Have you also always wanted to have a Theremin at home, but somehow never got around to it? There was always something – not enough space, it didn’t fit next to the sofa and so on. Maybe now is the time, I thought, when I stumbled on a post that indicated that the Theremin had landed in form of a Wii remote.

The Theremin was invented by a Russian, Leon Theremin in 1919. It was one of the first electronic instruments ever built and definitely the first one you could play without actually touching it. Lenin was apparently a big fan and began to take lessons immediately.

Leon Theremin plays in New York 1928

You play it by moving your hands and fingers between to antennas. To play the Theremin, the player moves his hands around the two metal antennas, which control the instrument’s frequency (pitch) and amplitude (volume). Which makes a very special sound – interesting rather than beautiful, some would say.

Earlier I have seen the Wii used to control all sorts of things apart from games, from virtual light sabers to DJ mixers or controlling synthesizers or music programs like Reason. So, when the Wii turned up, a lot of people had the same idea – this could work as a Theremin!

Wii Theremin Test

Of course it’s nowhere near a real Theremin – it’s pretty crap and Leon would probably rotate in his grave – but I think it shows the power of the Wii. Leon is still the king though - and maybe that walnut Theremin wouldn’t look so bad next to my Danish sofa after all.

Another Wii Theremin test - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N-LpbXF33g&feature=related

Wii remote synthesizer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzH0OTnbN-E&feature=related

Elvis on the Theremin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VltKmicmUa4

Learn how to play the Theremin - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd4jvtAr8JM&feature=related

Tags: interface, interfaces, music, theremin, wii