TED2002
Pamelia Kurstin: The untouchable music of the theremin
Pamelia Kurstin theremin-a jotzen du -- musika ukiezina
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Pamelia Kurstin adituak theremina jo eta hartaz hitz egiten gaitu, zientzia fikziozko filmetarako bakarrik erabiltzen ez den instrumentua, ukitu gabe jotzen dena. Abestien artean "Autumn Leves", "Lush Life" eta Advid Mash-en "Listen, Words Are Gone" daude.
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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(Musika)
05:20
(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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Lasaitu. Nire gorputzera bueltatu.
05:40
Usually when I play out, the first thing that happens is
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Normalean, jotzen hasten nahizenean gertatzen den lehenengo gauza
05:44
people scream out, "What's she doing?!"
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jedeak zera ohiukatzen duela da: "zertan ari da?"
05:47
I'll play at these rock shows, be on stage
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Badakizue, rock kontzertuetan joko dut, eszenatokian egon,
05:50
standing completely still, and they're like,
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guztiz geldirik, badakizue...
05:52
"What's she doing?! What's she doing?!"
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Galdetzen dute "Zertan ari da? Zertan ari da?" Badakizue
05:55
And then I'll kind of be like -- (Vvvwow!) -- and then they're like, "Whoa!"
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Eta gero... Wow!, badakizue, eta gero...
05:59
(Laughter)
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(Barreak)
06:01
I'm sure you're trying to figure out,
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Ziur nago nola funtzionatzen duen imaginatzen
06:05
"Well, how does this thing work?"
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zaiatzen ari zaretela.
06:07
Well, what I'm doing is
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Ongi da, egiten ari nahizena da -- oh! --
06:11
controlling the pitch with my left hand.
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nire ezker eskuarekin tonua kontolatzen.
06:18
See, the closer I get to this antenna, the higher the note gets --
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Ikusten duzue, zenbat eta antenatik urbilago egon orduan eta nota altuagoak lortzen ditut.
06:23
(Portamento) --
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(Eskala bat egiten du)
06:26
and you can get it really low.
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Oso baxua egin daiteke.
06:28
And with this hand I'm controlling the volume,
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Eta esku honekin bolumena kontrolatzen ari naiz,
06:31
so the further away my right hand gets, the louder it gets.
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beraz, zenbat eta hurrunago egon nire eskuin eskua geroz eta zaratatsuago da.
06:35
(Tones)
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(Tonuak)
06:38
So basically, with both of your hands
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Beraz, funtsean, zure eskuekin
06:40
you're controlling pitch and volume and kind of
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bolumena eta tonua kontrolatzen ari zara,
06:44
trying to create the illusion that you're doing separate notes,
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nota moztuak jotzearen ilusioa lortzen saiatzen,
06:48
when really it's continuously going ...
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egitan, nota jarraiak direnean.
06:50
(Flourish ... Beep)
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(Apaingarria ... txistua)
06:54
(Laughter)
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(Barreak)
07:03
Sometimes I startle myself: I'll forget that I have it on,
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Batzuetan asaldatu egiten naiz: piztuta daukatela ahazten dut
07:05
and I'll lean over to pick up something,
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eta makurtu egiten nahiz zerbait artzeko,
07:08
and then it goes like -- (Blip) -- "Oh!"
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eta gero badoa, oh! Badakizue.
07:11
And it's like a funny sound effect that follows you around
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Eta soinu efektu barregarri bat egiten du
07:14
if you don't turn the thing off.
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gailua ez baduzu itzaltzen.
07:16
(Laughter)
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(Barreak)
07:21
Maybe we'll go into the next tune,
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Agian urrengo musika-lanera joango gara,
07:25
because I totally lost where this is going.
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hau guztia nora doan guztiz ahaztu dudalako.
07:29
We're going to do a song by David Mash called "Listen: the Words Are Gone,"
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David Mash-en "Listen: Words Are Gone" joko dugu,
07:34
and maybe I'll have words come back into me afterwards if I can relax.
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eta agian gero bergogoratuko dut esan behar nuena.
07:38
(Music)
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(Musika)
10:32
(Applause)
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(Txaloak)
10:44
So, I'm trying to think of some of the questions
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Beraz, normalean galdetzen diren galdera batzuk
10:47
that are commonly asked; there are so many.
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gogoratzen saiatzen ari nahiz. Asko daude.
10:49
And ... Well, I guess I could tell you
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Eta, ongi, uste dut kontatu dezakedala
10:52
a little of the history of the theremin.
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theremin-ari buruzko historia pixka bat.
10:54
It was invented around the 1920s, and the inventor, Léon Theremin
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1920ko hamarkadan asmatu zen eta asmatzaileak, Léon Theremin,
11:00
-- he also was a musician besides an inventor --
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-- musikaria ere bada asmatzaileaz aparte --
11:05
he came up with the idea for making the theremin,
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erabaki zuen theremin-a egitea.
11:10
I think, when he was working on some shortwave radios.
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Uste dut bera zeinale motzeko irrati batzuekin lan egiten ari zela
11:14
And there'd be that sound in the signal -- it's like (Screeching) --
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eta soinu hori entzun zuen seinalean -- honelako zerbait -- (Garrazia)
11:17
and he thought, "Oh, what if I could control that sound
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eta pentsatu zuen "Oh, zer gertatuko litzateke soinu hori kontrolatu ahal banu
11:21
and turn it into an instrument, because there are pitches in it."
