Whats this “theremin” thing that Jimmy Page uses?
This is the first device to use alternative means of interaction to produce…er…music (sort of). It was invented by Leo Theremin, a Russian living in England, in the 1930’s, and was made popular in the 1960’s by Sun Ra. The instrument produces sine-wave sounds by the beat frequencies between a reference RF oscillator and an oscillator tuned by the change in capacitance between a antenna and the performer’s hands, arms or body caused by movement. The closer one comes to the antenna, the higher the capacitance and higher the pitch. Later versions of the instrument have volume control from a second antenna. Page uses the theremin live during “Whole Lotta Love” and “No Quarter,” and occasionally elsewhere. It was also prominent in the studio version of “WLL”. The theremin is used at the beginning of Beach Boys’ song “Good Vibrations”. It is considered by many to be the first synthesizer.
