Let's Do a Survey of Your Playing Techniques!

Even though the archives are rich with discussions of playing techniques, I thought it might not hurt to have a sort of survey to hear from current members.  I'd like to hear details of your playing techniques from those willing to take the time to talk about themselves.  Don't be bashful; brag about your strengths, lament your weakness, air your complaints, wishes, etc.  This is a time to talk all about yourself so that others may learn from you.

Tell us what works for you, and things that may have not worked out after you gave them a try for some time.

For example:

1)  Do you sit or stand while playing?

2)  Your pitch and volume techniques:  Do you use a fingering technique similar to anyone else?  Do you move your body toward the pitch antenna or just use arm and finger movements?

3)  How do you like your pitch linearity:  non-linear like a stringed instrument or linear like a keyboard?  Do you like wide octave intervals that require some arm movement, or octave intervals within the reach of finger and wrist movements?

4)  What insights do you think you have developed in your playing?  I'm talking about perhaps subtle or even subconscious things that are deeper than the simple mechanical fundamentals. 

5)  What recurring difficulties do you have, such as pitch wandering, overshoot/undershoot, coordinating volume and pitch, etc.

6)  Approximately how long have you been playing the theremin?

7)  Do you play other instruments?  Have you had musical training?  Again, don't be humble.

8)  What kind of music do you play? What motivates you?
 
9)  Anything else that you have to say about playing the theremin.

I'll chime in later if anyone else responds.

Thanks

1)  Do you sit or stand while playing?
I sit - on a stool.  At first it was because I had some severe hip problems but now I just think I play better that way.

2)  Your pitch and volume techniques:  Do you use a fingering technique similar to anyone else?  Do you move your body toward the pitch antenna or just use arm and finger movements?
Expression: "Fly swatter" for the moment. I hope to develop it into something more dramatic as I get better. Pitch: Classic Clara Rockmore more or less - I don't focus on exactly what it is.

3)  How do you like your pitch linearity:  non-linear like a stringed instrument or linear like a keyboard?  Do you like wide octave intervals that require some arm movement, or octave intervals within the reach of finger and wrist movements?
I have the ESP-100 fixer kit for my Etherwave so it's pretty linear.   All of the octaves are closed-hand-tilted-back to open-hand-tilted-forward.

4)  What insights do you think you have developed in your playing?  I'm talking about perhaps subtle or even subconscious things that are deeper than the simple mechanical fundamentals. 
That I have to audiate AND listen to myself AND listen to the other performers all at once and that requires "flow" type concentration. So for me getting better means getting into flow quicker.

5)  What recurring difficulties do you have, such as pitch wandering, overshoot/undershoot, coordinating volume and pitch, etc.
Losing concentration.

6)  Approximately how long have you been playing the theremin?
Since July - playing an hour a day.

7)  Do you play other instruments?  Have you had musical training?  Again, don't be humble.
I used to be pretty good on the flute, and I also sing in choirs whenever asked.

8)  What kind of music do you play? What motivates you?
Classical, pop, jazz, Broadway. I love playing along to jazz -- when it works, it REALLY works.
 
9)  Anything else that you have to say about playing the theremin.
I am *really* looking forward to regularly playing with others, to being the theremin in some electronic ensemble.

' "Fly swatter" for the moment.' - DanielMackay
I assume you're talking about the volume side?

"That I have to audiate AND listen to myself AND listen to the other performers all at once and that requires "flow" type concentration."
No kidding.  The first time trying to play with accompaniment was a humbling experience.  Couldn't even find a starting note.

1)  Do you sit or stand while playing?

Generally prefer sitting. Did some playing outdoors in a local park recently and played standing up just so I'd have one less piece of equipment to lug around

2)  Your pitch and volume techniques:  Do you use a fingering technique similar to anyone else?  Do you move your body toward the pitch antenna or just use arm and finger movements?

For pitch I try to follow Carolina Eyck's system but only using positions 1-5 (was using all 8 but had to drop 6-8 due to hand pain). For a long time I'd been trying to keep my body completely still while playing and rely exclusively on arm & hand technique, but lately I've been adding more body movement  (especially for very high or low notes). My recent experiments with playing standing (where foot placement can allow linear body movement) has gotten me to really notice how my body helps shape the pitch field. I've been watching a bunch of footage of top thereminsts who play standing (especially Peter Pringle) to observe way they position themselves and move while playing, trying to incorporate some of this into my own playing

For volume I try to use a fluid wavelike motion starting with the elbow for legato, snap of the wrist (like flicking water with the back of the middle finger) for staccato. I use a "grabbing" type of motion to emphasize notes sometimes.

