[sdiy] 3minutes relax with theremin play

[anthony]

The local Wonderlab (I don't know - are there more of them? It's a hands-on 
science museum for kids) has a Theremin, but it's not really a very good 
one. I've been meaning to offer to build them one all out of tubes with 
proper antennae and a plexiglass cabinet for the tube circuits. I'd use as 
close to Theremin's original design as I could, using modern tubes mostly, 
but some parts of the circuits may really work best with older tubes, but 
maybe not as old as his ORIGINAL design. I also think they need a more 
comprehensive multimedia display about who Leon Theremin was and where they 
may have heard Theremin music before and other things.

My 13-year-old daughter, who's a volunteer there, had a ball showing me how 
it worked. It was tricky and it didn't really seem to work the right way. I 
commented on this to my daughtrer and she replied, "Well why don't you make 
a better one?" And I replied, "I just might." Both of were being serious.

I'd give it to them on loan, but I think I might put a rider on it that I 
would like first consideration for other projects that they might want to 
commission (for money). Right now I think they're just using mostly students 
from Rose Hulman IT and probably a few from Indiana University which is here 
in town.

Iannis Xenakis used to lecture here at the Music School.

CHeers,
Anthony