TED2002
Pamelia Kurstin: The untouchable music of the theremin
Pamelia Kurstin弹特雷门琴——无法触摸的音乐
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Pamelia Kurstin演奏并谈论了特雷门琴，这种电子乐器不需要接触就可以弹奏，而且并不限于科幻电影配乐。她演奏的曲目有“秋叶”， “怒放的生命”，还有David Mash的“听，言语离去了”。
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)
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(Applause)
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（掌声）
05:35
Thank you. Ooh, I'm like, "Phew, phew, calm down. Get back into my body now." (Laughter)
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冷静。镇定。定定神。
05:40
Usually when I play out, the first thing that happens is
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通常我在外表演时，人们首先都会喊，
05:44
people scream out, "What's she doing?!"
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她到底在做什么？
05:47
I'll play at these rock shows, be on stage
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我在摇滚乐演出上表演，在舞台上，
05:50
standing completely still, and they're like,
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静静地站着，然后弹琴。
05:52
"What's she doing?! What's she doing?!"
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人们都很惊讶，不知道我到底在干什么。
05:55
And then I'll kind of be like -- (Vvvwow!) -- and then they're like, "Whoa!"
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然后我就会，（哦噢！）就像这样……
05:59
(Laughter)
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（大笑）
06:01
I'm sure you're trying to figure out,
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我猜你们一定想弄明白，
06:05
"Well, how does this thing work?"
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这个东西是怎么运作的？
06:07
Well, what I'm doing is
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呃，我是这样做的，噢！
06:11
controlling the pitch with my left hand.
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用左手来控制音高。
06:18
See, the closer I get to this antenna, the higher the note gets --
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看见没？我的手离这根天线越近，音调就越高。
06:23
(Portamento) --
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（滑音）
06:26
and you can get it really low.
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你可以弹很低的音。
06:28
And with this hand I'm controlling the volume,
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我用右手来控制音量，
06:31
so the further away my right hand gets, the louder it gets.
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所以我的手离得越远，音量就越大。
06:35
(Tones)
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（音调）
06:38
So basically, with both of your hands
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基本上用双手
06:40
you're controlling pitch and volume and kind of
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你就能控制音高和音量，
06:44
trying to create the illusion that you're doing separate notes,
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而且似乎你弹出来的是单独的音符，
06:48
when really it's continuously going ...
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但实际上，是连续的音调……
06:50
(Flourish ... Beep)
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（音乐……嘟）
06:54
(Laughter)
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（大笑）
07:03
Sometimes I startle myself: I'll forget that I have it on,
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有时我让自己大吃一惊。我忘记它是开着的，
07:05
and I'll lean over to pick up something,
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弯下身子去拿个什么东西，
07:08
and then it goes like -- (Blip) -- "Oh!"
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琴就响了，噢！就像这样。
07:11
And it's like a funny sound effect that follows you around
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你身边就有了奇怪的音效，
07:14
if you don't turn the thing off.
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如果你不把琴关掉的话。
07:16
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
07:21
Maybe we'll go into the next tune,
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我可能要开始弹下一曲了，
07:25
because I totally lost where this is going.
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我完全不知道自己在干什么。
07:29
We're going to do a song by David Mash called "Listen: the Words Are Gone,"
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接下来是David Mash的“听，言语离去了”，
07:34
and maybe I'll have words come back into me afterwards if I can relax.
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过后言语应该会回到我身体里来。
07:38
(Music)
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（音乐）
10:32
(Applause)
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（掌声）
10:44
So, I'm trying to think of some of the questions
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我在想人们通常会问的一些问题。
10:47
that are commonly asked; there are so many.
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有太多了。
10:49
And ... Well, I guess I could tell you
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呃，我想我可以告诉你们
10:52
a little of the history of the theremin.
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一点特雷门琴的历史。
10:54
It was invented around the 1920s, and the inventor, Léon Theremin
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Léon Theremin在20世纪20年代发明了特雷门琴，
11:00
-- he also was a musician besides an inventor --
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他既是音乐家也是发明家，
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he came up with the idea for making the theremin,
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当他在研究短波收音机时，
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I think, when he was working on some shortwave radios.
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他想到了制作特雷门琴，
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And there'd be that sound in the signal -- it's like (Screeching) --
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在信号中有这种声音——就像——（尖叫声）
11:17
and he thought, "Oh, what if I could control that sound
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他就想，哦，我也许可以控制这种声音
11:21
and turn it into an instrument, because there are pitches in it."
