Stop what you're doing and play this Google Doodle theremin

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Today would have been theremin virtuoso Clara Rockmore's 105th birthday, and Google is celebrating the milestone by presenting a playable version of the famous instrument as today's Doodle.

Not only an accomplished 'thereminist', Rockmore also influenced the development of the instrument, convincing inventor Leon Theremin to make it more responsive and increase the number of octaves from three to five. She played as a soloist in the 1930s with the likes of the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra and Toronto Symphony.

Head over to the Google homepage and, once you've worked your way through the short tutorial (not difficult), you can then play the Doodle theremin with complete freedom. You can even adjust the key, scale, octave and waveform, while also switching between easy and regular modes.

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.