The Theremin Returns!

[guitarfool2002]

For a few minutes of a fun online distraction, Google has brought back the interactive Clara Rockmore Theremin "doodle"! Google homepage, scroll through the available "doodles", and you'll be able to play a virtual Theremin with Clara there too, teaching a few melodies.

So how this might go related to Beach Boys fans: Point it out to your kids or other loved ones, and say "This is what Brian Wilson used on Good Vibrations and other songs I'm always playing!". And they say "Cool! Was it that instrument? Did Clara Rockmore play it" And you say "Well, *technically* it was not, but it was an Electro-Theremin...".

And what follows is at least 30 minutes of background history explaining Dr. Paul Tanner and his Theremin, and all the good details.

Enjoy it and use it as a teaching tool for anyone in your house or family interested in what that sound was on one of the greatest records ever made, courtesy Google today.

[Summer_Days]

Bitchin’! Anybody know what the exact notes are for Good Vibrations, I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times and Wild Honey?

[guitarfool2002]

It's one of my theories that whenever a virtual Theremin or Theremin-like physical instrument is made available to "play", the overwhelming majority of people trying it out will play "Good Vibrations"! I know I do. First thing I played on my Otamatone was GV.  


Once you play through the sample melodies you can change keys and ranges by clicking on the "gear" icon lower left of the screen, so here's a few of Brian's classics you can play along with in their original keys:

Wild Honey - Slide a low G to a high G on the virtual Theremin scale and repeat as needed...lol

Good Vibrations chorus:
low C# slide up to high C#, then B   A#  B  play 4 times
low D# up to high D#, then C# B#  C# play 2 times
F up to high F, D# D D#  play 2 times

I Just Wasn't Made For These Times Theremin solo:

F A# C   A# C A# D G   F D C A#   then:

F G A#  A C A# D G  F D   A# D  D#  D A#  C (long slide down...)  F (vibrato)

[guitarfool2002]

Need to edit the above...you're limited to keys with sharps and not all of the ranges you need...but anyway, try it out after I edit it to all sharps haha