Here we go with the first of ten little musical challenges over the next ten weeks, which will help me familiarise myself with some of the more obscure and under-used instruments and musical software in my collection. I picked up the walnut flute at one of the two musical instrument stalls (klingklang.at) at the Karlsplatz

DM1 and Walnut Flute

10 Weeks – 10 Sounds: A Challenge
I have been gathering quirky little instruments and musical odds and ends for quite some time and, whilst many of these have made their way into my songs, there are still some that remain stubbornly under-used. We were discussing this a couple of days ago and as a result, Katharina set me a challenge, or

Paris in the Synthtime
I’m just back from a week in Paris where I visited the fantastic Cité de la Musique, home to the Musée de la Musique with its extensive collection of instruments from centuries ago up to the modern era. The focus of the museum is classical music, with only slight nods to folk/world/rock and other popular
The Survivors’ Party (Live Theremin Frenzy)
It’s been a long time since I’ve been on stage, and never as a ‘solo’ act, so it was with some trepidation that I set off on the road to Bushey (near Watford) for the ‘Hands Off 2007’ Theremin Symposium. Various people have posted reports of the main event, which was a great success, but
Electronics + Beer = Not Good
We had a bit of a crisis at our latest gig… The mixing desk made a rather loud bang and stopped working just before the start of the 2nd set. Everything was lit up, but not a whimper of sound came through. All was not lost and our back-up plan for just such an event
Top 10 – My Synths
Inspired in part by Sonicstate’s top 20 greatest synths and Matrixsynth’s The Most Underrated Synths, here is my alternative. This is my top ten list of synths. Not the greatest by any margin, though there are some classics in there. Not the most historically interesting, though one or two certainly have their place in history.
Hands Off!
I don’t usually like to plug things around here, but this is an event that I’m really looking forward to – a whole weekend of theremin fun and goodness. There’s a great line up of concerts and events planned with big names from the theremin world. Click on the picture for more details.
Playing in the Air
I’ve been giving some more thought to the whole idea of a public performance on theremin, should I ever be in the position to do so. As I mentioned previously, I don’t think a guest spot with the band will work (unless they go somewhere with a big enough stage), which leaves me with 3
Home at Last!
My musical meanderings now have a proper home – my little studio is up and running! I finished building the frame and shelving over the weekend. I’m no joiner, but it all seems very sturdy, if not exactly a thing of great beauty. It has taken the best part of 2 days to get all
Studio Progress…?
One month later and things are starting to come together. Hopefully. Studio Bordet (or whatever it will be called) is on the road to construction – it has power, light and walls. The next step is building a frame to hold PC, keyboard, mixing desk and various other bits of musical gear. With the addition