks to everyone for getting back to me. 

The feedback has prompted a few more queries: I would agree that most 17 year olds are not exactly "theremin aware" but what sort of people become thereminists? Is there a stereotype? What attracted you to theremins? The "do" question - I did not understand. What sort of things do people "do" with theremins? What are the options?

Thanks

cei477:  what sort of people become thereminists? Is there a stereotype?

This is a great question. The answer seems to depend on what part of the world you are in.

In America, most people who are interested in the theremin seem to be white middle class males between their late teens and thirty. In Japan, however, there seems to be a good deal of interest in the "Russian doll theremin" (called the "matryomin") from women between about 25 and 40. 

Since there is a technical and scientific side to the instrument, it seems to attract a good many "geeks". This fact was not lost on the producers of the popular television series BIG BANG THEORY, who created an episode in which super-geek, Sheldon, discovers the theremin.

There is an interesting and important Jewish presence in theremin history as well. Although Leon Theremin himself was not Jewish many of his associates were, including his business partner and personal assistant, Julius Goldberg. As most people here know, in the years following the introduction of the theremin, the two foremost exponents of the instrument were Clara Reisenberg (later Rockmore) and Samuel Hoffman - both professional violinists and both Jewish. 

The violin has occupied an important place in the culture and music of northern European and Russian Jews for many generations and since the theremin is a "stringless violin", perhaps it is not surprising that there was a good deal of Jewish interest in it right from its birth. It is not advisable, however, to take one up onto the roof. Theremins tend to be top heavy and require a flat, stable surface. Besides, your feet could get tangled in the extension cord!

What sort of things do people "do" with theremins? What are the options?

The options are either to think of the theremin as a "stringless violin" and use it to emulate acoustic music, or to think of it as an electronic instrument and use it to make electronic music.

Gordon,

Does that mean that when a traditional melody (like THE SWAN) is played on a theremin, it is not electronic?

Was SWITCHED ON BACH "electronic music" or just "electronic sound"? Is there a difference?

If I were to find a timbre setting on my theremin that did not sound like any known acoustic instrument, and I used that sound to play THE SWAN, would that qualify for "electronic music" according to your definition?

If I were to create an original, highly melodic composition for theremin and played it with a sound that was not intended to emulate an acoustic instrument, would it qualify as "electronic music"?

Is there an element beyond the way the sound is created that qualifies a particular performance as "electronic" ....or not electronic?

Would a composition for electric eggbeater, vacuum cleaner and lawnmower be considered "electronic music" even though none of the instruments used is electronic? 

It is hard to construct a precise definition of any genre of music.

Generally people can tell if they are listening to the London Philharmonic Orchestra or to Skrillex, but between these two poles there are vast expanses of greyness. 

I should have added, "... or somewhere in-between."

"The feedback has prompted a few more queries: I would agree that most 17 year olds are not exactly "theremin aware" but what sort of people become thereminists? Is there a stereotype? What attracted you to theremins? The "do" question - I did not understand. What sort of things do people "do" with theremins? What are the options?" - cei477

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I think the "options" are huge - From playing music to making noises.. I think that the majority of those who try to "play music" (as in, play tunes etc composed and performed usually on other instruments, or sung) on the theremin, produce rubbish - But they get pleasure from playing anyway, so thats all that REALLY matters.

The theremin usually takes a lot of effort to master - BUT - There are some people who take to it almost instantly, and can play well extremely quickly.

I think the theremin may be an ideal test for a persons musical sense of pitch - I had several (16) (pitch only) theremins being played by the public for a week in the Royal Feastival Hall (London) in 2010.. Lots of people (hundreds) played and thought they were really playing, but "name that tune" would have been impossible..

Musicians (particularly violin / cello players, but all those who played a musical instrument had an advantage) did far better - but also became more infuriated with themselves / the instument, because they could hear when they were out-of-tune.

And there were a few who took to the instrument and played well within a few hours - One man came daily and played for an hour each day - I noticed him one day when the crowds had subsided, playing along with the Clara Rockmore video (Hebrew Melody) which was screened in the background - absolutely note perfect, with perfect vibrato (alas, no volume control, as this was not available) ... I thought he must be an (extremely) accomplished thereminist, but he told me that his first encounter with the theremin had been a few days before, on "my" theremins.. "I can play any instrument after a few hours" he told me with no "ego" or the like - "I know that tune, thats why I can play it easily".

I really believe there are some people who will never be able to play the theremin well, no matter how hard they work at it.. its not like a keyboard or the like, where one can read the music and hit the right keys.. Much as I dislike the phrase, Clara Rockmore said something like "You must have music in your soul" - Not sure about that - but you must have some ear / brain "something" which allows you to determin pitch accurately, and the co-ordination to use this "data" to control your hand movements and therebye play the theremin.. If you master that, then you are free to do whatever your musical imagination directs you to do with your theremin.

But, if you have a crap theremin, you may well give up in frustration before you get good enough to do anything musical with your theremin.. particularly I think if you are musically "inclined" and / or "have music in your soul".

Fred.