...and featuring me, on theremin.

On those deadline-driven days, when I feel chained to the computer, grumbling about having to write yet another preview, I need to remember moments like the one I had yesterday...
I'd written a preview about a composer/pianist and theremin player named Rob Schwimmer, who was performing at my local community center. Since I wouldn't be attending his show (dinner plans) but lived close by, I asked if he wanted to meet at soundcheck, and I'd drop off a copy of the finished article.
With High School Girl in tow, I stopped by the venue in the late afternoon, and he invited both of us to actually play the theremin! Quite a trippy feeling and not the kind of thing you get to do everyday.
Grace and I both did our "freestyle" thing - waving our hands tentatively around the vertical antenna that controls the pitch (the preview tells a little of the principal behind it; for simplicity sake, I'll call it controlled feedback) for random weird, fun noises.


Grace, who has more recently studied voice and an instrument in school, had a better feel for the whole thing, or maybe it's just that, being young, she's more in tune with the spontaneous vibe that fuels such activities.



In addition to letting us ramble, Schwimmer played musical puppeteer, holding our hands, literally, and moving them in a manner that created real songs. I "performed" the Disney chestnut "When You Wish Upon a Star" while Grace wowed the empty concert hall with "Over the Rainbow."

Until I figure out how to get the latter up on YouTube, here's a taste of general playtime...