TED2002
Pamelia Kurstin: The untouchable music of the theremin
Pamela Kurstin toca el theremín (la música intocable)
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La virtuosa Pamelia Kurstin ejecuta y habla sobre su theremín, el instrumento electrónico no-sólo-para-ciencia-ficción, que se ejecuta sin ser tocado. Las canciones incluyen "Las hojas muertas" ("Autumn Leaves"), "Lush life" y de David Mash, "Listen, words are gone".
Pamelia Kurstin - Theremin player
Pamelia Kurstin excavates a dusty artifact from the prehistoric strata of electronic music -- and demonstrates how to squeeze soul from an instrument you can't even touch. Full bio
Pamelia Kurstin excavates a dusty artifact from the prehistoric strata of electronic music -- and demonstrates how to squeeze soul from an instrument you can't even touch. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
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(Music)
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(Applause)
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05:35
Thank you. Ooh, I'm like, "Phew, phew, calm down. Get back into my body now." (Laughter)
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Calma, ahora vuelvo en mí.
05:40
Usually when I play out, the first thing that happens is
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Cuando toco en público lo primero que sucede es que
05:44
people scream out, "What's she doing?!"
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la gente grita: ¿qué está haciendo?
05:47
I'll play at these rock shows, be on stage
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Lo toco en espectáculos de rock, ya saben, en el escenario
05:50
standing completely still, and they're like,
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parada totalmente inmóvil, ya saben...
05:52
"What's she doing?! What's she doing?!"
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Preguntan "¿qué está haciendo?, ¿qué está haciendo?" Ya saben.
05:55
And then I'll kind of be like -- (Vvvwow!) -- and then they're like, "Whoa!"
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Y luego, como que hago... ¡Vvvvoouuu! y después como...
05:59
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
06:01
I'm sure you're trying to figure out,
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Estoy segura que están tratando de imaginar
06:05
"Well, how does this thing work?"
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cómo funciona.
06:07
Well, what I'm doing is
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Bueno, lo que hago es... ¡Oh!
06:11
controlling the pitch with my left hand.
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con la zurda controlo el tono.
06:18
See, the closer I get to this antenna, the higher the note gets --
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Ven, cuanto más cerca de la antena, más aguda es la nota.
06:23
(Portamento) --
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(Hace una escala)
06:26
and you can get it really low.
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Puede hacerse muy baja.
06:28
And with this hand I'm controlling the volume,
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Y con esta mano, controlo el volumen
06:31
so the further away my right hand gets, the louder it gets.
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así que cuanto más alejo la mano derecha, más alto suena.
06:35
(Tones)
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(Cambia el volumen)
06:38
So basically, with both of your hands
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En resumen, usando ambas manos
06:40
you're controlling pitch and volume and kind of
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uno controla el tono y el volumen y como que
06:44
trying to create the illusion that you're doing separate notes,
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se intenta crear la ilusión de tocar notas separadas
06:48
when really it's continuously going ...
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cuando, en realidad, se produce un sonido continuo...
06:50
(Flourish ... Beep)
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(Fanfarria ... Pitido)
06:54
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
07:03
Sometimes I startle myself: I'll forget that I have it on,
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A veces me sobresalto: me olvido de que lo tengo encendido
07:05
and I'll lean over to pick up something,
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me inclino a levantar algo
07:08
and then it goes like -- (Blip) -- "Oh!"
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y entonces, como que... ¡Oh! Ya saben.
07:11
And it's like a funny sound effect that follows you around
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Y es como un efecto sonoro gracioso que te sigue
07:14
if you don't turn the thing off.
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si no lo apagas.
07:16
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
07:21
Maybe we'll go into the next tune,
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Quizá sea mejor pasar a la próxima canción
07:25
because I totally lost where this is going.
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porque perdí completamente el rumbo.
07:29
We're going to do a song by David Mash called "Listen: the Words Are Gone,"
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Vamos a interpretar una canción de David Mash llamada "Listen, Words Are Gone"
07:34
and maybe I'll have words come back into me afterwards if I can relax.
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y quizá después de la canción pueda retomar el hilo.
07:38
(Music)
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(Música)
10:32
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
10:44
So, I'm trying to think of some of the questions
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Estoy tratando de recordar alguna de las preguntas
10:47
that are commonly asked; there are so many.
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que me hacen con frecuencia. Hay muchas.
10:49
And ... Well, I guess I could tell you
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Bueno, supongo que podría contarles
10:52
a little of the history of the theremin.
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un poco de la historia del theremín.
10:54
It was invented around the 1920s, and the inventor, Léon Theremin
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Fue inventado en los años '20s. El inventor es Léon Thérémin
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-- he also was a musician besides an inventor --
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(también es músico además de inventor).
11:05
he came up with the idea for making the theremin,
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La idea del theremín se le ocurrió
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I think, when he was working on some shortwave radios.
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mientras trabajaba con unas radios de onda corta
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And there'd be that sound in the signal -- it's like (Screeching) --
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y detectó ese sonido en la señal... (Pitido)
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and he thought, "Oh, what if I could control that sound
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y pensó: ¿qué tal si pudiera controlar ese sonido
11:21
and turn it into an instrument, because there are pitches in it."
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y transformarlo en instrumento? Porque tiene tonos.
11:25
And so somehow through developing that,
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Y de algún modo, a fuerza de trabajo,
11:28
he eventually came to make the theremin the way it is now.
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llegó a construir el theremín que conocemos hoy.
