I'm having trouble identifying a certain musical instrument.?

Question:I saw the piece last night. It's an electronic instrument with an antennae. The musician uses his left hand to press some sort of button. The musician uses his right hand in a sort of a clenched fist. I believe that some how the right hand interferes with the signal from the antennae. The instrument produces a strange "sci-fi" like sound. Anybody have any ideas?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I saw the piece last night. It's an electronic instrument with an antennae. The musician uses his left hand to press some sort of button. The musician uses his right hand in a sort of a clenched fist. I believe that some how the right hand interferes with the signal from the antennae. The instrument produces a strange "sci-fi" like sound. Anybody have any ideas?

That is a theremin. It has an oscillator whose audio frequency is disturbed by putting a hand into its antenna field.

It is an old instrument going back to tube-type oscillators in the 1920's (invented by Leon Theremin). In Europe it is often called an "Onde de Martineau."

The modern version of that was a Moog Synthesizer. Moog died recently and his biography has some details. The woman who was the best known theremin player also died within the last year and I have forgotten her name.

It's called a Theremin, I hope that I spelled this right !!!!!!!!