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eta musika tresna batean bihurtu, tonuak soltzeko gai bait da.
11:25
And so somehow through developing that,
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Eta honela, gailu hori eraikitzen
11:28
he eventually came to make the theremin the way it is now.
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theremin-a egin zuen gaur den modu berberan.
11:35
And a lot of times, even kids nowadays,
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Eta askotan gaur, umeak ere,
11:39
they'll make reference to a theremin by going, "Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo,"
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whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo soinuarekin lotzen dute theremin-a
11:43
because in the '50s it was used in the sci-fi horror movies,
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50ko hamarkadan zientzia fikziozko eta beldurrezko filmeetan erabiltzen zelako:
11:45
that sound that's like ... (Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo)
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soinua honelakoa da ... (woo-ooo)
11:49
(Laughter)
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(Barreak)
11:52
It's kind of a funny, goofy sound to do.
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Egiten duten soinu barregarriaren ondorioz da hori.
11:58
And sometimes if I have too much coffee,
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Eta batzuetan kafe asko hartzen badut,
12:00
then my vibrato gets out of hand.
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bibratoa ezin dut kontrolatu.
12:02
You're really sensitive to your body and its functions
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Oso sensiblea zara zure gorputzarekin eta bere funtzioekin
12:05
when you're behind this thing.
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gauza honen atzean zaudenean
12:07
You have to stay so still if you want to have the most control.
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Oso geldirik egon behar zara kontrola mantendu nahi baduzu.
12:10
It reminds me of the balancing act earlier on -- what Michael was doing --
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Michael-ek egin duena gogorarazten dit, kulunkatzen ari zenean lehenago
12:15
because you're fighting so hard to keep the balance
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hain gogor saiatzen ari zarelako oreka mantentzen
12:18
with what you're playing with and stay in tune, and at the same time
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eta musikan mantentzeko era berean
12:24
you don't want to focus so much on being in tune all the time;
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ez duzu musika-lanean hainbeste arreta jarri nahi denbora guztian;
12:27
you want to be feeling the music.
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musika sentitu nahi duzu.
12:30
And then also, you're trying to stay very, very, very still
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Eta gero oso, oso, oso geldirik mantentzen saiatzen ari zara
12:34
because little movements with other parts of your body
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beste gorputz atalekin mugimendu txikiak egiteak
12:38
will affect the pitch, or sometimes if you're holding a low note -- (Tone rising out of key) --
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tonua aldatuko duelako, edo, batzuetan, nota baxu bat jotzen ari bazara
12:45
and breathing will make it ...
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eta arnasa hartzen, badakizu, honelako zerbait egingo du... (Tonua igotzen)
12:48
(Laughter)
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(Barreak)
12:49
If I pass out on the next song ...
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Hurrengo abestira joaten bagara --
12:52
(Laughter)
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(Barreak)
12:54
I think of it almost like
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Baina azkenean da, uste dut dela
12:58
like a yoga instrument because it makes you so aware
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yoga instrumentu bat bezala ia, egiten duelako konturatzea
13:01
of every little crazy thing your body is doing,
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zure gorputzak egiten dituen mugimendu txiki guztiez
13:05
or just aware of what you don't want it to be doing
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edo bakarrik konturatzea zer ez duzu nahi egitea
13:10
while you're playing; you don't want to have any sudden movements.
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jotzen ari zarenean: badakizue, bat-bateko mugimenduak izateaz.
13:14
And if I go to a club and play a gig, people are like,
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Eta, badakizue, club batera banoa eta kontzertu bat ematen badut, jendeak esaten dit:
13:17
"Here, have some drinks on us!"
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"Har itzazu trago batzuk gurekin!"
13:19
And it's like, "Well, I'm about to go on soon;
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Eta goiz joan behar banintz bezala da;
13:22
I don't want to be like -- (Teetering tones) -- you know?"
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ez du nahi egin horrelako gauzarik... (Nota dardaratsuak)
13:26
It really does reflect the mood that you're in also,
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Benetan nire umorea erakusten du, baita ere,
13:29
if you're ...
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bazarete, badakizue, bazarete --
13:31
it's similar to being a vocalist, except
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abeslaria izatetik gertu dago,
13:34
instead of it coming out of your throat,
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eztarritik ateratzea izan ezik,
13:36
you're controlling it just in the air
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airean kontrolatzen ari zara
13:38
and you don't really have a point of reference;
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eta ez duzu benetan erreferentzia puntu bat;
13:41
you're always relying on your ears and adjusting constantly.
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zure belarrietaz fidatzen ari zara beti eta egokitzen beti.
13:46
You just have to always adjust to what's happening
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Gertatzen ari denari egokitu behar zara beti
13:48
and realize you'll have bummer notes come here and there
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eta konturatu nota arraroak izango dituzula hemen eta hor
13:52
and listen to it, adjust it, and just move on,
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eta entzun itzazu, egokitu itzazu eta mugidu
13:55
or else you'll get too tied up and go crazy. Like me.
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edo bestela oso geldirik egongo zara eta zoratu egingo zara. Ni bezala.
14:04
I think we will play another tune now.
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Uste dut beste musika-lan bat joko dudala orain.
14:09
I'm going to do "Lush Life." It's one of my favorite tunes to play.
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"Lush Life" joko dut: jotzeko nire musika-lanik gustukoen bat.
14:12
(Music)
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(Applause)
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(Txaloak)
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