Air guitar - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Playing air guitar is a form of dance and movement in which the performer pretends

Imagination

Imagination, also called the faculty of imagining, is the ability of forming mental images, sensations and concepts, in a moment when they are not perceived through sight, hearing or other senses...

to play rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

or heavy metal

Heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

-style electric guitar

Electric guitar

An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...

, including riffs, solos, etc. Playing an air guitar usually consists of exaggerated strumming and picking

Guitar pick

A guitar pick is a plectrum used for guitars. A pick is generally made of one uniform material; examples include plastic, nylon, rubber, felt, tortoiseshell, wood, metal, glass, and stone...

motions and is often coupled with loud singing

Singing

Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

or lip-synching

Lip sync

Lip sync, lip-sync, lip-synch is a technical term for matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals...

. Air guitar is generally used in the imaginary simulation of loud electric guitar music.

Contests

Organized air guitar competitions are regularly held in many countries. The first on-off air guitar competitions were organized in the early 1980s in Sweden and in the United States. Since 1996 the annual Air Guitar World Championships contest has been a part of the Oulu Music Video Festival

Oulu Music Video Festival

Founded in 1994, Oulu Music Video Festival is an annual festival of music video, cinema, live music, and air guitar world championships, held in Oulu, Finland.- External links :* *...

in Oulu

Oulu

Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world....

, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

which currently governs Air Guitar World Championships Network http://www.airguitarworldchampionships.com/2009/EN/agwc-network.html of official national championship competitions. The idea of the contest was originally coined as a joke, meant only to be a side attraction for the music video festival, but has since become a major draw in its own right.http://www.airguitarworldchampionships.com/2009/EN/history.html

In 2009 the Network consisted of twenty countries: Finland, USA, New Zealand, Canada, The Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, Norway, United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Japan, Australia, Germany, Taiwan, Thailand, Russia, Romania, and Brazil.

Rules have much in common with figure skating

Figure skating

Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...

, especially using 6.0 score system. The most common set of rules are as following:

Each participant has to play air guitar on stage in two rounds, each lasting for 1 minute.
- Round 1: participant plays a selection of their own choosing. Typically the song has been edited (or a medley has been created) to fit the 60-second format.
- Round 2: participant plays a section of the song chosen by an organizer or competitor; usually the song is not announced beforehand and kept secret until the round begins, so a participant has to improvise
  Improvisation
  Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
  
  .
Participant plays alone; backing bands, either with real or air instruments are not allowed; roadie
Road crew
The road crew are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians...

s and groupie
Groupie
A groupie is a person who seeks emotional and sexual intimacy with a musician or other celebrity. "Groupie" is derived from group in reference to a musical group, but the word is also used in a more general sense, especially in casual conversation....

s are allowed to make up some image, but they have to leave the stage before performance.
Participant has to play air guitar (i.e. air drums, piano and other instruments are not allowed). Air guitar can be acoustic, electric or both.
Generally, there is no dress code and participant is encouraged to use any clothing and props that would add character and make the performance more interesting. However, any real musical equipment or crew (instruments, amplifiers
Guitar amplifier
A guitar amplifier is an electronic amplifier designed to make the signal of an electric or acoustic guitar louder so that it will produce sound through a loudspeaker...

, effect pedal
Effects unit
Effects units are electronic devices that alter how a musical instrument or other audio source sounds. Some effects subtly "color" a sound, while others transform it dramatically. Effects are used during live performances or in the studio, typically with electric guitar, keyboard and bass...

s, backing band members, etc.) are strictly forbidden. Some events make an exception for a real guitar pick, some don't.
Jury consists of independent judges, usually B-list musicians, music critics, comedians, or other members of the media.
Judges use the same 6.0 score system as in figure skating: there are several varying criteria, each judge must give the contestant a score from 4.0 to 6.0 on each of the following:
- Technical merit—how much the performance looks like the real playing, including accurate reproduction of all fretwork, chords, solos and technical moves.
- Stage presence—a charisma
  Charisma
  The term charisma has two senses: 1) compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others, 2) a divinely conferred power or talent. For some theological usages the term is rendered charism, with a meaning the same as sense 2...
  
  of rock star, the ability to rock, lack of stage fright and power to drive thousands of listeners; involves guitar showmanship and other emotional demonstrations.
- Airness—the most subjective criterion, as "presentation" in figure skating—how much the performance was an object of art
  Art
  Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
  
  by itself, not only a simulation of playing guitar.

