After the tremendous success of our 1997 gathering, my good friend Phil Mann returned to Rockville this year to further our theremin activities. With a full week at our disposal, we brought our understanding of theremin to new heights, and shared some cool experiences. We performed at local clubs' "open mics," and also did a formal performance sponsored by the Maryland State Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts at the "Concerts in the Country" presentation in Boyds, Maryland. Joining us for our appearance was long-time collaborator Rupert Chappelle, who performed on synthesizer. Phil Mann had his Big Briar Etherwave, and his Realistic Concertmate MG-1 polyphonic synthesizer, a vintage instrument made by Moog Music, and once sold by Radio Shack, of all places. For the occasion, I was equipped with my favorite custom-designed theremin, a non-heterodyne sine-voiced instrument with a seven octave range. I finished constructing this theremin in November, 1997, and have used it continuously for public performance, since. The festival was held outdoors, in an idyllic setting next to a pond, free to the public. After each set, we invited the audience to try the theremins for themselves. The response was most enthusiastic, and Phil and I spent the better part of two hours instructing audience members in the basics of theremin.
Our sets consisted of both improvisational and prepared materials. The contrasting timbres of the two theremins provided a delightful combination of sound; the Etherwave with its string-like emulation of the classic design, and the custom theremin with its ethereal sine wave. In one of the pieces, "Summertime" by George Gershwin and Debose Heyward, Phil and I alternated playing improvisations of the melody for several iterations of the main theme, and then accompanied Rupert's vocalizations with variations. For our improvisational pieces, a custom tone sequencer, model 490, was added to the mix, providing additional textures to the sound. During these improvisations, both atonal and traditional melodic progressions were executed on the theremins, while Rupert provided both the chord foundation and some melodic development, too. Our percussion was sparingly provided by a Boss model DR-660 drum synthesizer. Original compositions, dating back to my first collaborating years with Phil and Rupert in the mid '70s, included "Wonderbread," "Real World," and "Interstellar Safeway." Although not originally written for theremin, our adaptations incorporated them substantially in the main melodic themes, skillfully executed by Phil, while I sang.
Our Jam Sessions
The festival appearance was only a small part of our theremin activities during Phil's visit. We also had several sessions in my music room, the first of which was relegated strictly to theremins. For our first session, Phil used his Etherwave in conjunction with a digital delay device, DOD Electronics Corporation model DFX94, and I used my sine theremin.
We experimented with a variety of familiar themes, including several from the television genre. These melodies, indelibly part of our '60s cultural heritage, often provide a fine starting point for informal jams. Phil and I agree that several of them have fine compositional merit. Who can argue, for instance, that the skills required in interpreting the bop trumpet passage from the Patty Duke Show theme ("Cousins") written by Robert Welles & Sid Ramin, is an irresistible challenge for any ambitious thereminist?
Other popular themes we enjoyed during our first session included "Baroque Hoedown" written by Jean Jacques Perry and Gershon Kingsley, Hearts and Flowers (composer unknown), the theme from "Mr. Ed" written by Jay Livingston & Ray Evans, "Maria" written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, "Over the Rainbow" and other incidental music from "The Wizard of Oz" written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, "Dixie" written by Steven Foster, "L'Histoire Du Soldat" written by Igor Stravinsky, "So in Love" written by Cole Porter, "Peter and the Wolf" written by Serge Prokofiev, O Solo Mio (composer unknown), "Auld Lang Syne" (composer unknown), "Hound Dog" written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the theme from "Peabody's Improbable History" written by Frank Comstock, "Summertime" written by George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward, "When I fall in Love" (written by Edward Heyman and Victor Young), and "The Surrey with The Fringe on Top" written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.
During the course of Phil's visit, we made other recordings that used additional instruments. Various rhythmic backings, generated by the model 924 ten-interval, and model 1414 sixteen-interval analog sequencers provided foundations for our theremin improvisations. In addition, I also recorded several passages with my sine theremin connected to a Korg model DRV-3000 dual digital effects processor, in various reverberation and chorusing modes. We also used my harmonic theremin, a capacitance-sensing instrument with separate controls for each of the first six harmonics. This theremin produces a great variety of timbres, the fundamental ranging from 55 to 1760 Hertz, and the sixth harmonic from 330 to 10,560 Hertz. Phil commented: "The remarkable thing about the harmonic theremin is the dramatic difference between the high and low registers; in the low register, you can hear each harmonic discreetly, allowing the player to play triads, while in the high register, the harmonics merge to create vox humana." With three theremins available, Phil and I tried our skills at a rotational scheme, where I played the Etherwave and he played one of the custom instruments. Keeping with the analog motif, I also brought out my vintage Sequential Circuits model 100 ("Pro One") synthesizer, for additional melodic structure.
I almost always incorporate "non-traditional" volume mapping for my custom theremins, a preference borne from practicalities associated with using them in public performances; the "off when away" feature simplifies managing multiple instruments, since the theremin is silent when the volume hand is removed. To counter my unfamiliarity with the Etherwave's "traditional" volume mapping, I simply placed my volume hand under the loop, instead of above it. Another difference between my theremins and most of the commercial and vintage instruments are the sensing antennas. I use two, identical horizontal plates, as opposed to a monopole and loop. I find this much more ergonomic than the traditional arrangement, producing far less stress in the hands and arms. I also find that more precise positioning of the pitch hand is possible in the vertical arc. The rod and loop apparatus used in traditional instruments have a definite purpose, namely the cancellation of the volume hand's motion in respect to the pitch monopole, and according to some analysis, increased linearity of pitch over distance. The loop also permits the execution of staccato volume modulation. These beneficial attributes are retained in my instruments through the design of the signal processing circuitry.
Unlike most other instruments, theremins have unique pitch mappings which vary among different designs. In going from one of my familiar instruments to the Etherwave, differences in the pitch curvature became apparent, causing some difficulty in my ability to obtain good accuracy. For that reason, I didn't try to play anything too ambitious on the Etherwave, although I noticed an improvement in my accuracy after just a few minutes.
While our initial recordings were unaccompanied, once we started using the analog sequencers in earnest for backing, our compositions became much more thematic. The sequences gave us something to improvise against; their rhythmic precision provided a structure without traditional percussive (drum) sounds. "The best of the tapes (from the 1998 conference) sound like Tangerine Dream in their 'electronic bluegrass' period," said Phil. The more we played together, the more coherent our sound became, finally lending a scored quality to the compositions.
Our Open Mic Performances
I had been performing at several open-mic locations with my local collaborator, Rupert Chappelle, for several months. Phil joined us for engagements at two local clubs, the Iota in Arlington, Virginia, and Jaxx, in Springfield, Virginia. The first appearance, at the Iota, was on the day of Phil's arrival. Joining us on the occasion was local guitarist Mike Winters, who played with Phil in a separate set. Aside from theremin, Phil's instruments include electric bass, with which he makes his principal living. Without the benefit of a practice session, Phil and Mike nonetheless did a superlative job with "Peaches en Regalia" written by Frank Zappa and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" written by The Monkees. A little later in the evening, we joined Rupert for a three song set which included "Dreams" written by The Cranberries, "Heroes" written by David Bowie, and "Ride My See-Saw" written by The Moody Blues. While a one-theremin act is unique enough at open mic shows, two is almost unheard of! The patrons responded favorably, and I was glad to see some repeat customers for our performance. Except for a very sparse audience at Jaxx, our show went well there, also.
Arthur Harrison
28 July 1998
©1998 by Arthur Harrison