3)  How do you like your pitch linearity:  non-linear like a stringed instrument or linear like a keyboard?  Do you like wide octave intervals that require some arm movement, or octave intervals within the reach of finger and wrist movements?

I try to make the field as linearly even as I can. I like the notes spaced so that I can play an octave with Eyck's positions 1-8 (although I generally use only 5 of them)

4)  What insights do you think you have developed in your playing?  I'm talking about perhaps subtle or even subconscious things that are deeper than the simple mechanical fundamentals.

Get a tuner with a really big display so you can read it with your peripheral vision. Try to tune exactly the same every time so your muscle memory and musical ear are reinforcing one another as you play.

5)  What recurring difficulties do you have, such as pitch wandering, overshoot/undershoot, coordinating volume and pitch, etc.

Finding the correct pitch and staying on pitch

6)  Approximately how long have you been playing the theremin?

Roughly two years

7)  Do you play other instruments?  Have you had musical training?  Again, don't be humble.

I was extensively tortured with classical piano lessons as a child. I quit piano as a teenager (basically as soon as my parents would let me) but picked it up again in my 30s. I also play trumpet and chromatic harmonica. I would say I learned very little music theory considering how much formal instruction I took, but I've picked up a bit of theory as an adult

8)  What kind of music do you play? What motivates you?

I'm mostly playing classical and classical-influenced pop music these days. Had a great time with Christmas music this year! I find the process itself of playing theremin motivating enough that I don't need any extrinsic validation (and I've never felt that with any other instrument)

I love Tango music, but have struggled mightly trying to find a way to fit theremin into a tango ensemble. The limitations of theremin attack make it unsuitable for marcato and syncopa sections which greatly limits what I can do (for something of an explanation see https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=21&v=Uxi7WFlQAf0&feature=emb_logo)

9)  Anything else that you have to say about playing the theremin

Compared to other instruments, playing the theremin feels like I'm connecting with music at a deeper level. Because the mechanics are completely unspecified I can spend more time paying attention to things like intervals, keys, scales in music rather than the mechanics of pressing buttons, adjusting embouchure, etc. Playing theremin has been crucial to exploring lapses in my musical education and improving my general musicianship.

This is all very interesting to hear.  Please feel free to edit and add to your posts if there is more that you want to say.

Here are my thoughts:

1)  Do you sit or stand while playing?
Sit only.  Back issues and general instability rule out standing, although I envy those that can do it.

2)  Your pitch and volume techniques:  Do you use a fingering technique similar to anyone else?  Do you move your body toward the pitch antenna or just use arm and finger movements?
Arm and finger movements only.  Started off with the Caroline Eyck method but my older hands are not that flexible.  I pulled back and studied what hand movements were relaxed and within my physical capabilities, and found that a limited Eyck finger extension combined with a wrist rotation gave me octave ranges with some precision.  I think I've probably connected more than anything with Randy George's relaxed style seen in his Clair de Lune video.

3)  How do you like your pitch linearity:  non-linear like a stringed instrument or linear like a keyboard? Linear, with some exception.  Ideally I want the same hand movements to give the same results everywhere, but since the mechanics of an extended arm slightly limits the physical span of the hand (even though it feels like you are still reaching the limits), a very slight pitch field compression near the antenna doesn't hurt.  But given a choice, linear octave spans are preferred.

I recognize that the definition of linear depends very much on playing style.  If you get into it with your body too, then the perceived linearity will be different.  When I say I want linearity it is under the playing conditions described above.  Until there is some internationally recognized standardized test for evaluating theremin linearity (I'm joking here) there is no validity in theremin linearity claims unless those claims are qualified by the playing style or the test methodology. I would rather have a theremin with a user-configurable pitch field than one which is declared to have perfect linearity.

Do you like wide octave intervals that require some arm movement, or octave intervals within the reach of finger and wrist movements?  I prefer octaves within the reach of finger and wrist movements only, but I like to have a bit of a stretch to do that.  If I have to hit an upward octave jump that is slightly beyond a pure hand movement I can usually do it, but then the octave descending note will usually suffer, ending up sharp.

