HOUSTON — The most curious quality of the theremin, one of the oldest electronic instruments, is how its eerie and ethereal sound is manipulated without the performer actually touching it.
Theremins involve the manipulation of electromagnetic fields around two antennae that make the instrument look rather like a weird lectern. Players control sounds by moving hands and fingers around a vertical antenna to raise or lower the tone, and up or down over a looped antenna to control volume.
The Basics of Playing the Theremin. While playing a theremin, moving your hand near the vertical antenna alters pitch, while moving your hand near the horizontal antenna alters volume. The theremin works without the slightest touch.
Invented in 1928, the theremin is an early electronic instrument that is played without even touching it.
A thereminist and his theremin – an almost century-old musical instrument, a box with two antennas. You play it by moving your hands in the air, through the antennas' invisible electromagnetic fields.
Religious leaders in the 19th century called the fiddle “The Devil's Instrument,” since it was often played at weddings, dances and gatherings where food, drink and merriment ensued.
The Otamatone is shaped like a musical note. Sound is produced by sliding a finger up and down the neck. The instrument ends with a Pac-Man-like face that can be squeezed to adjust the pitch.
Zither. Classed as a stringed instrument, namely due to the 34 strings, the zither is a suitably scary instrument. Looking almost like a squashed lute, the body acts similarly as a resonating chamber.
Living up to its present-day nickname, “the world's deadliest instrument,” Franklin's glass armonica allegedly began killing people. The complexity of the armonica overstimulated the brain, which ultimately caused dizziness, nervousness, hallucinations, and cramps amongst performers.
This medication is a multivitamin product used to treat or prevent vitamin deficiency due to poor diet, certain illnesses, or during pregnancy. Vitamins are important building blocks of the body and help keep you in good health.
The Vuvuzela
There may be no instrument more annoying than the vuvuzela. This long plastic tube with a horn on the end is blown into to create a sustained monotone note for long periods of time.
Whatever the limit the ukulele reigns as the “world's happiest instrument ” laughs Hanner.
Participants judged the human voice as the most frequently used sad instrument, with the 'cello, viola, violin and piano completing the top five. The triangle was judged the instrument least used for sadness, along with the cymbal, tambourine, wood block, and glockenspiel.
The Otamatone is a synthesizer whose body is shaped like an eighth note (quaver) (it also somewhat resembles a tadpole, or a ladle, otamajakushi (お玉杓子 / おたまじゃくし) being Japanese for tadpole and ladle), with sound emerging from a "mouth" on the notehead.
The tongue drum, also referred to as a steel tongue drum, a tank drum, or a hank drum, is a relatively new instrument belonging to the idiophone family of percussion instruments. An idiophone is an instrument that produces sound via the vibration of the instrument itself.
The most popular instruments they sell are the saxophone, flute and clarinet, with the least popular being the tuba, French horn and the bassoon. We caught up with them to find out more about these endangered instruments.
The violin is also widely regarded as one of the most difficult instruments to learn. One of the reasons behind this is that there are no guides on the violin for finger placement.
Theremin. The sounds of theremin are so creepy that it makes people quiver. Originated in Russia, Theremin is an early electronic instrument the wounds of which you can consider using this Halloween to make people quiver. Playing this instrument is as eerie as the sounds it creates.
We are on the eve of Halloween and it is worth taking a look at one of the instruments that have characterized horror movies: the Waterphone.