11:35
And a lot of times, even kids nowadays,
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Y muchas veces los niños de hoy
11:39
they'll make reference to a theremin by going, "Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo,"
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se refieren al theremín haciendo juu-ooh-ooh-ooh, porque
11:43
because in the '50s it was used in the sci-fi horror movies,
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en los '50s se usaba en las películas de ciencia ficción de terror
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that sound that's like ... (Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo)
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ese sonido... Guuu-uuuu
11:49
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
11:52
It's kind of a funny, goofy sound to do.
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Es un sonido medio extraño.
11:58
And sometimes if I have too much coffee,
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A veces, si tomo demasiado café,
12:00
then my vibrato gets out of hand.
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el vibrato se me va de las manos.
12:02
You're really sensitive to your body and its functions
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Uno se vuelve muy sensible al cuerpo y sus funciones
12:05
when you're behind this thing.
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cuando está aquí atrás.
12:07
You have to stay so still if you want to have the most control.
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Tiene que quedarse bien inmóvil si quiere tener el máximo de control.
12:10
It reminds me of the balancing act earlier on -- what Michael was doing --
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Me recuerda el equilibrio del que hablaba antes Michael Moschen
12:15
because you're fighting so hard to keep the balance
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porque cuesta mucho mantener el equilibrio
12:18
with what you're playing with and stay in tune, and at the same time
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atender a lo que uno toca, afinar bien y, al mismo tiempo,
12:24
you don't want to focus so much on being in tune all the time;
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uno no quiere centrarse demasiado en afinar todo el tiempo;
12:27
you want to be feeling the music.
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quiere estar sintiendo la música.
12:30
And then also, you're trying to stay very, very, very still
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Además, uno trata de quedarse muy, muy, muy quieto
12:34
because little movements with other parts of your body
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porque pequeños movimientos con otras partes del cuerpo
12:38
will affect the pitch, or sometimes if you're holding a low note -- (Tone rising out of key) --
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condicionan la entonación o, a veces, si uno está tocando una nota baja
12:45
and breathing will make it ...
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y respira, ya saben, sucederá... (Pierde la entonación)
12:48
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
12:49
If I pass out on the next song ...
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Si durante la siguiente canción me desmayo…
12:52
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
12:54
I think of it almost like
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Pero definitivamente lo considero casi como...
12:58
like a yoga instrument because it makes you so aware
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como un instrumento de yoga porque te mantiene alerta
13:01
of every little crazy thing your body is doing,
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de cada pequeña cosa que hace tu cuerpo
13:05
or just aware of what you don't want it to be doing
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o de lo que no quieres que haga
13:10
while you're playing; you don't want to have any sudden movements.
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mientras tocas, ya saben, movimientos repentinos.
13:14
And if I go to a club and play a gig, people are like,
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Si voy al club a tocar algo la gente empieza:
13:17
"Here, have some drinks on us!"
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"Tómate algo, ¡nosotros invitamos!"
13:19
And it's like, "Well, I'm about to go on soon;
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Y es como que, bueno, "Enseguida termino...",
13:22
I don't want to be like -- (Teetering tones) -- you know?"
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no quiero que suene así...
13:26
It really does reflect the mood that you're in also,
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Además, refleja realmente tu estado de ánimo.
13:29
if you're ...
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Si estás, ya saben, si estás...
13:31
it's similar to being a vocalist, except
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Es como ser un cantante, sólo que
13:34
instead of it coming out of your throat,
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en vez de salir de la garganta
13:36
you're controlling it just in the air
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uno lo controla en el aire
13:38
and you don't really have a point of reference;
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y no tiene en realidad un punto de referencia;
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you're always relying on your ears and adjusting constantly.
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uno siempre confía en el oído y hace ajustes constantemente.
13:46
You just have to always adjust to what's happening
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Uno tiene que ajustarse siempre a lo que sucede
13:48
and realize you'll have bummer notes come here and there
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y darse cuenta que saldrán notas improvisadas aquí y allá
13:52
and listen to it, adjust it, and just move on,
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y escucharlas, ajustarlas y seguir adelante
13:55
or else you'll get too tied up and go crazy. Like me.
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o, si no, uno se pone muy tenso y enloquece, como yo.
14:04
I think we will play another tune now.
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Creo que ahora voy a tocar otra canción.
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I'm going to do "Lush Life." It's one of my favorite tunes to play.
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Voy a tocar "Lush Life", una de mis canciones favoritas.
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(Music)
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(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Pamelia Kurstin - Theremin playerPamelia Kurstin excavates a dusty artifact from the prehistoric strata of electronic music -- and demonstrates how to squeeze soul from an instrument you can't even touch.
Why you should listen
The theremin, the first electronic instrument ever invented, was on the brink of historic oblivion when it was rescued from obscurity by director Steven Martin's classic 1994 documentary Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey . And while a few brave souls have sought to master this temperamental instrument since then, none have done so with more sly effervescence than Pamelia Kurstin.
From the rock-steady composure she assumes behind the instrument (necessary lest her breathing drive the sensors out of tune), one might presume a shrinking conservatory personality, but a quick glance at the MySpace page of the self-described "bird-punching rollerskating thereminist" will quickly dash any of these quaint notions. Far from being a quirky curiosity, however, Kurstin is a sensitive, emotional stylist capable of coaxing sublime melodic content out of an instrument usually doomed to B-movie sci-fi soundtracks. (And her walking bass imitation is pretty cool too.)
Born in Los Angeles, Kurstin currently resides in Vienna, and performs with her latest project Blueblut, among many others. Her latest solo CD, Thinking Out Loud, was released in 2007 on John Zorn's legendary Tzadik label. She'll bathe your dog and give you a haircut ("if you're daring," she warns) in exchange for a six-pack.
Pamelia Kurstin | Speaker | TED.com