Air guitar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The art of air guitar

An Air guitar is the imaginary instrument used when pretending to play guitar. Playing an air guitar consists of an exaggerated strumming motion and is often coupled with loud singing or lip-synching. Air guitar is generally used in the imaginary simulation of loud electric guitar music, especially rock, heavy metal, and so on. Although it is acceptable to play air guitar to acoustic songs, it is an act traditionally left to rock. Headbanging is often used in conjunction with an air guitar.

1 Technique
2 Cultural context
3 Innovations
4 References
5 See also
6 External links
- 6.1 Articles

[edit] Technique

Musical artists often instinctively follow the rhythm and mood of their music with their body while they play which is also a means of identifying metre and keeping time. In rock music, many guitarists exaggerate these movements to make them a part of their performance; some even add acrobatic stunts, the choreography becoming their distinctive characteristic. Their fans often mimic their idol's movements in adoration, and can become swept away by the music. Playing air guitar can be considered a specialised form of dance.

Björn Türoque, author and perennial second-best air guitarist

For some, playing air guitar has become a hobby in itself, and they pride their ability to mimic the style of countless artists. In fact, organised air guitar competitions are regularly held in many countries, and since 1996 The Annual Air Guitar World Championship contest has been a part of the Oulu Music Video Festival in Oulu, Finland. The first organised air guitar competition in the UK was held in 1994, in Australia in 2002, and in the United States in 2003. One-off air guitar competitions have been organized in the early 1980's in Sweden and in the United States.

[edit] Cultural context

Some artists have raised air guitar to a whole new level: American arena rock band Journey was featured air-guitaring and air-playing their respective instruments in the video for their single "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)." Similarly, Swedish extreme metal band Meshuggah's video for their song "New Millennium Cyanide Christ" features the five band members sitting in their tour bus and playing the song on their respective air guitars, air drums, and air microphone (a red pen). Another band to use air guitar was Five Iron Frenzy, a Christian ska band whose lead singer, Reese Roper, and horn players would play air guitar when not playing their instruments or singing. Dani Filth of Cradle of Filth is briefly shown playing an air guitar in the video for "Her Ghost in the Fog".

[edit] Innovations

Students from the Helsinki University of Technology developed a system that translates hand movements into electric guitar sounds, resulting in a functional air guitar.^[1] The system, consisting of a pair of brightly-coloured gloves and an infrared camera, is one of the most popular exhibits at the Helsinki Science Center. The camera recognizes the distance between the two gloves as well as strumming movements made by the wearer to synthesize an electric guitar tune, working using only six notes. No musical knowledge is necessary.

In November 2006, researchers at the Australian government's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation announced they had developed a t-shirt that senses human movement to "showcase its expertise in designing and manufacturing electronic and intelligent textiles with which people effortlessly control computers", publicising it as an air guitar shirt.^[2] [1] audio snippet