Here's a whole new spin on the popular video game Guitar Hero! YouTube user conquerearth has posted a video in which he uses a theremin to perform the vocal part on The Portal Song. As the video shows, the game rates his performance in real time based on his pitch correctness and timing. He actually does a great job, scoring an "expert" level rating with 95% correctness. Way to go!

The best part is, this requires no special equipment beyond a theremin, XBox 360, a mic, and headphones. He just connects headphones to his theremin, then lays a microphone in the ear cup of the headphones. The game does the rest.

I haven't played Guitar Hero personally, but I have to think there are other songs in the game appropriate for thereminizedvocals. Anyone else care to take up the challenge?

Watch: "Theremin Hero" First ever attempt - The Portal song (Still Alive) on Theremin. (YouTube)

TheBBC's Radio 4 recently broadcast a short radio play about Leon Theremin bugging the London embassy. It's available for online listening for a few more days from their website. You'll need RealPlayer to listen.

BBC Radio 4 - The Saturday Play - Theremin, by Melissa Murray

theremin unknown

Each year, we get lots of new visitors who have just gotten or discovered the theremin. To all of you, congratulations and welcome!

 Here are a few quick links,  from the "Getting Started" sidebar, to help you with learning about the theremin, finding help, and learning to play:

• Answers to some Frequent Theremin Questions FAQs
• Here are some resources for Learning to Play
• Or Building Your Own
• Consider Joining ThereminWorld (register free here) and
• Stop by the Roll Call! thread in the forums to let us know who you are
  and what kind of theremin you have (or want.)
• And Search for more answers in the forums.

We look forward to meeting all of you and hope ThereminWorld  helps with your questions.
Welcome to the World of the Theremin! 

ThereminWorld member and friend Jeff Sparks has spent a great amount of time collecting and drafting highly detailed schematics for the famous tube theremin design by Mark Keppinger.

During a process that took over a year, Jeff not only corresponded closely with Mark Keppinger and incorporated his advice, but also communicated with other principal figures in the Theremin Building Community including Steven Hasten, Howard Mossman, Vincent Reneauld, and fellow TW member Philip Neidlinger (who has also provided links to his notes on the construction of his tube theremin in the Construction Forum).

Jeff has kindly provided ThereminWorld with the drawings and they are available on our Theremin Schematics page.
Mark's work continues to expand in solid state form too, as Philip and Jeff have been reporting in the forum

Many thanks to Jeff, and of course a grateful nod to Mark, Philip and everyone who helped in the process of making this important information freely available to our community!

Happy New Year to all the ThereminWorld members! And best wishes to our Theremin Friends around the world, with hopes you join us here soon!

2008 was an interesting year, to say the least, and a pretty good one for all things Theremin.

We got a slew of new CDs from  Lydia,  Barbara,  Kip,  Kevin,  Carolyna, and  Eric.
Our Theremin History was enriched with  a rare recording and new research on Lucy Rosen and imporant efforts from the  Nadia Reisenberg & Clara Rockmore Foundation, and  Bob Moog Foundation,   we got updates from RCA Theremin owners.

We heard a full year of the most varied Theremin Music from David Vesel on  Spellbound.
We got new Compositions for Theremin from  Linda Kernohan, Elizabeth Brown and Fellow TW Member  Brian R and others.

World Thereminization spread further across the globe in:  Istanbul,  Japan,  Spain,  Lippstadt,  Mexico,  The UK,  some on-line videos,  several films, all over the US including  Washington,  Tennessee,  New York,  and North Carolina, and many more places!

Some Theremins came that were small and  new  and some went, but still made news, plus there was  help building your own ,  and tons of advice from our members!

Most of all, ThereminWorld hit new highs with our members  joining and  sharing in our forums!
That's some of what we remember...
Please add in your recollections and of course, all the best for 2009 and...
Keep On Thereminizing!

[12-22-08 They have extended a "special offer" to the end of the year, check the comments, and give the gift of Moog now!]

What to give the Thereminist who has everything?

How about supporting part of our legacy at the Bob Moog Foundation?
Bob started out building theremins and without him we all might not still be playing this astounding instrument!

They've been doing lots of work to spread the message of Moog and for World Thereminization too!

The work on the Bob Moog Archives has an important Theremin aspect:


you can view a video message from Roger Powell talking about supporting the cause here.

Happy Holidays ThereminWorld,
Help keep our legacy alive any-which-way you can, and keep on playing!

A big thanks to GordonC for posting this in our forums today. I've bubbled it up to the front page to give it a little more visibility. -Jason

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Another low-cost theremin from the people that brought us the Gakken Theremin Mini was released in Japan yesterday.

This is the Gakken Theremin Premium - pitch and volume antennas, built in speaker, audio out (3.5mm mono mini-jack), white plastic enclosure; W220 × H36 × D120mm (8.6" x 1.4" x 4.7") free standing and mic-stand mountable. Takes 4 AA batteries. Single timbre. Output volume control. Gross tuning with externally accessible trim pots, fine tuning with knobs. Not a kit.

Price, 9975 Yen (US$110, £75)

Autotranslated manufacturer's description here. The "Earth Band" is a ready-made version of the grounding mod for the Theremin Mini in the form of a wrist strap, and "adjust the driver" refers to the tool to adjust the trims. Follow the link "Premium for the first time Theremin - An Electronic Odyssey" and two subsequent pages for demonstration and instructional videos, and transcriptions. I note that the suggested method compensates for non-linearity to some extent by moving the hand along an arc.

If the Theremin Mini was fashioned after the RCA Victor, and the Thereminmin after the Moog Etherwave, then the Theremin Premium bears a passing resemblance to the tVox Tour. (Thierry, your wish has come true, albeit in a small way!)

On YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15i7K-EUAbY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr1Ml9ifE-I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOFZUrX5Yqg
There are currently 7 available in the Men's Ganku eBay store. Buy-It-Now + shipping to US, $138.

Remember the theremin modifications we told you about recently? Some of our readers thought they were priced a little on the high side. Luckily, Moog was listening and just in time for the holidays, they've cut prices on the mods. The pitch preview mod dropped from $179 to $149, and the pitch preview/LED combo dropped from $199 to $179.

Kudos to Moog for listening to feedback from the theremin community! Now... where's that new pro model we've been asking for? ;)