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把它做成一个乐器，因为里面有不同的音高。
11:25
And so somehow through developing that,
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就这样，通过不断的研究和改进，
11:28
he eventually came to make the theremin the way it is now.
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他终于制造出来现在的特雷门琴。
11:35
And a lot of times, even kids nowadays,
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现在很多情况下，甚至是孩子们，
11:39
they'll make reference to a theremin by going, "Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo,"
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在谈到特雷门琴时都会发出呜呼呜呼的声音，
11:43
because in the '50s it was used in the sci-fi horror movies,
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因为在50年代时，它被用于科幻恐怖片中：
11:45
that sound that's like ... (Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo)
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声音就像这样……（呜呜）
11:49
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
11:52
It's kind of a funny, goofy sound to do.
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他们做出这种滑稽的声音。
11:58
And sometimes if I have too much coffee,
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有时候我喝了太多咖啡，
12:00
then my vibrato gets out of hand.
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手就控制不了颤音了。
12:02
You're really sensitive to your body and its functions
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当你弹特雷门琴时，
12:05
when you're behind this thing.
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你就会对自己的身体及其运作很敏感。
12:07
You have to stay so still if you want to have the most control.
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如果你想要尽可能地控制它，你就得站得很稳。
12:10
It reminds me of the balancing act earlier on -- what Michael was doing --
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这让我想到了早些时候做的平衡动作，Michael做过的。
12:15
because you're fighting so hard to keep the balance
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因为你在弹琴时要很努力地保持平衡
12:18
with what you're playing with and stay in tune, and at the same time
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不跑调，同时
12:24
you don't want to focus so much on being in tune all the time;
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你还不能太过于集中精力在不跑调上面；
12:27
you want to be feeling the music.
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你还得感受音乐。
12:30
And then also, you're trying to stay very, very, very still
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然后，你努力保持静止不动，
12:34
because little movements with other parts of your body
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因为你身体其他部位的小小的移动
12:38
will affect the pitch, or sometimes if you're holding a low note -- (Tone rising out of key) --
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都会影响到音高，有时你弹低音的时候，
12:45
and breathing will make it ...
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然后呼吸，声音就……（音调偏了）
12:48
(Laughter)
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（大笑）
12:49
If I pass out on the next song ...
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如果我在弹下首曲子时晕过去……
12:52
(Laughter)
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（大笑）
12:54
I think of it almost like
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但是，我想它
12:58
like a yoga instrument because it makes you so aware
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就像个瑜伽器械，因为它使得你
13:01
of every little crazy thing your body is doing,
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对自己身体的状况很在意，
13:05
or just aware of what you don't want it to be doing
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或是很注意在弹琴时不让身体有些动作：
13:10
while you're playing; you don't want to have any sudden movements.
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比如，突然的移动。
13:14
And if I go to a club and play a gig, people are like,
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如果我去酒吧演出，人们说，
13:17
"Here, have some drinks on us!"
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“来，我们请你喝点酒！”
13:19
And it's like, "Well, I'm about to go on soon;
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我马上就要接着弹了，
13:22
I don't want to be like -- (Teetering tones) -- you know?"
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我不想像这样……（摇摆不定的音调）
13:26
It really does reflect the mood that you're in also,
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另外，它也反映出你的心情，
13:29
if you're ...
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你知道，如果你……
13:31
it's similar to being a vocalist, except
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这和做歌手有点像，除了，
13:34
instead of it coming out of your throat,
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声音不是从你的喉咙里发出的，
13:36
you're controlling it just in the air
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而是你用手在空中控制它
13:38
and you don't really have a point of reference;
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而且你没参考点；
13:41
you're always relying on your ears and adjusting constantly.
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你总得靠自己的耳朵听，不断调整。
13:46
You just have to always adjust to what's happening
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你就得一直调整弹出来的音
13:48
and realize you'll have bummer notes come here and there
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一发觉有奇怪的音调出来，
13:52
and listen to it, adjust it, and just move on,
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就调整过来，继续弹，
13:55
or else you'll get too tied up and go crazy. Like me.
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或者你会因此太过于疲劳而发疯，像我一样。
14:04
I think we will play another tune now.
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我想我要再弹一曲。
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I'm going to do "Lush Life." It's one of my favorite tunes to play.
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接下来我要弹“怒放的生命”：这是我最爱的曲子之一。
14:12
(Music)
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19:02
(Applause)
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（掌声）
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