How to Calibrate and play the Gakken Premium Theremin

MAKE and Collin Cunningham brings the do-it-yourself mindset to all the technology in your life. Make Magazine celebrates your right to tweak, hack, and bend any technology to your own will.

In this Make video tutorial, you'll see how to calibrate and play the Gakken Premium Theremin. Unlike most theremins this one runs off battery power, so an armband contact is used in place of an earth-ground reference.

The Gakken Premium Theremin is an affordable and highly playable battery operated theremin instrument. Unlike most theremins, it uses an armband contact instead of a connection to earth ground. It also features:

- coarse and fine controls for both pitch and volume antennae
- master volume
- 1/8" audio output jack
- instrument stand mounting thread