World

Annual world championships (full name: "The Annual Air Guitar World Championship Contest") were first held in 1996 as part of the Oulu Music Video Festival in Oulu

Oulu

, Finland

Finland

. Participants from all over the world competed in skills of playing air guitar. The judging panel included Finnish guitarist Juha Torvinen, and prizes included a custom made 'Flying Finn' guitar and VOX BM Special amplifier

Vox (musical equipment)

Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer which is most famous for making the Vox AC30 guitar amplifier, the Vox Continental electric organ, and a series of innovative but commercially unsuccessful electric guitars and bass guitars...

donated by Queen

Queen (band)

Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...

guitarist Brian May

Brian May

Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...

. The ideology behind the event was that "wars would end and all the bad things would go away if everyone just played air guitar."

List of World Championships

2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996

Austria

Championships generally follow international rules with minor exceptions and additions:

Participation is free.
Regionals take up to 12 participants. If there are more, additional qualification events take place.
Federal finals are held in July between the winners of regionals.
Winner of federal finals is qualified for World Championship in September.
Participants are allowed to team up to 2, only in regionals. Federal finals are still solo only.
Order of appearance in a second round is determined by the scores in the first round (highest score air guitarist plays first).
Jury consists of 5 people. Each of 2 rounds is scored by a single mark from 4.0 to 6.0. Lowest and highest mark get discarded, so only 3 marks are added, thus yielding possible results from 24.0 to 36.0.

United States

Competitive air guitar began in the United States in 2003, when Cedric Devitt and Kriston Rucker founded US Air Guitar, the official governing body of air guitar in the US. The 2003 US Air Guitar Championships included just two regional competitions, in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

and Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, with the national championship taking place in Los Angeles. David "C-Diddy" Jung won the competition, becoming the first ever US Air Guitar Champion and earning a spot in the World Air Guitar Championships. He was accompanied by fellow American Dan "Bjorn Turoque" Crane, who raised money to pay for his trip to Finland, where he qualified for the World Championships through a Dark Horse competition. At the World Championships, C-Diddy emerged victorious, becoming the first American to win the title of World Air Guitar Champion. Jung and Crane were featured in the 2006 documentary Air Guitar Nation

Air Guitar Nation

Air Guitar Nation is a feature-length 2006 documentary about the first US Air Guitar Championships, following the top contestants, David "C-Diddy" Jung and Dan "Björn Türoque" Crane, to the 2003 World Championship in Oulu, Finland....

, a film that documented their 2003 journey, from the United States to Finland.

The 2004 US Air Guitar Championships featured regional competitions in five cities. MiRi "Sonyk-Rok" Park, winner of the New York City regional, took the national crown, and went on to Finland

Finland

, where she tied for first place, becoming the 2004 World Air Guitar Co-Champion.

By 2008, US Air Guitar had expanded to include regional competitions in twenty-four cities throughout the country. The 2006 US Air Guitar Champion, Craig "Hot Lixx Hulahan" Billmeier, went on to defeat 2005 Champion Fatima "Rockness Monster" Hoang and 2007 Champion Andrew "William Ocean" Litz en route to his second national title. In Finland, Hulahan emerged victorious, securing the United States' third world title and becoming the 2008 World Air Guitar Champion.

William Ocean captured his second national title in 2009, earning him a spot in Finland at the 2009 World Air Guitar Championships. William Ocean and defending World Air Guitar Champion Hot Lixx Hulahan tied for second place, behind Sylvain "Gunther Love" Quimene of France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

Matt "Romeo Dance Cheetah" Cornelison was the 2010 US Air Guitar Champion, finishing in eleventh place at the 2010 World Air Guitar Championships.

The reigning US Air Guitar Champion is Justin "Nordic Thunder" Howard, who won the 2011 US Air Guitar Championships at Chicago's Metro

Metro Chicago

This page is about the concert hall; for the metro region surrounding Chicago, see Chicago metropolitan area.Metro is a concert hall at 3730 N. Clark Street in Chicago, Illinois that plays host to a variety of local, regional and national emerging bands and musicians. The Metro was first opened in...

on July 23, 2011.

List of United States Championships

2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003

United Kingdom

There are currently two national air guitar championships running in the UK, both claiming status as the 'official' competition.

The UK Air Guitar Championships (UKAG) is the longest running air guitar championships in the world, established between 1994 and 1995 by Jeffrey Louis-Reed, and is still to this day the only Air Guitar Championships where the audience are the judges. It is also the only UK competition that tours the whole UK to find a true champion.

The similarly named, Air Guitar UK Championships (AGUK) was created in 2006 by two time world Air Guitar champion Zac Monro. It originated over the issues of how to decide the competition (through the audience, or by a figure-skating style judging system

6.0 system

The 6.0 system was the judging system used in competitive figure skating until 2005, when it was replaced by the ISU Judging System in international events....

