I was scrolling along when I came across a NYT article with podcast and thought it was worth a share. I remember when Steve, from Song of the Day for Today, introduced me to the music of Leaf Rapids and I learned that cool sound in at least one of the songs was the theremin.
HERE is the link to the NYT article/podcast. Hoping it works, it did for me.
In the article it talks about “Calder Plays Theremin.” I found a youtube:
This took me to moma.org/magazine, where I found THIS. And this:
Tao Talk 
Wow, Lisa, that’s pretty far out!😆 I bet John Lennon would have loved a theremin for “Revolution 9!”😀
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Christian I’m sure you are right :)
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So I see the title to this post and I think…”where have I heard of that theremin before?” Hmm. Turns out, I eventually recalled the first time I came across this instrument was a few years ago during an episode of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory. The character Sheldon Cooper plays it, and at the time I thought it was a very cool, very unusual item that probably did not have a robust history. And…then I read that NYT article you linked to, and I now have a much healthier appreciation for its history. In fact, I doubled back on the Internet to learn Jim Parsons, the actor who played Sheldon, actually learned how to play it so it would look as authentic as possible on the show. Love the spotlight on this, Lisa!
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Bruce, I’m thrilled you checked it out and that you remembered Sheldon/Jim played/plays one. I would love to see how my granddaughter would interact with one. Happy you enjoyed the spotlight on this most interesting of musical instruments.
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Thanks so much for the shout-out, Lisa, and I’m glad you are still enjoying and talking about the music of Leaf Rapids. They are so good! And watching Keri play the theremin is something I’ll remember for a long time. (Folks can find the band on Bandcamp if you’d like to support them: https://leafrapidsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/velvet-paintings)
Also, thank you for the link to the NYT article – I was able to access it, no paywall. It’s a very neat instrument. The videos are cool as well… the instrument makes some haunting and quirky sounds!
Great post!
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I want a theremin! Brilliant article, Lisa.
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I’d like to try one for sure. Thanks, Lesley!
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You are very welcome and happy to share Leaf Rapids music. The video was new to me and kind of haunting. Hoping you can pass that article on to Keri, even though she probably already knows about it.
About Calder playing theramin, it seemed a little contrived to me, but the music was beautiful. Hearing some of the sounds the theraminist (hoping that’s the right terminology for one) brought out of it, it seems like it is tapping into another dimension. I can see why some would be frightened of it.
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It is a very unusual instrument, playing method, and sound, to be sure.
I shared your post with our friend Joanna, and I’m sure she’ll share it with her bandmates. They always appreciate the love of listeners. 🙂
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:) cool!
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I also shared it to the Leaf Rapids Facebook page. 😎
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Steve, that is fantastic. Going the extra mile for them. I left fb awhile back or I would go check it out.
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Yeah, I thought letting the band know was one thing, but sharing it with their fans might also be nice, too. I’m not active on much of social media and ration FB pretty tightly, but haven’t left yet.
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In a strange quirk, I learned about the theremin from a teacher in high school who was a music buff. Amazing instrument.
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That’s awesome, Paul. I know I’ve heard it in a million horror flicks. Hard to not be scared to hear it in other contexts.
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Theremin has long had a place as an eerie sound in science fiction film soundtracks. I always like to hear it used as an actual musical instrument. Plus, it’s fun to watch someone play it.
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Yes, it has, Steve, and horror flicks also. Did you see where Moog was inspired to create his synthesizer after hearing the theramin? I agree, it is fun to see “musical tai chi.”
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What an odd video! I like the song, but I had to come to the comments to see the tie in between this music and sci-fi movie soundtracks. That makes sense. Thanks for the interesting intro.
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V, glad you made some time for it. You are very welcome.
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I saw a theremin performance at a local bar/club many years ago. Such a strange and fascinating instrument.
One of my favorite podcasts, “A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs,” includes an extensive history of Leon Theremin and his invention as a lead-in to “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys, which is the first pop track to use and electro-theremin. https://500songs.com/podcast/episode-146-good-vibrations-by-the-beach-boys/
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Liam, thanks so much for the link to the podcast. Will try to listen to it soon, tonight even. I totally forgot it was played in Good Vibrations. Interesting about an electro-theramin. How cool that you were able to see a live performance with one.
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If I recall correctly, it was performed by someone from MIT, which provides just the right level of geeky and access to unusual equipment.
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:)
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Those are some spooky sounds and I love them! :)
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Barbara, I could see Ghost playing the theremin, can’t you?
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haha Now you mention it, yes! He’s no good on trying to play guitar, but I’ll bet he could play the theremin really well. :)
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:) <3
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Sorry I missed this yesterday! I love these things. I’ve seen one in a closed music store a friend of a friend owned, along with my favorite thing…a Leslie Speaker cabinet…where the speaker rotates. I never got to hear either one but I made a puddle below me because of drooling over both lol.
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Hey Max :) I’d like to try one out but probably aren’t any around here. A Leslie Speaker cabinet sounds pretty neat if it can rotate.
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The Beatles used that Leslie Speaker a lot… I’m sure they are not easy to find…they have modern ones but not the same.
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Ah!
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Yup, Good Vibrations is the classic example.
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I learned that it is not actually a Theremin on that song. It is a later variation known as either an Electro-Theremin or a Tannerlin. You actually touch it to play it, so it is much less mysterious. You move a slider to control the pitch, as one of the inventors was a trombonist.
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Ah, good info. Glad you shared it. Like an acoustic vs. electric guitar, sorta. Trombonist inventor is most fascinating.
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Okay, I’m sorry, but each time I scroll through my WordPress feed and see this title, I have the same thought. If I write it down, maybe it will go away. Do you know the concept of Mondegreens? That’s where you mis-hear a song lyric – like the folks who thought that Jimi Hendrix was singing “Scuse me while I kiss this guy” instead of “kiss the sky”.
Anyway, I keep hearing that Grateful Dead epic “Theremin Station”.
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haha! Steve, I can understand why you’d think it was that.
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I didn’t actually…I just couldn’t get that possibility out of my head the past few days.
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so interesting! This was great! Really enjoyed learning more about this!
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Happy you did, Carol Anne :)
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I know I have a few albums with bands using the theremin on certain tacks
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Glyn, will you please share what those tracks are? Maybe you could write a post on it? I just looked at my library database, and there are 51 “hits” on it, all digitally available but no hard copy CDs unfortunately. I fear CDs are phasing out with the library :(
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I’ll try Lisa
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Good Vibrations, Whole Lot of Love, Oxygene.
Aldous Harding with Two Bitten Hearts (she’s very good). Pixies with their song Velouria. Portishead with two songs; Humming and The Rip. There are a lot more Bee
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Thanks for the list, Glyn! I’m not Bee, I’m Li :)
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Oops! Sorry Lisa
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no worries, Glyn. I’ve done it many a time.
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This is my fav. It’s a great remix. The original is from my favourite album of the band. Two out of two ain’t bad Lisa
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That guy has a hella good voice.
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What a crazy invention! I immediately thought of science fiction sounds/music, and I see that at least one person already mentioned that above. Wow, right?!
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Yes, great way of putting it: crazy invention.
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