Comments on: Theremin cats

Theremin cats

piratebowling — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:19:04 -0800

Kitties [heart] mini theremins.

Extra bonus fun, open all links at the same time for mini theremin symphony.

By: afflatus

afflatus — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:22:04 -0800

wow. I need a mini theramin. And a less lazy cat.

By: chrominance

chrominance — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:28:27 -0800

You didn't think you could get away with leaving out the one that started it all, did you?

By: loquacious

loquacious — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:28:42 -0800

I totally love how their ears are all a-swivel. "What!? What is that noise?" "Look, it changes when you bite it." "Bite it more! Maybe it'll stop!"

By: tkolar

tkolar — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:42:08 -0800

Your first two links are identical... Cool, but identical.

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:48:29 -0800

My dog and the second link do not get along.

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:49:24 -0800

I meant the fourth link. The second link is the same as the first. As previously mentioned. Cool, but previously mentioned.

By: sleepy pete

sleepy pete — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:00:27 -0800

Our cats like full-sized theremins (from a kit), I just don't have any video to show you. The male confuses the volume and pitch control, though. I may have to train them to play it at the same time and then outfit them with mini-billboards.

By: sleepy pete

sleepy pete — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:00:53 -0800

Whoops, and thanks for the links, piratebowling.

By: nebulawindphone

nebulawindphone — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:01:02 -0800

You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. Cool, but all alike.

By: piratebowling

piratebowling — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:11:48 -0800

Oh, man, I thought I put different ones up. My brain is totally messed up by the sound waves of the theremin.

By: piratebowling

piratebowling — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:17:23 -0800

Also, chrominance's link was supposed to be the first one. Dammit. At least it made a showing.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:23:11 -0800

MetaFilter loves theremins!

By: dersins

dersins — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:40:42 -0800

Shouldn't you be agitating for the musicalinstrument tag here, flapjax?

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:02:36 -0800

Well, dersins, at my age, I try not to get too agitated. The ol' ticker jes' cain't take it! Although, the inauguration of a catsplayingmusicalinstruments tag is perhaps worthy of consideration...

By: piratebowling

piratebowling — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:10:14 -0800

Done and done.

By: Naberius

Naberius — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:19:34 -0800

My theremin! It sounds like crap! (A kind of questionable musical instrument when played by someone who means to...) But I'm not entirely convinced the cats are relating the sound to what they do. I'm sure they can hear the noise, but they just seem to be acting the way they'd act if you stuck any plastic box with a springy wire waving back and forth out of the top of it in front of them. Or an old shoelace. Or a bit of ribbon.

By: Maias

Maias — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:27:40 -0800

My cat, who never pays any attention to what's on the screen, was absolutely fascinated by the sound of those videos. I would have decided to buy her a theremin except it seems that when cats play them, it sounds like dying violins.

By: dersins

dersins — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:31:46 -0800

That's what theremins sound like when people play them, too.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:11:45 -0800

That's what theremins sound like when people play them, too. Sir, I give you The Swan, by Clara Rockmore.

By: ifjuly

ifjuly — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:39:54 -0800

my boyfriend made a theremin from one of those build your own kits a couple years ago, and the first cool thing that happened was our cats swished their tails around it. cats and theremins really do go together.

By: squasha

squasha — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:10:59 -0800

I'll believe they [heart] theremin when one of the kitties figures out how to do this.

By: dersins

dersins — Thu, 22 May 2008 21:35:27 -0800

Sir, I give you The Swan, by Clara Rockmore. When it came to the theremin, Clara Rockmore was more than just "people." She was a goddess. And certainly the only person I've ever heard who could make actual music with the damn thing. (And no, Mr. Jon Spencer, waving the headstock of your guitar around the antennas doesn't count as "actual music.")

By: jchgf

jchgf — Thu, 22 May 2008 21:50:15 -0800

This cat seems the closest to figuring out the link between the sounds and his gestures. But he may just be playing with the antenna. I wish we could see clearly a cat having an epiphany at the theremin, à la Moonwatcher in 2001 ( @ 5:14).

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Thu, 22 May 2008 23:42:51 -0800

Nora seems to play piano.

By: opsin

opsin — Fri, 23 May 2008 03:24:42 -0800

You beat me to it jchgf - that was easily my favourite cat/theremin video*... *#4 - sentences I never thought I'd use.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 23 May 2008 03:50:21 -0800

I hear ya, dersins!

By: quin

quin — Fri, 23 May 2008 09:02:25 -0800

While less electronic than playing a theremin, my mother has a marimba in her living room that the cat would occasionally make her way onto. It was always entertaining to be in a different room and hear very soft notes coming from it as the cat realized that if she wacked it just right, it would sing to her.

By: winsoar

winsoar — Mon, 26 May 2008 05:21:16 -0800

I have to admit I had no idea what a theremin was.

By: Hugonaut

Hugonaut — Fri, 30 May 2008 08:42:16 -0800

Whether the cats are aware or not of how they're interacting with the theremin is arguable. I see more confusion than anything else. Still can't believe I never thought of this. Now I need to get one for my brother's cat to make him extra annoying. Awesome post!