msat

i just got a chuck collins pitch-only theremin from my friend. he admitted to never really being able to get a tune out of it aside from the obvious sci-fi noise applications, and offered to pass it on to me.

being my first theremin, i found it tremendously unmanageable. still, i feel that given it’s frustraing nature as a theremin, it may be a little misrepresentative of the level of difficulty. even with the use of the range control, i find that some 2-3 octaves to navigate in a 6” radius a bit unrealistic. i’m also starting to imagine the possibilities of volume control with another antenna.

i wonder if theremin playing is really this maddening on other units, or am i barking up the wrong tree with this little toy of a theremin. i wonder if folks ever swap out the antenna with a ribbon controller…

i should just save up for the etherwave.

my ‘86 honda ch150 needs a new transmission, a new throttle sleeve, a new battery, and new tires. anything else beyond that is purely cosmetic. naturally, it’ll need registration, and insurance, but i’ll cross that bridge when i’ll come to it. i’ve gone and blown my whole paycheck this week on an ebay auction for a spare motor, which i’ll be scrapping for parts. this means i’ll be biting my nails and closely watching my finances until thursday, when the check clears, and my next check arrives. between then, i’ll be so broke it’s not even funny. but i’ve been putting this off for to long. it won’t get me up and running, but i’ll be so much closer.

it’s a bummer though, because i was originally saving this money for an Etherwave theremin that i’ve wanted for years. but i guess i can always get that later. it’s not like they’re out of production or anything like say, parts to a 20 year old motor scooter.

it’s day four, and after two days on the mallet and two on the bow, i’m finally seeing progress. i can, with varying success, reach the notes i aim for. the highest notes and lowest notes are still the most difficult. using a bit of vibrato (thanks to my “nervous knees”) seems to make my playing all the more convincing. nevertheless, i’m still lacking the confidence to play it in front of people. we’ll see where i am in a week.

my left hand is cramping up like crazy. i hope it gets easier.