Microsoft wowed E3 with Project Natal, but there’s already been another controller-free device used to play games: the theremin.

Glaswegian YouTube user “conquerearth” recently posted a video of himself using the electronic musical instrument to control Mario and play Super Mario Bros. The theremin, patented in 1928 by Russian inventor Léon Theremin, works with two metal antennas that sense the position of the player’s hands. One hand controls the frequency, and the other controls volume. With a bit of hacking, the electronic signals sent out by the device can apparently be mapped to an NES controller.

Watch the “classically trained” thereminist as he navigates Mario through the first level. If that’s not enough for you, you can listen to others play the theme music for Super Mario or Legend of Zelda on the theremin, too. Forget the cowbell; we need more theremin.

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