THE MAGIC OF ELECTROSTATIC:
THEREMIN
The
theremin, also known as an aetherphone
is one of the earliest fully electronic musical instruments. It was invented
by Russian inventor Léon Theremin in 1919, and it is unique in
that it was the first musical instrument designed to be played without
being touched. The controlling section generally consists of two metal
antennas to sense the relative position of the player's hands. These sensors
control audio oscillator(s) for frequency from one hand, and volume from
the other. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified and sent
to a loudspeaker.
The theremin is widely associated with "alien", surreal, and eerie-sounding portamento, glissando, tremolo, and vibrato sounds, due to its use in film soundtracks such as Spellbound, The Lost Weekend, Ed Wood, Mars Attacks! (together with Ondes-Martenot and pre-recorded Theremin samples) and The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Theremins are also used in art music (especially avant-garde and 20th century "new music") and in popular music genres such as rock and pop.
A theremin is unique among musical instruments in that it is performed without being touched by the operator. The musician stands in front of the instrument and moves her hands in the proximity of two metal antennas. The distance from one antenna determines frequency (pitch), and the distance from the other controls amplitude (volume).
The performer's hand acts as the grounded plate (the performer's body being the connection to ground) of a variable capacitor with the antenna as the second plate. The distance between the performer's hand and the antenna determines the capacitor's value. The changing in the capacitance generates an electric current resulting in audio signals that are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker.
To control volume, the performer's hand acts as the grounded plate of another variable capacitor with the other antenna. In this case, the capacitor affects the amplifier circuit.
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Se vuoi approfondire la conoscenza sull'elettrostatica, clicca su questi link: |
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Conduttori in equilibrio | |||
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La pila elettrochimica | |||
| Infine, ecco alcuni link a siti esterni dedicati alla mudica del theremin: | |
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The Legend of Zelda theme |
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Gnarls Barkley Crazy Theremin Jam |
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Samuel Hoffman Theremin |
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