A DIY Theremin

In this chapter, we are going to build an interface that is very similar to the very popular theremin, an electronic musical instrument originally built by Léon Theremin in the 1920s. The theremin allows the performer to have no physical contact with the instrument; they can control both the pitch and amplitude of the instrument with two antennae that sense the distance of the performer’s hands from it. The instrument uses oscillators to produce sound, making it a purely electronic instrument. In this chapter, we will replicate the theremin by using two proximity sensors for the controls and a few potentiometers for some other controls that are available in today’s version of the instrument.