Uncommon instrument? Call the Theremin
Updated: Mar 3
The theremin sometimes seems like an instrument from the future of the earth or from another world. Its music seems to be conjured out of thin air, notes and tones teased and manipulated by hypnotic movements of hands and fingers through the air. Its complexity is even higher if you think about the total amount of user of it through the history.
It is the only musical instrument controlled completely without direct physical contact. Invented 100 years ago, the world's first electronic instrument inspired the emergence of sound technology that led Robert Moog to create the modern synthesizer, transforming the musical landscape ever since.
The theremin has been used by some of the most famous names in the history of popular music, such as Led Zeppelin on the song Whole Lotta Love and The Rolling Stones on their 1967 psychedelic album Her Satanic Majesty Requests. It was even used in one of the most famous Sitcoms in the history like Big Bang Theory, where Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) played that instrument when he felt sad or just trying to fill the time.
