Talks by The Firelight 2.8: Invisible Strings

Carolina Eyck is no ordinary musician; she’s a thereminist: her instrument of choice is the theremin, an enigma that requires zero physical contact to be played. She joined us and enlightened us on how she approaches her music.

How does the theremin work?

The theremin is an electronic musical instrument that was invented in the year 1920 by the Russian physicist Léon Theremin, and you can play it without touching it. It has a box with electronics, along with two antennae, one of which is upright and is used to control the pitch; the closer your hand moves to the antenna, the higher the pitch gets. The other one is in the shape of a loop using which you control volume; the further your hand is, the higher.

When musicians start out, they usually get introduced to instruments that are a little more conventional than the theremin. How were you introduced to the theremin?

I started playing the piano when I was five, and the violin when I was six. And then, my parents bought me the theremin when I was seven. They were already into electronic music, so they knew about the instrument and thought it would be a cool instrument to play. I started taking lessons and I’ve been playing it ever since!

What’s the general reaction you get when people find out that you play such a unique instrument?

Most people have never heard of the theremin. It depends on the circle you’re talking about; in the music world, many people do have an idea of what it is. I don’t expect everyone to like the instrument, but there are not too many people who play it, and it’s always something interesting to talk about.

The songs you make contain little to no lyrics in them. Is that a conscious decision or do you go with the flow while recording?

When I took singing lessons, I found that I was most comfortable with my voice when I made my own lyrics, or syllables rather. I blend my voice with the sound of the theremin; using it as a second musical instrument comes naturally to me.

What’s your creative process behind a new song?

There is a lot of improvisation involved. You get the best ideas when you’re in the moment and going with the flow. After I’ve got a few ideas, I try and give them some structure, and finally end up with a finished song.

You created a completely new method of playing the theremin; what was the motivation behind doing this?

When I was fifteen, I felt that I could be more precise while playing the theremin. I experimented with different tunings. Until then, thereminists would first listen to the notes they produced, and then correct them if needed. My goal was to know that I would play the right note before hearing it. I like clean, pure sound and I didn’t want to guide myself to the right sound every time. So I came up with a precise method in which each note has a designated position.

What are some ways in which niche artforms could be promoted?

These artforms can be featured more in pop culture. For example, thereminists could record theremin solos in regular pop music.

In your TEDx talk, you said that playing the theremin is akin to meditation. Along those lines, what is some advice you’d give to college students?

In college, the mind is always occupied with academics and other things. It’s important to take time to feel yourself and free up your mind. This isn’t taught enough; as much as you practice filling your mind with information, you need to know how to not think about anything at all too. Don’t stress yourself out; do things you’re really passionate about.

Carolina Eyck feels her music can’t be classified, and rightly so. She has released genre-straddling theremin albums and continues to perform at concerts all over the world.

This interview was taken in collaboration with Kumaraguruparan R, Antony Terence and Abhishek Ramachandran.