4)  What insights do you think you have developed in your playing?  I'm talking about perhaps subtle or even subconscious things that are deeper than the simple mechanical fundamentals.
Never be sharp - if you fail, fail on the flat side!  If you can't nail the pitch instantly, hit it from below, either quickly or intentionally swoop up if doing vocal sounds.  Also I have sort of developed a habit of "throwing the right hand at the note" when playing faster, which works better for vocal emulations than instrument sounds.  It's a way of ensuring that you hit the note from slightly below, but in any case it puts a little tremulus at the transitions, sort of a rapid damped overshoot that is common in the human voice and also gives a little correction time.  I also try to hit pitches by intercepting the pitch circles (surrounding the antenna) tangentially, sort of like driving up beside a curb instead of straight into it.

5)  What recurring difficulties do you have, such as pitch wandering, overshoot/undershoot, coordinating volume and pitch, etc.
When playing without accompaniment my pitch almost always wanders sharp over time.  I don't have perfect pitch; although I can identify intervals I have no idea where I am in absolute pitch.  This is really apparent when I listen to my own recordings on loop and hear the pitch error between the end and start.  Having a tuner could help with this but I find that any visual inputs are distracting, so I generally play with my eyes shut.

Oddly I find that having a steady pitch note droning in the background helps keep me on track (I just use a guitar tuner with a built in tone output).  It doesn't matter what the pitch of that note is, or what key my music is in; it seems to provide the reference that I need to keep from drifting.  But with pitch preview in the background and a drone note going on at the same time, it doesn't sound very pretty while playing.

Finally, I can more easily hit notes going up than going down.  Don't know why.

6)  Approximately how long have you been playing the theremin?
Owned an Etherwave Plus since 2016, although I spent more time on mods than I did playing.  Bought a Subscope Voicematic from Dominic Bednarz in Summer of 2018, and then started playing more regularly - 15-30 minutes a day, probably averaging 5 days a week.  Back problems limit sitting and standing for very long.

7)  Do you play other instruments?  Have you had musical training?  Again, don't be humble.
I have played 6 and 12 string guitar from the early 70's, mostly Leo Kottke stuff, and at one time I could do a fair Maple Leaf Rag on the keyboard. But it's all by rote, and nearly anyone at it for that long would know more about music than me.  I wish I had been exposed to, even forced into musical training at a young age, but the environment wasn't there.

8)  What kind of music do you play? What motivates you?
For the theremin, whatever I can! But obviously playing speed and accuracy limit what is practical.  I like all kinds of timeless vocal music from Simon and Garfunkel to Perry Como to the great tenors and sopranos, but classical instrumental music is my favorite.  Sometimes a particular theremin voice will lead to an interest in music that I never had.  Peter Pringle's Talking Machine "Nessun Dorma" was a turning point for me and a huge inspiration.  I would love to be able to do a multi-track recording of Khachaturian's Gayane ballet suite or Coplands "Fanfare for the Common Man" but those are probably just fantasies.
 
9)  Anything else that you have to say about playing the theremin.
At long last the theremin seems to be the musical instrument that I wanted and needed.  I really wish that I had come to it earlier in life when there was more time left to develop on it.  It is unfortunate that only a few players can, to my ears, make it sound pleasant in the context of the pitch accuracy and precision of a backing orchestra, but my motivation and aspirations fortunately are not in performing or even hearing myself in recordings.  In fact, I don't like to hear myself except when actually playing, usually early in the morning when it is dark and no one else is up.  The theremin almost takes me off into a trance-like state where any note that I can imagine comes out of the instrument, without thinking of frets or keys or fingering positions.  It just happens, and as Bendra described above, there is a connection at a deeper level.  It's all between me and the instrument, and when I come back to reality out of this zen state it's only because my butt hurts or my legs are getting stiff.  It's a very satisfying instrument, and unlike any other.  I just generally like to keep it to myself, except when necessary for video demos.

1)  Do you sit or stand while playing?

Stand.  Though I've got the pitch and volume field sensitivities dialed back enough to make this easier than normal.

2)  Your pitch and volume techniques:  Do you use a fingering technique similar to anyone else?  Do you move your body toward the pitch antenna or just use arm and finger movements?

Body stationary, no fingering technique, more of an arm / shoulder technique.  I address the pitch plate with the oblique back of my hand, and sometimes reach notes by opening / closing it a bit, something I should probably develop.  Pitch arm movement is shoulder rotation, with pitch forearm more or less parallel with the floor.  Again, reduced field sensitivity largely enables this.

On the volume side I'm even more laissez-faire (if that's possible).  Sometimes I find my hand is almost upside down.  Movement here is mostly from the elbow.

