TED2002
Pamelia Kurstin: The untouchable music of the theremin
パメリア・カースティンによるテルミン演奏——触る事ができない音楽
Filmed:
Readability: 3.5
2,115,903 views
テルミンはSFだけじゃない——名手パメリア・カースティンが触れずに弾く電子楽器を演奏し、語る。曲は「枯葉」（Autumn Leaves)、「飲んだくれの人生」(Lush Life)、 「聞け 言葉が消えた」(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.
00:12
(Music)
0
0
308000
♪（音楽）
05:20
(Applause)
1
308000
9000
（観客の拍手）
05:35
Thank you. Ooh, I'm like, "Phew, phew, calm down. Get back into my body now." (Laughter)
2
323000
5000
ありがとう もうなんか「落ち着け自分 我に帰れ」って感じ（観客の笑声）
05:40
Usually when I play out, the first thing that happens is
3
328000
4000
大体演奏し始めて すぐ聞こえるのは
05:44
people scream out, "What's she doing?!"
4
332000
3000
「あいつ何やってんだ?!」っていう叫び声
05:47
I'll play at these rock shows, be on stage
5
335000
3000
ロックのショーで演奏するとき ステージで
05:50
standing completely still, and they're like,
6
338000
2000
全く動かずに立っていると
05:52
"What's she doing?! What's she doing?!"
7
340000
3000
観客が「あいつ何やってんだ?!」って言うの
05:55
And then I'll kind of be like -- (Vvvwow!) -- and then they're like, "Whoa!"
8
343000
4000
それで私が♫（ビュユ〜ン！）って鳴らすと 「おぅっ！」って驚くのよ
05:59
(Laughter)
9
347000
2000
（観客の笑声）
06:01
I'm sure you're trying to figure out,
10
349000
4000
皆さんはきっと「どうやって音を出すの？」と
06:05
"Well, how does this thing work?"
11
353000
2000
首を傾げているでしょう
06:07
Well, what I'm doing is
12
355000
4000
何をしているのかというと
06:11
controlling the pitch with my left hand.
13
359000
5000
音の高低を左手で操作しています
06:18
See, the closer I get to this antenna, the higher the note gets --
14
366000
5000
このアンテナに近づけば近づくほど 音が高くなって
06:23
(Portamento) --
15
371000
3000
♫（ピュ〜〜ン（下がる音））
06:26
and you can get it really low.
16
374000
2000
とても低い音も出せます
06:28
And with this hand I'm controlling the volume,
17
376000
3000
右手で音量を操作しています
06:31
so the further away my right hand gets, the louder it gets.
18
379000
4000
右手が離れれば離れるほど 音が大きくなります
06:35
(Tones)
19
383000
3000
♫（ピーピーピー（大きくなる音））
06:38
So basically, with both of your hands
20
386000
2000
簡単に言えば 両手で
06:40
you're controlling pitch and volume and kind of
21
388000
4000
高低の調子と音量のコントロールをして
06:44
trying to create the illusion that you're doing separate notes,
22
392000
4000
一つずつ音を出しているかのように弾きます
06:48
when really it's continuously going ...
23
396000
2000
実際は 音が出続けているんですけどね
06:50
(Flourish ... Beep)
24
398000
4000
♫（ビュユユ〜ンビュ〜ンピッ）
06:54
(Laughter)
25
402000
3000
（観客の笑声）
07:03
Sometimes I startle myself: I'll forget that I have it on,
26
411000
2000
たまに電源が入っていることを忘れて
07:05
and I'll lean over to pick up something,
27
413000
3000
何かを拾おうと体を前に倒すと♫（ビッ）と鳴って
07:08
and then it goes like -- (Blip) -- "Oh!"
28
416000
3000
「うわっ!」って驚きます
07:11
And it's like a funny sound effect that follows you around
29
419000
3000
電源を消さないと 後を追ってくる
07:14
if you don't turn the thing off.
30
422000
2000
変な効果音みたいになるの
07:16
(Laughter)
31
424000
5000
（観客の笑声）
07:21
Maybe we'll go into the next tune,
32
429000
4000
何の話をしたかったのか忘れちゃったから
07:25
because I totally lost where this is going.
33
433000
4000
次の曲に行ってみましょうか
07:29
We're going to do a song by David Mash called "Listen: the Words Are Gone,"
34
437000
5000
デビッド・マッシュの「聞け 言葉が消えた」という曲を弾きます
07:34
and maybe I'll have words come back into me afterwards if I can relax.
35
442000
4000
落ち着いたら 言いたかったことを思い出すかもしれないしね
07:38
(Music)
36
446000
174000
♪（音楽）
10:32
(Applause)
37
620000
10000
（観客の拍手）
10:44
So, I'm trying to think of some of the questions
38
632000
3000
人によく聞かれる質問を考えようとしてるんだけど
10:47
that are commonly asked; there are so many.
39
635000
2000
たくさんありすぎて
10:49
And ... Well, I guess I could tell you
40
637000
3000
ええっと とりあえず
10:52
a little of the history of the theremin.
41
640000
2000
テルミンの歴史を話そうかな
10:54
It was invented around the 1920s, and the inventor, Léon Theremin
42
642000
6000
テルミンは1920年代頃に発明されました 発明家はレオン・テルミン
11:00
-- he also was a musician besides an inventor --
43
648000
5000
彼は発明家であり音楽家で
11:05
he came up with the idea for making the theremin,
44
653000
5000
たしか 短波無線の研究をしているときに
11:10
I think, when he was working on some shortwave radios.
