Christina Wheeler, a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist amongst many other things, is someone who embodies the notion that genre doesn’t exist- a sentiment I very much believe in. Seeing that Wheeler’s works span from all kinds of dance music, to jazz, to ambient and improvisational forms, she is someone I can look to for inspiration in all my musical ventures. Aside from that, Wheeler’s use of non-traditional instruments intrigues me most- particularly the Theremin.
The theremin, named after its inventor Leon Theremin in 1928, requires no physical touch to be played. Using two metal antennas, one hand hovers above to control the oscillators for frequency, and the other controlling the amplitude. For higher pitches, the instrumentalist should move their hands closer to the antennae, loudness being accessed by moving the hands further away. I hope that one day I get the opportunity to play a theremin, as it defies conventions of pitch, giving its user more creative control than most traditional instruments- but it would take a substantial amount of added practice and training of the ear to really even understand the theremin.
When watching Sister’s with Transistors, I was in awe of Clara Rockmore’s story; a classically trained virtuoso violinist, Rockmore used her ability of perfect pitch to not only adopt the theremin as her instrument of choice, but to work with Leon Theremin himself, developing the accuracy of the instrument. Rockmore able to bring an electronic instrument into a concert hall setting, pioneering the use of electronics within sound. Rockmore and Theremin’s development of the theremin has paved way for innovative intentions in the modern day, displayed beautifully by Cil’s invention, Juniper.
Personified as a female entity, Juniper is a blend of live electronics powered by MIDI. Brought into fruition during lockdown, Juniper’s likeness to the Theremin means sound is created through motion, allowing the user to be free of constraints of pitch, giving the instrument the same creative range as the Theremin. Cil described the combined use of Juniper and her voice as “freeing and a good exercise for communication”, freeing her from the stagnant role of a DJ. I am heavily inspired by the three women explored here, and would love to learn about electronics in hopes of creating my own instrument tailored towards my personal process of learning and creation.