Keyboards that Get You

A while ago while researching Pamela Kurstin, who is a young, but well know Theremin artist (she's featured in the Moog video and was an artist at Moogfest) I remember seeing this paragraph on the cost of Theremins:

Where can I buy a theremin?
There are few places to buy the theremin outside of the USA so mail order is the main option. There are two questions you should ask before buying a theremin - how much do you want to spend and how serious are you about playing the theremin? It is a very hard instrument with a 90% estimated drop out rate, so think seriously before you spend. A 'coloursound pocket theremin' or similar (anything under £100) is just a buzzy little toy and not really a fully fledged instrument (as it does not have a volume circuit so it is always playing a continuous note) but it may do if your only aim is to make crazy noises. In London, UK, a shop called Macaris on Tottenham Court Road sells theremins by Elysian which you can try out, but they are rather overpriced in my opinion.   The model I play is thought to be the international standard in entry level theremins, the Etherwave by Big Briar, the most popular theremin in the world.  It is relatively cheap, portable and can sounds pretty good! 

If you are after a cheaper alternative, I recommend theremins by No. 1 electronics from London, UK, they are quite cheap, stable with good features for the money and make an excellent entry level theremin. A "classic" vintage RCA theremin can cost up to $15,000 and the Big Briar Ethervox midi theremin is $3,500 so it's worth starting off with a No. 1 electronics or Etherwave before you make a more serious investment.

For the entire article, which is a great history on the instrument and even a little guide to playing:

http://www.hypnotique.net/theremin/guide.htm

Iv'e got a big enough back-catalogue of things to listen too.......So much prog and so little time !!

I've only just discovered Dream Theatre and Triumvirat and Per Lindh....Next Glass Hammer perhaps !

Check out John Novello of Niacin (a dreadful pun: i.e. Vitamin B3) for masterly Hammond B3 organ work with Billy Sheehan and Dennis Chambers on drum'n'bass respectively. Niacin's Time Crunch album has great takes on Krimson's Red and Beck/Hammer's Blue Wind. The first Niacin album (also the live Blood Sweat & Beers) reminds you with their version, how heavy Vanilla Fudge's You Keep Me Hanging On was.

The ignored Jens Johnasson (but he will insist on earning his bread and butter playing keys for a naff metal prog band), plays the heaviest Hammond on the Jonas Hellborg Trio e album

sigod wrote: DH, thank you for that mate, I was always curious about how the Gizmo functioned. I wonder how many were produced though? I'd have one even today.

 

Interesting that G & C dropped out of 10cc (and where did they get their name from....?) to promote their patented invention the Gizmo, they must have felt they had some real business opportunities?

If it wasn't clear, the Godley-Creme Gizmo was a guitar effect: a series of 6 wheels, each under a string - so when in operation a string could be depressed on to its wheel to give a violin-like sound. Consequences was the optimum demo album to show what other tricks/sound effects were possible. I'm sure somebody corrected my long term assumption that the choral effects (e.g. I'm Not In Love) was not in effect G & C  stripping out the standard tape loops from a Mellotron and replacing them with tape loops of their own voices.

Edited by Dick Heath

ivan_2068 wrote: Hey Garion, watch Kansas  Device, Voice Drums DVD and listen the sound created by Steve Walsh with his Kurzweil K2661, it's amazing. Iván

 

Yes he does. 

That is a great concert DVD although it would be better recorded today because he is singing better now.  It is amazing when you think of all those hands and keyboards Kansas used to create the songs in the 70's  that he does with KURZWEIL now by himself.  He was such a great singer that people tend to forget how great a keyboard player he was too. 

 

ivan_2068 wrote: Kurzweil Keyboards, Iván

Lunarscape wrote: ThreeFates; Sorry to desagree a bit. The true King of the Hammond in Prog Rock is Thjiis Van Leer. Give "Moving Waves", Focus III and Hamburger Concerto a try and you'll know why !

 You almost made me spit my sides laughing....Maybe you should listen to some of the Nice's albums... start with Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack

asuma wrote: my favourite sound on a keyboard is that very 80's/new wave chessy sound. along with the keyboard style that is present with the unicorns.

Wasn't that the Yamaha GX1??

Altho Keith did really enjoy that ribbon controller, didn't he....

my favourite sound on a keyboard is that very 80's/new wave chessy sound. along with the keyboard style that is present with the unicorns.

Of late, i have also become more a fan of samplers. even if it's playing one note very fast, then jumping up and down a scale very quickly, then back to the one note. it sounds very cool, and easy to dance to.