3)  How do you like your pitch linearity:  non-linear like a stringed instrument or linear like a keyboard?  Do you like wide octave intervals that require some arm movement, or octave intervals within the reach of finger and wrist movements?

Linear, in an open/closed hand sense.  I prefer 1/3 octave open/closed, but this could partially be just conditioning.

4)  What insights do you think you have developed in your playing?  I'm talking about perhaps subtle or even subconscious things that are deeper than the simple mechanical fundamentals.

I'm hyper aware of vibrato now, speed, depth, and how it is applied.  Out-of-control vibrato in singers has been one of my pet peeves for like forever.

5)  What recurring difficulties do you have, such as pitch wandering, overshoot/undershoot, coordinating volume and pitch, etc.

My vibrato is usually too fast and have to consciously slow it down.  And the usual pitch issues I suppose, though the tuner and pitch correction give me confidence I probably shouldn't have!  On the volume side I'm often not phrasing enough or over-phrasing, though the demands here are often determined by the physical limitations of the instrument voice I'm playing with.  I prefer voices where phrasing is left more to the player than the simulation.

6)  Approximately how long have you been playing the theremin?

The dates on my sound clips and videos tell me it's been almost two years now (yikes!).  I don't consistently or deliberately practice, and it distressingly feels like I've backslid somewhat lately as I was away from the instrument for a couple of months, and am only now regaining whatever ability and confidence I had.

7)  Do you play other instruments?  Have you had musical training?  Again, don't be humble.

I've played fingerstyle guitar and have sang along with that since age 13, no formal training, I'm just OK at it and rarely practice anymore, feel kind of at a dead end with guitar.  Took a couple of years of trumpet in middle school and didn't cotton to it, though my instrument was poor.  Mom and wife tried to teach me piano but it didn't stick.  My wife tells me I have a good ear.  I can't do vocal harmony and feel that is a big failing of mine.  I want to learn drums but find them kinda boring.  I'm on the fence regarding kids being coerced into playing music: on one hand they're taught all sorts of stuff they don't want to learn but may help them down the road (reading, math, etc.), on the other hand I feel like it can be a real interest killer, and I think I'm glad that no one pushed me too hard when it came to music.

8)  What kind of music do you play? What motivates you?

On Theremin, anything slow cause I'm still a poor player!  Popular, classical, religious, things that I can easily pull from my head rather than need to study has been the order of the day.

9)  Anything else that you have to say about playing the theremin.

I didn't think I would enjoy playing the Theremin as much as I do.  And the community by and large is composed of super nice folks.

Great thread Roger!

1)  Do you sit or stand while playing?

Sit

2)  Your pitch and volume techniques:  Do you use a fingering technique similar to anyone else?  Do you move your body toward the pitch antenna or just use arm and finger movements?

No fingering technique, just use elbow joint with fingers for fine tuning - hardly necessary. Occasionally lean back or move right leg for more bass.

3)  How do you like your pitch linearity:  non-linear like a stringed instrument or linear like a keyboard?  Do you like wide octave intervals that require some arm movement, or octave intervals within the reach of finger and wrist movements?

I play a full 8 octave range. Even subsonic.

4)  What insights do you think you have developed in your playing?  I'm talking about perhaps subtle or even subconscious things that are deeper than the simple mechanical fundamentals.  

Turn off mind and ego. People do not care about your music, they care if your music matches their preferences based on what they listen to.

5)  What recurring difficulties do you have, such as pitch wandering, overshoot/undershoot, coordinating volume and pitch, etc.

Making a video takes a lot more time than making the music.

6)  Approximately how long have you been playing the theremin?

21 years

7)  Do you play other instruments?  Have you had musical training?  Again, don't be humble. 

synthesizer, recorder, dulcimer, saz, fiddle, pipe - that russian thang
Took music 101 in College and learned 12 tone technique composition - prefer Art of the Fugue.

8)  What kind of music do you play? What motivates you?

All kinds. Doing more with less and doing more of that than anyone else, until later.
20th century Avant Garde with 19th century and rock cliches as part of the palette and a sound basis in medieval musics.

  
9)  Anything else that you have to say about playing the theremin.

Being the best at it is too hard. Being great at it is easy - perfect for a slacker musician who fancies themselves an orchestra. No talent required. Just genius.
It is so darn EASY. And 90 percent of it is Grade A. That is inverse from the norm. Never practice, just play.

6)  Approximately how long have you been playing the theremin?

