Theremin: The instrument that defined classic sci-fi & horror

Twenty Thousand Hertz

Dallas Taylor

Music, Design, Arts, Music Commentary

4.8 • 4.1K Ratings

🗓️ 15 October 2018

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If you've ever watched an old sci-fi or horror film, you've probably heard the hair-tingling, alien sounds of the Theremin. It's a spooky, strange instrument that's played without being touched, and has become a staple for classic horror movies. This is the story of the Theremin's mysterious journey. Featuring Thereminist Rob Schwimmer, Michelle Moog-Koussa, daughter of Bob Moog and Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation, and Albert Glinsky, courtesy of Moog Music. 20K is made out of the studios of Defacto Sound and hosted by Dallas Taylor. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Help us make 20k - become a sustaining, recurring contributor. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/leontheremin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to 20,000 Hertz, the stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds.
0:11.0	I'm Dallas Taylor.
0:14.0	What scares you? What makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up?
0:20.0	There are plenty of haunting sounds out there.
0:23.8	But perhaps the most strange, the most alien,
0:26.9	and the most mysterious one comes from an instrument you may never have heard of.
0:32.0	The pheromon.
0:44.9	Sound familiar? If so, it's probably because it's commonly tied to old sci-fi and horror films from the 1950s and 60s, such as the day the Earth stood still.
0:55.8	But there's more to the theremin than just eerie sounds.
0:59.8	Its story actually starts and ends with the mystery, and there's a whole lot in between.
1:10.7	The most intriguing part of the theremin is that you play it without ever touching it.
1:15.6	Take that in for a moment. It's like playing a ghost instrument.
1:19.6	Imagine your eyes are closed and you're hearing this sound that's maybe like a voice or a violin.
1:26.6	And you're in the same room and you're hearing that sound when you open your eyes sound that's maybe like a voice or a violin.
1:30.0	And you're in the same room and you're hearing that sound.
1:37.2	When you open your eyes, you will see somebody moving around who is actually not touching anything and yet is controlling this sound by where their hands are.
1:41.4	So you watch this person moving the one hand and the other hand,
1:45.8	you're looking at something that is sort of impossible and is magic.
1:54.0	That's Rob Schwimmer.
1:55.5	He's a renowned musician and pheromynist.
1:58.8	When you can just hear it, maybe you're thinking like of old sci-fi movies
2:03.2	or older, you know, kind of scary movies,
	...

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