Workshops

Theremin - Arthur Harrison is the president and CEO of Harrison
Instruments, Inc., a Maryland company that designs and manufactures the
early electronic musical instrument called the "theremin," named for its
inventor, Leon Theremin. Mr. Harrison sells theremins to both domestic
and foreign markets, and is considered an international authority on the
technical aspects of the instrument. His theremin circuit designs have
been implemented by electronic music enthusiasts world-over. Mr.
Harrison will appear at the September 2009 Electronica Fest at the
National Electronics Museum to present a workshop on the theremin,
where he will explain the basic principles of the instrument, how it is
played, and how to construct a simple one. Participants will also be
invited to try their hands at building a theremin.

2 Transistor Ribbon Controller - the world's most bare-bones
electronic music instrument. This instrument is called a 'ribbon
controller', but it's also known after its inventor, Paul Tanner, as a
'tannerin'. He called this instrument an 'Electro-Theremin'. That name
didn't catch on because this is not a Theremin (the musical instrument
you control by moving your hands in the air) even though it sounds like
one. You are going to build a sound generator that changes pitch as you
slide wires back and forth on a conductive “ribbon” we will make as part
of this project.. We also discuss how you can take this same circuit and
do many other experiments with things you have around your home. Brian
Wilson and the Beach Boys' song “Good Vibrations” used the magic of Paul
Tanner's ribbon controller to make its distinctive sweeping wee-oo-wee
sound. This workshop is being run by the HacDC organization from
Washington, DC. There are limited number of kits availabe at the event.
Be sure to sign up early!

Attendees will receive more than 10% off the regular web price for kits
purchased at the event: Only $39 plus 6% MD sales tax
Details about the kit are here:
http://harrisoninstruments.com/101/101_description.html