# 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. - **Patent:** US 1661058 - **Original title:** Method of and apparatus for the generation of sounds - **Owner:** FIRM OF M J GOLDBERG und SOHNE - **Granted:** 1928 - **Status:** Public domain (expired) - **Times cited:** 40 - **Field:** consumer_electronics, mechanical ## What it does 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. ## 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. ## 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. ## Real-world examples 1. The classic Moog Theremin 2. Soundtrack for the 1945 film Spellbound 3. The Beach Boys' Good Vibrations ## Why it matters 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. ## 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. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1661058/theremin-leon-theremin **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US1661058 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [How Laurens Hammond Invented the Electric Organ](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1956350/hammond-organ) — Laurens Hammond's 1934 patent for an electrical musical instrument that used spinning tone wheels to generate sound, forming the basis of the iconic Hammond organ. - [How Robert Moog Used Transistors to Shape Synthesizer Sounds](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3475623/moog-synthesizer-ladder-filter) — A 1969 invention by Robert Moog that uses the internal resistance of transistors to create the iconic filters that define the sound of analog synthesizers. - [How the First Wireless Television Remote Control Works](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2817025/tv-remote-control-adler-zenith) — Robert Adler's 1957 invention of the Space Command remote, which used ultrasonic sound waves to control television functions without wires or batteries. - [How Leo Fender's Tremolo Bridge Changes Guitar Pitch](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2741146/fender-stratocaster-tremolo) — A mechanical bridge system for electric guitars that allows players to temporarily change the tension and pitch of all strings simultaneously using a manual lever. - [How the Frying Pan Guitar Created the Electric Guitar](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2089171/electric-guitar-frying-pan) — George Beauchamp's 1937 patent for the first commercially successful electric guitar, which used a magnetic pickup to turn string vibrations into electrical signals.