zzz3339 said:
so first off id like to see how many people have actually ever heard of this.
I studied theremin extensively at university, played a concert recital with it, and I even had a valve theremin hand-built for me by someone who used the RCA schematic from the 1940s. I've also played newer transistor-based Theremins built by Moog (which are frankly better, the valve ones have all sorts of issues and are shockingly overrated). The valve one still sits in my loungeroom, I get it out sometimes, but not often. It's an easy instrument to make
noise on, but in terms of actually making great-sounding melodies, I would say that it's second only to the violin in terms of difficulty. I've been playing for years and I'm still frankly not very good.
zzz3339 said:
so... i want to learn how to a theremin... any advice for me?
Learn the correct finger method, the one that Lydia Kavina uses. Get her instructional video "Mastering The Theremin", it's invaluable, and it's how I taught myself to play. Here's her in concert:
Notice how she is moving her fingers to get precise intervals (this can also be seen in your Zelda video, but that guy isn't quite up to Lydia's standard, she's the best there is). That's what you need to learn in order to get really good. Because the theremin is played without physical contact, you need a reference point for movement, and this is where finger positions come in. Just moving your arm doesn't work - you won't get precise pitching, and you'll always sound a little out of tune. Good luck, you'll need it, it's a lot harder than it looks.