(Newswire.net — July 5, 2013) Morrisville PA — The long-upheld myth referred to above is this: The theremin is the most difficult-to-play musical instrument ever created. Kip Rosser is a widely acknowledged pro who claims that’s patently untrue. But it begs the question, “What the @#$%!? is a theremin – and why the heck is it news?”
Long story short: Theremin. First-ever electronic music synthesizer. Invented 1919 by Russian physicist. Name: Lev Termen (Leon Theremin). The instrument: a nondescript box. Straight vertical antenna sticking up out of one end. Lateral loop-shaped antenna sticking out opposite side. Wave hands near the two antennae. This disturbs electromagnetic fields. Theremin makes unearthly noise. Do it correctly – you make music.
The kicker: your hands never actually touch anything!
Rosser’s been playing theremin for over sixteen years. We’re too far apart to meet, so before our phone interview I check him out on youtube. White hair, looks tall, kind of distinguished. He’s also very funny. And he can play the hell out of the theremin.
To smash the theremin myth, Rosser presents school programs, concerts, even sessions in the Manhatttan subway to let people experience it. “It’s like any other instrument,” he says matter-of-factly, “practice – and you’ll be able to play. Think of it – there are tens of thousands of people who play the cello. Obviously, 99.9% will never be another Yo Yo Ma. But why on earth discourage anyone from making cello music by saying it’s impossible to play? ”
Now he has created a blog at www.kiprosser.com featuring over 60 lessons, from beginner to advanced – the most detailed and arguably the best theremin lessons available. He offers them free of charge “because there are lots of free lessons online already, so mine should be, too.”
Although pretty much invisible to most of us, there are thousands of theremin enthusiasts all over the world, and to hear Kip Rosser tell it, they’re all as obsessed with the contraption as he is. He tells me “If you give in to your fascination and decide to get a theremin, it’s just fun from the minute you turn it on. Within the first ten minutes you will inevitably try to play Over the Rainbow. Those notes are specific frequencies that, in combination, will immediately alter the structure of your DNA and you’re hooked.” This is a phone interview I’m conducting, so it’s impossible to see his face. I don’t know how to respond to his remark (maybe there’s a scientific study?); there’s an awkward pause. “I’m kidding,” he finally chimes in.
2019 will mark the centennial of the instrument and there will likely be a huge, collective, “Woooooeeee!” from the entire theremin community. And if, as Rosser hopes, more people study his lessons, that community will be a lot larger.
by Curt Evans, copywriter – curtevans44@gmail.com