Big Briar Etherwave theremin. Here's a musical instrument you can play all day and never break a nail. It's called a theremin, an electronic instrument that's actually been around since the 1920s. You play the theremin by waving your hands in front of two antennas, thereby altering their electromagnetic fields. The theremin's sound is reminiscent, at various moments, of a human voice, a violin, and a musical saw.
Theremins are fun to play around with but extremely difficult to master.
Unlike a piano, there's no physical point of reference where the notes are located. There's only air. Clara Rockmore, one of history's greatest theremin players, has performed with numerous symphony orchestras since the 1930s. It's on the Delos label, available through the Web . Theremins are having a resurgence, spurred in part by Big Briar's Etherwave.