How the Theremin Makes Music Without Touching Anything
Leon Theremin's 1928 patent for an electronic musical instrument that generates sound based on the proximity of a performer's hands to metal antennas.
Original patent title: “Method of and apparatus for the generation of sounds”
Leon Theremin's 1928 patent for an electronic musical instrument that generates sound based on the proximity of a performer's hands to metal antennas. Granted to FIRM OF M J GOLDBERG und SOHNE in 1928 with 40 forward citations, and it is now in the public domain.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
The device uses two metal antennas to control sound parameters through the player's body capacitance. As a performer moves their hand near the vertical antenna, the circuit changes its frequency to alter the pitch. Simultaneously, moving a hand near the horizontal loop antenna changes the amplitude or volume of the sound. This allows for continuous, fluid control of musical notes without physical contact between the player and the instrument.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover instruments that require physical keys or strings to be pressed.
- Does not cover digital synthesizers that rely on microprocessors rather than analog vacuum tube oscillators.
- Does not cover sound generation via optical sensors or infrared beams.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The invention cleverly uses the human body as a component in the circuit, treating the player's hand as one plate of a variable capacitor to influence the oscillation frequency.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
The classic Moog Theremin
Soundtrack for the 1945 film Spellbound
The Beach Boys' Good Vibrations
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This patent introduced the first widely recognized electronic instrument, laying the foundation for the entire field of electronic music. It proved that electricity could be used to create expressive, performative art, influencing everything from 20th-century avant-garde music to modern synthesizer design.
Filed
December 5, 1925
Granted
February 28, 1928
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Companies like Moog Music continue to manufacture instruments based on these core principles. Modern touchless interface designers also draw inspiration from the capacitive sensing methods pioneered here.
Market impact
This patent legitimized electronic sound synthesis as a valid musical medium. It sparked the creation of a niche but enduring market for electronic musical instruments and paved the way for the development of the voltage-controlled oscillator.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
The device uses two metal antennas to control sound parameters through the player's body capacitance. As a performer moves their hand near the vertical antenna, the circuit changes its frequency to alter the pitch. Simultaneously, moving a hand near the horizontal loop antenna changes the amplitude or volume of the sound. This allows for continuous, fluid control of musical notes without physical contact between the player and the instrument.
The clever bit
The invention cleverly uses the human body as a component in the circuit, treating the player's hand as one plate of a variable capacitor to influence the oscillation frequency.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover instruments that require physical keys or strings to be pressed.
- Does not cover digital synthesizers that rely on microprocessors rather than analog vacuum tube oscillators.
- Does not cover sound generation via optical sensors or infrared beams.
Patent Journey
From filing to expiry
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
32/40
Moderately cited
Claim breadth
0/20
Narrow claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
0/20
Older than 20 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$14K – $43K
Midpoint $27K · expired or expiring · industry ×1.5
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Ssergejewitsch, T. L. (1928). How the Theremin Makes Music Without Touching Anything (U.S. Patent No. 1,661,058). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1661058/theremin-leon-theremin
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How the Theremin Makes Music Without Touching Anything cover?
Leon Theremin's 1928 patent for an electronic musical instrument that generates sound based on the proximity of a performer's hands to metal antennas.
Who owns patent US 1661058?
FIRM OF M J GOLDBERG und SOHNE owns this patent, granted in 1928.
When does this patent expire?
This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely.
What is patent US 1661058 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 40 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This patent introduced the first widely recognized electronic instrument, laying the foundation for the entire field of electronic music. It proved that electricity could be used to create expressive, performative art, influencing everything from 20th-century avant-garde music to modern synthesizer design.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover instruments that require physical keys or strings to be pressed.
Patent monitoring