45
658000
4000
テルミンを思いつきました
11:14
And there'd be that sound in the signal -- it's like (Screeching) --
46
662000
3000
無線信号のキュキュキュって音を聞いて
11:17
and he thought, "Oh, what if I could control that sound
47
665000
4000
「あの音をコントロールできたら 音の高低を利用して
11:21
and turn it into an instrument, because there are pitches in it."
48
669000
4000
楽器が作れるのでは？」と思ったんです
11:25
And so somehow through developing that,
49
673000
3000
そして試行錯誤しながら
11:28
he eventually came to make the theremin the way it is now.
50
676000
4000
現在のテルミンまでたどり着きました
11:35
And a lot of times, even kids nowadays,
51
683000
4000
テルミンと言えば 最近は子どもでさえ
11:39
they'll make reference to a theremin by going, "Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo,"
52
687000
4000
ヒュ〜ルルル〜って真似するでしょ
11:43
because in the '50s it was used in the sci-fi horror movies,
53
691000
2000
1950年代にテルミンはこういう音がする
11:45
that sound that's like ... (Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo)
54
693000
4000
SFホラー映画に使われてたからね ♫（ヒュ〜ルルルルルルル〜）
11:49
(Laughter)
55
697000
3000
（観客の笑声）
11:52
It's kind of a funny, goofy sound to do.
56
700000
4000
ちょっと変な ふざけた音ね
11:58
And sometimes if I have too much coffee,
57
706000
2000
たまにコーヒーを飲みすぎると
12:00
then my vibrato gets out of hand.
58
708000
2000
ビブラートが大変な事になっちゃう
12:02
You're really sensitive to your body and its functions
59
710000
3000
この子の前に立ってると
12:05
when you're behind this thing.
60
713000
2000
体と体の働きに敏感になるの
12:07
You have to stay so still if you want to have the most control.
61
715000
3000
きちんと音を操るなら じっとしてないといけない
12:10
It reminds me of the balancing act earlier on -- what Michael was doing --
62
718000
5000
さっきマイケルがやってたバランス芸を思い出すわ
12:15
because you're fighting so hard to keep the balance
63
723000
3000
だって演奏と音の調子合わせのバランスを
12:18
with what you're playing with and stay in tune, and at the same time
64
726000
6000
保とうと 必死に戦っているんだもの
12:24
you don't want to focus so much on being in tune all the time;
65
732000
3000
でも 調子を合わせることばかりに集中しちゃだめ
12:27
you want to be feeling the music.
66
735000
3000
音楽を感じたいからね
12:30
And then also, you're trying to stay very, very, very still
67
738000
4000
でも ほんの少しの体の動きが
12:34
because little movements with other parts of your body
68
742000
4000
音を左右するから じーーっとしようとしてるの
12:38
will affect the pitch, or sometimes if you're holding a low note -- (Tone rising out of key) --
69
746000
4000
低音で長く弾いているとき ♫（ブ～ン（調子がはずれる））
12:45
and breathing will make it ...
70
753000
3000
息をしちゃうと…
12:48
(Laughter)
71
756000
1000
（観客の笑声）
12:49
If I pass out on the next song ...
72
757000
3000
次の曲で気を失ったら…
12:52
(Laughter)
73
760000
2000
（観客の笑声）
12:54
I think of it almost like
74
762000
4000
どんなにちょっとした動きでも
12:58
like a yoga instrument because it makes you so aware
75
766000
3000
体の動きに敏感になるし
13:01
of every little crazy thing your body is doing,
76
769000
4000
避けたいことも意識的に敏感になるから
13:05
or just aware of what you don't want it to be doing
77
773000
5000
テルミンはヨガ用の楽器みたいだと思ってる
13:10
while you're playing; you don't want to have any sudden movements.
78
778000
4000
急な動きは一切したくないの
13:14
And if I go to a club and play a gig, people are like,
79
782000
3000
あと クラブに仕事で行くと
13:17
"Here, have some drinks on us!"
80
785000
2000
「一杯おごるよ！」って言われるけど
13:19
And it's like, "Well, I'm about to go on soon;
81
787000
3000
「ええっと そろそろ出番なので…
13:22
I don't want to be like -- (Teetering tones) -- you know?"
82
790000
4000
うぃうぃ〜んってなりたくないじゃない？」って答えるの
13:26
It really does reflect the mood that you're in also,
83
794000
3000
自分の気分がそのまま音にでるからね
13:29
if you're ...
84
797000
2000
こんなだと…
13:31
it's similar to being a vocalist, except
85
799000
3000
歌手と似ているけど
13:34
instead of it coming out of your throat,
86
802000
2000
音が喉から出るんじゃなくて
13:36
you're controlling it just in the air
87
804000
2000
空中でコントロールしているだけ
13:38
and you don't really have a point of reference;
88
806000
3000
あと 基準点があんまり無いから
13:41
you're always relying on your ears and adjusting constantly.
89
809000
5000
常に自分の耳に頼って調整するの
13:46
You just have to always adjust to what's happening
90
814000
2000
臨機応変に音を合わせながら
13:48
and realize you'll have bummer notes come here and there
91
816000
4000
ときどき期待はずれな音が出ることも理解して
13:52
and listen to it, adjust it, and just move on,
92
820000
3000
音を聴き 正して ただ弾き続ける
13:55
or else you'll get too tied up and go crazy. Like me.
93
823000
7000
そうじゃないと こだわりすぎて頭がおかしくなっちゃう 私みたいにね
14:04
I think we will play another tune now.
94
832000
4000
もう一曲弾こうと思います
14:09
I'm going to do "Lush Life." It's one of my favorite tunes to play.
95
837000
3000
「飲んだくれの人生」を弾きます 大好きな曲です
14:12
(Music)
96
840000
290000
♪（音楽）
19:02
(Applause)
97
1130000
3000
（観客の拍手）
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