If you’ve been following season 6 of the Stories in the Cemetery podcast, you’ve come to realize that by adding Amen Paranormal Research owner, Joshua Amen, we’ve been tossing ideas around about how to further the field of paranormal investigating. So depending on when you read this article about the theremin, know that we have some fantastic ideas coming for the rest of season 6 including updating the Paranormal Investigation Workbook, repeating investigations, UAPs, and how we can truly take our investigations to the next level.
The theremin is an interesting concept and it doesn’t come from an idea stemming from understanding the afterlife. Nope. The theremin is a unique musical instrument invented by Leon Theremin in 1918 (Leon Theremin | Lemelson, n.d.), but was originally called an aetherphone. Not exactly easy to read or say, I’m glad it was simplified to the theremin.
The instrument works on electro-magnetic fields. For ghost hunters, this term sounds familiar which is exactly what inspired the thought process for turning this idea into a new type of paranormal tool.
There are two rods or antennas, each with its own purpose but must be used in conjunction with one another. The antenna on the side of the instrument is used to control volume of the notes created by the antenna reaching upwards. When played, the musician does not physically touch the antennas, but knows through countless hours of practice and training muscle memory, the proximity needed to each antenna. This may sound like a complicated process and I won’t disagree with you, but those who have mastered this instrument create an unforgettable and unique experience for the listener and viewer.
To prove my point, I’m embedding this amazing video of Carolina Eyck playing “Sally’s Song” (Eyck, 2021) from The Nightmare Before Christmas (Burton, 1993) film. Something we should all recognize.
Did you notice the elegance she carried as she played the theremin? There’s a specific term for that. Heterodyning is the act of interacting with a theremin (Malewar, 2016). There are also specific techniques with the players of this instrument, each building their own style, much like guitar players do.
So, now that I’ve captured your attention on how the instrument sounds and interacts with the user, let’s allow Professor and Thereminist Ed Sussman (Sussman, 1999) explain a little of the technology of this odd instrument.
Okay, now that you have a basic gist of the instrument, let’s get into why Stories in the Cemetery believes that we can use this technology to interact in paranormal investigations and research.
Music is a universal and timeless language
Ghost hunters, picture yourself as the ghost you’re hunting and the living person that’s trying to make contact with you lays down a few REM pods to detect your motion. You’re curious, so you approach only to be alarmed by the annoying sound that resonates with a fire alarm or perhaps deter you from wanting to interact again. Is this how YOU would want to communicate? Stories in the Cemetery thinks not.
But imagine, you come across a new gadget and realize that you might be able to control the antennas protruding from the gizmo. The sounds you hear are notes and change with each interaction. That! That right there brings humanity into the interaction you would make with the curious living person investigating you. Humanity.
Notes, music, and sophistication could be keys to understanding our hauntings. Adding the universal tones and keys may actually attract more bees with honey versus blinky do-dads with alarming sounds.
During the recording of the podcast, Josh brought up the fact that IF you are dealing with a haunting that consists of a musician or musicians, this may create a trigger object. A trigger object is something that your haunting would recognize, including sound, that may entice them to interact with you. As an example, I’ve often carried indigo seeds with me to the Eliza Lucas Pinckney mansion site, since Eliza played a gigantic role in introducing indigo seed dye to plantations in the South.
Different styles of Theremin instruments
Granted, as this theory comes off as far-fetched, there are different levels of theremin instruments. Traditionally, this is a large instrument with complicated parts that make the instrument work. There have also been guitar pedals named the theremin simply because it allows the guitar to make the unique theremin sound.
Compact, DIY models have also been produced at an inexpensive cost. This might be the direct testing model that ghost hunters need to introduce themselves to the electronic capability of the device, but there might be a better solution.
Burns Theremins once created a single antenna (the pitch antenna) to a small, battery powered unit with a built-in speaker. Perfect for using the instrument in paranormal experiments and easy to add to your paranormal toolkit. Unfortunately, the unit has been “sold out” for years and when attempting contact with Burns Theremins, they informed me that the unit is no longer in production. Fingers crossed that a company will pick up on the fact that this could be used in a much different manner and intention and create this unique model. For now, the more inexpensive DIY model is probably best for conducting these experiments.
Jimmy Page playing a single antenna theremin as a “call and answer” pitch match with singer, Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin, 1973).
Overall Summary
Stories in the Cemetery is looking to innovate the field not just in the technology aspect of our equipment, but also in the way we attempt interaction with those that have passed on. As Joshua Amen states regularly on the Stories in the Cemetery podcast; all/most of our equipment deals with electro-magnetic spectrums. Though true, I still believe that there is much to be said about the EM spectrums we still don’t fully understand. Could the theremin help us interact with supernatural beings even though we’re still using electro-magnetic fields? Anything is possible.
Using our own electro-magnetic field from our own bodies is half the capacitor of the theremin, meaning it takes a body of an outside being to make it work. The theremin instrument holds the other half of the capacitor. Interacting (heterodyning) with the instrument creates a soothing, and sometimes spooky sounding, notes and pitches.
The question here is whether the theremin needs a living being to heterodyne with. We shall soon find out.
Stay tuned to the Stories in the Cemetery podcast for any updates that may happen with this experimental theory. If you are an electronic guru and would like to collaborate with us in creating a single antenna theremin, please feel free to reach out at storiesinthecemetery@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you as we also have other ideas we would like to see come to fruition.
Just for Fun
The theremin has been introduced into rock music as well as thereminists playing well-known numbers to display their skill. But we couldn’t end without also displaying the theremin video clip from The Big Bang Theory (Cendrowski, 2011), a show about total nerds geeking out through life, where Sheldon Cooper is ridiculed for playing the Star Trek theme on his theremin…
(Cendrowski, 2011/2013)
This article is part of the Stories in the Cemetery podcast on Spotify. Season 6, Episode 56.
References
Burton, T. (Director). (1993). The Nightmare Before Christmas [Film]. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1
Cendrowski, M. (Director). (2011, January 6). The Bus Pants Utilization (Season 4, Episode 12) [TV series episode]. In The Big Bang Theory. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1632227/?ref_=ttep_ep_12
Cendrowski, M. (Director). (2013). Sheldon’s Theremin [Film]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YYABE0R3uA (Original work published 2011)
Eyck, C. (Director). (2021). Sally’s Song [Film]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhtZh9nR6Zg
Led Zeppelin (Director). (1973). Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same – “Whole Lotta Love” Clip [Film]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPhXm-UPfEU
Leon Theremin | Lemelson. (n.d.). Lemelson-MIT. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/leon-theremin
Malewar, A. (2016, October 31). Theremin: The Musical Instrument That You Never Touch To Play. Tech Explorist. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://www.techexplorist.com/theremin-musical-instrument-never-touch-play/4027/
Sussman, E. (Director). (1999). The Theremin: How it Works [Film]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxagF-SczIE