[sdiy] user interfaces, was Radio Shack catalogs

[Ingo Debus]

Am 14.05.2010 um 17:06 schrieb Amos:

> I would contend that there are "fewer than ten" theremin virtuosos.

True, there are very few. Clara Rockmore, Lydia Kavina, Barbara  
Buchholz... (interestingly all women). Any others?

> Meaning it's possible to do, but there may still be an argument there
> for the utility of a physical frame of reference...

Hm, maybe, maybe not.
I had only twice the chance to try a good Theremin so far. I didn't  
find it difficult at all to play little tunes on it, even on first  
attempt.
OTOH I found it really difficult to get a tone out of a saxophone  
when I first tried it.

Thinking of it, a mallet instrument (vibraphone, marimba) hardly  
provides a "physical frame of reference", does it? Of course you get  
into touch with the keys while playing, but once you have hit the  
wrong one, it's too late. And there are many mallet virtuosos.

Ingo