"21 years" -rupertchapelle

That's a long time! What theremins have you played in those 21 years?

Approximately how long have you been playing the theremin?

"21 years" -rupertchapelle

That's a long time! What theremins have you played in those 21 years?

1)  Do you sit or stand while playing?

At home, I sit - for stability. I stand when I play it in public, for visual effect!

2)  Your pitch and volume techniques:  Do you use a fingering technique similar to anyone else?  Do you move your body toward the pitch antenna or just use arm and finger movements?

I have come from a lifetime of playing slide guitar - I use whole-arm movements and micro-corrections with my wrist. I correct in real time, without noticing I'm doing it.

Often I'll play on the UNDERSIDE of the volume antenna, with a wrist movement.

It's more like depressing a key or plucking a string...

I tried finger-position playing for a while. It seemed dependent on knowing the exact notes I was going to execute ahead of time - great for if you're sight-reading or playing an intricate set piece from memory, less useful for improvisation. It didn't suit me (reminded me of piano fingering...) and wasn't as much fun as carving melodies out of air with my arm.

3)  How do you like your pitch linearity:  non-linear like a stringed instrument or linear like a keyboard?  Do you like wide octave intervals that require some arm movement, or octave intervals within the reach of finger and wrist movements?

I started on a hilariously non-linear theremin, but had no difficulty learning the pitch field.

Then I got a Theremin Uno - which has linearity programmed into the firmware.

It's less of a struggle.

4)  What insights do you think you have developed in your playing?  I'm talking about perhaps subtle or even subconscious things that are deeper than the simple mechanical fundamentals.

The theremin is a cruel barometer of your physical condition. If your stance is shaky, or your muscles are stiff, an involuntary low-level random vibrato will sabotage everything you attempt.

5)  What recurring difficulties do you have, such as pitch wandering, overshoot/undershoot, coordinating volume and pitch, etc.

If I don't limber-up before I start playing, it's agony to listen to and disappointing to experience.

Hungover and dehydrated makes for a rusty performance. 

Stoned - with "elastic" low muscle tone - is a non-starter ;-)

6)  Approximately how long have you been playing the theremin?

Actual heterodyning theremin? Since 2013.

Feels longer than that.

I built a photocell-controlled audio oscillator in 1978.

3 centimetres of pitch range (linearity was NOT a consideration) ...

7)  Do you play other instruments?  Have you had musical training?  Again, don't be humble.

45 years of guitar and bass. I also play keyboards, harmonica, cello and trombone.

I've studied & practiced long and hard, but never with a institution.

I don't need a diploma to play the music I want to.

8)  What kind of music do you play? What motivates you?

Psychedelic rock, mostly.

But - on theremin (and any other monophonic instrument) - anything with a strong melody is fair game.

1960s pop, TV Themes... Hard Rock riffs are hilarious.

Motivation:

I come from an Electronics background and was initially interested in solving the many irregularities of a "classical" analogue theremin. I soon discovered that is an endless and hard-won field of endeavour. Playing music is a lot more fun...

9)  Anything else that you have to say about playing the theremin.

I play "left-handed", in that I execute pitch with my left hand and articulate notes with my right hand (The same is true of my Trombone playing).

I wasted 3 weeks trying to play the theremin like everybody else.

When I turned the thing around 180 degrees, the muscle memory and brain specialisation from playing the guitar kicked in and things became effortless.

I rarely use effects. I had expected to use delay and reverb far more than I do.

In a Rock context, POSSESSION of a theremin is 90% of the battle. One night, due to a missing band member, I got stuck playing Bass for a whole gig, so my singer "played" theremin by throwing wild shapes and dancing near it. The effect - for the audience - was pretty much the same as for my measured and intonated performance. Humbling...

Urs Gaudenz played a masterstroke - the Theremin Uno is ideal for me. It automatically tunes Zero Beat and Zero Volume to my current position, every time I switch it on, and gives me consistent results.
Because it's Open Source, I've hacked the firmware to get Tremolo, Pitch Quantisation (which is a lot less useful than you'd imagine) and the Wavetables in an order that I think is logical (I must get around to adding LEDs to indicate the current state of the controls...).

Any complaints about the tone are moot points to me:
It doesn't shift waveshape as you travel through the pitch spectrum?
So what!
I don't subscribe to any orthodoxy and I'm not aiming to emulate any "classic" tone.
I'm delighted to have found a piece of musical gear that I don't feel any need to trade in for something New and Improved. 

Theremin World has been educational in a whole lot of ways.