Electro-Theremin

Electro-Theremin
Paul Tanner with the Electro-Theremin.
Electronic instrument
Inventor(s)Paul Tanner, Bob Whitsell
Developed1950s

The Electro-Theremin is an electronic musical instrument developed by trombonist Paul Tanner and amateur inventor Bob Whitsell in the late 1950s to produce a sound to mimic that of the theremin.[1][2] The instrument features a tone and portamento similar to that of the theremin, but with a different control mechanism. It consisted of a sine wave generator with a knob that controlled the pitch, placed inside a wooden box. The pitch knob was attached to a slider on the outside of the box with some string. The player would move the slider, thus turning the knob to the desired frequency, with the help of markings drawn on the box. This contrasts with the theremin, which a performer plays without touching as two antennas sense the position and movement of the performer's hands.

  1. ^ "Tannerin built for the 1999 Brian Wilson solo Tour - Tom Polk".
  2. ^ "The Paul Tanner Electro-Theremin Page". Retrieved 2010-01-22.