AETHERPHON, global theremin family

Hi everyone.

I just read an article in Musicworks Magazine, which covers avant-garde 
music, about new compositions being done and concerts being played with a 
traditional Japanese instrument called ichigenkin.  This instrument is a 
zither with just one string, played by sliding a tube along the string 
and plucking, as is done with bottleneck guitar.

Here's a quote from the hereditary master of the main ichigen school in 
Japan, a hard-working young woman named Issui Minegishi.  It made me think 
of the theremin and wonder if and how much it applies to theremin playing. 
I'm not talking about the issues with the devilish difficulty to control 
our instrument, but what comes after or beyond that.  I'm not offering any 
conclusions, just think this quote is interesting to think about.

   "My great-great-grandfather, Tokuhiro Taimu, taught that the ichigenkin
    seems to be a simple instrument-- just a board with one string, nothing
    else-- yet it is very complex.  With only one string, it hides nothing.
    Every nuance of your soul is revealed.  It is almost like the voice of
    life itself.  If you can take the time to listen,  then the sound of
    every tree, rock, or cell can be heard within a single note."

Ann