Okay, one of the weirder niches I got myself into is the strangest instrument of them all.. the theremin. It all started when I saw the movie "Theremin" that I got really interested in this machine. Before that, I had read electronic music books and it stated that the theremin was the first electronic instrument.

If you heard it, you'd know in an instant what it was; nothing sounds quite like a theremin. All of that spooky sounding music in horror movies, with that real high-pitched sound... that's a theremin.

How do you play the theremin? You wave your hands in the air, and the note plays; the closer you are to the antenna, the higher the note. It's real easy to make sliding type noises, rather hard to make defined changes. It is also difficult because you hand has nothing to refer to; no frets or keys, so the pitch tends to be sloppy.

I have gotten rather good at making the spooky noises, as well as playing "Good Vibrations", but hasn't progressed much above that. I try though. If you want to hear one, click on the picture above

Besides my theremin, I also play guitar and record some songs. Neither am I good at, but I still have fun with it. Most of the music I end up writing is extremely goofy or adolecent; that isn't to say that those things are bad, they just are.

Recording is more my forte and I am getting better at making noises sound different than they originally were. As I progress, I am starting to get the knack of recording; if only I could get rhythm, tempo, and key down, I'd be set. I'm starting to get the knack of playing songs that sound like the real deal since I got a drum maching program for the computer. I am finally interfacing this hunk of electronics into something useful! I have a four track program that can record in real time many, many tracks as well as add effects. I plan on using it as a bounce between my analog cassette four track and the computer so I can get more than just the four tracks going.

I have been also playing odd instruments as of late as well; the didgeridoo and the mountain dulcimer. I can't get pictures up of them, but if you care to you can look and the links below. Interestingly enough, theses instruments cost me very little.  I followed Dennis Havlena's idea and got two golf club holders, stuck them together and been having a ball playing my own plastic didgeridoo that cost a total of $1.50. The dulcimer I bought from Music for a Lark is made of cardboard, and cost around fifty dollars. Both are alot of fun to play, and easy for beginners to play. The most important thing about playing music is having fun, and boy am I.

I am also getting into analog synthesizers; not the original huge monsters that the progressive rockers from the seventies and the new wave in the eighties, but computer modeled ones. The first reason is the cost; a few dollars on the computer, or several thousand dollars on ebay. Second is the ease of use; these things have the old sounds, but they can save settings and a whole bunch more options that the original. I have sequencers and drum machine emulators of the Roland series; dj's and dance music use these things all the time. I have minimoog and arp synths. I have random generators. I have some crazy noises coming out of my computer, and my room for that matter.

You can check out my music here.

Didgeridoo Links

Dulcimer Links

Synthesizer Links

Rebirth Links (Virtural Roland Sequencer)

Drum Loops and Samples

Four Track and Composing Info/General Info

Zoom 505 / Schematic Pedal Pages

Misc Software Programs

Miscellaneous Items

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