), and over membership of the World Air Guitar Network (UKAG were unwilling to pay to participate in the World Championships, as their competition wished to remain free, which was the main cause of the creation of AGUK). However this is the only championship officially recognised as part of Air Guitar World Championships (AGWC)

AGUK

The Air Guitar UK Championship was created in in 2006 by twice air guitar world champion Zac 'the Magnet' Monroe (the first non-Fin to win the competition) and is affiliated with the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu

Oulu

, Finland

Finland

, forming part of the World Air Guitar Network.

In September 2011, Air Guitar UK launched Air Guitar Wales and Air Guitar Northern Ireland to join Air Guitar Scotland (first launched by AGUK in 2009) as part of the Air Guitar UK Network.

The first official Championship was held in August 2006 at the Academy Islington, London, and was won by Gabi “The Hoxton Creeper” Matzeu, who was sent to Finland as the UK’s 1st Official Champion.

In 2007, in the run-up to release of the cult Film Air Guitar Nation

Air Guitar Nation

, the second Championship played once again to a full house at the Academy. It was held at the Academy until 2010, and in 2011 moved the The Garage, Islington.

Air Guitar UK events are held in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust

Teenage Cancer Trust

Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity that focuses on the needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer, leukaemia, Hodgkin’s and related diseases by providing specialist teenage units in NHS hospitals. The units are dedicated areas for teenage patients, who are involved in their concept and creation...

. Air Guitar is considered a force for good, and in the absence of world peace this is at least something.

All profits from all of the Air Guitar UK events are donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust (www.teenagecancertrust.org).

AGUK's official site can be found at http://www.airguitaruk.com/

UKAG

The UK Air Guitar Championships were founded in the upstairs of a pub called 'The Pig in Paradise' which is in central Brighton, England. The UK Air Guitar championships annually hosts regional championships in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the north and south of England to find the best competitors from the UK and bring them to the national final stage to battle for crown of UK Air Guitar Champion

Christopher 'Crispy' Vearncombe won the competition in 2005, but was killed in a road traffic accident in South Africa weeks before the 2006 competition. His many friends hold an annual charity music festival in his memory. Crispystock

Crispystock

Crispystock is a one day music festival held annually in Andover, Hampshire. The festival is held in memory of the late Chris Vearncombe who died in September 2006. He was the UK Air guitar Champion 2005...

is held in his home town of Andover, Hampshire. Next came Colin 'Cozza' Fulker who won 2006, 2007 and 2008 to become one of the UKAG's most successful champions.

2009 saw Declan Gillick aka 'Deku Chan' win the competition. It was also the first year that drinks manufacturer WKD sponsored the competition. 2010 - UKAG returned to London for the national final; the winner of the southern England heat, 'Eddie Six Strings' aka Sophie Scutt, wriggled her way into the final and beat 'Juan Nightstand' to become the first ever female UK Air Guitar Champion.

Many air bands were founded in Brighton in the late 90s with acts such as 'Dum BN3', 'PISS', Satans underpants and 'Triple Slash'. There were many more who all took part in the UK Air Guitar Championships and a few of them won.

UKAG work's regularly with various charities including RAFA, The 1800 Club and Action Medical Research

Website: http://www.ukairguitar.com

Innovations

There are multiple technological innovations that try to allow air guitar to be played as real instrument, producing sounds that depend on air guitarist's actions.

In 2005, students from the Helsinki University of Technology developed a system that translates hand movements into electric guitar sounds, resulting in a functional air guitar. 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 Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n government's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is the national government body for scientific research in Australia...

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.

In 2007, toy company Silverlit introduced V-Beat Air Guitar, an air guitar gadget. The three part device consists of a motion sensing guitar pick, a neck part with four buttons and a guitar body. By changing the distance between body and neck and pressing a combination of the four buttons on the neck part, up to 48 tones and chords can be played. The V-Beat Air Guitar was won 'Best Music Gadget' on the television program The Gadget Show. The V-Beat Air Guitar was created by Dutch startup 1upToys.

In 2007, a Japanese company Takara Tomy

Takara Tomy

is a Japanese toy, children's merchandise and entertainment company created from the March 2006 merger of two companies: Tomy and long-time rival, Takara...

introduced Air Guitar Pro (Guitar Rockstar

Guitar Rockstar

Guitar Rockstar is the European brand name for a virtual air guitar, manufactured by Tomy. It originated and continues to be sold by Tomy in Japan under the brand name "Air Guitar." Gameplay consists of holding buttons representing notes and strumming where the strings would be, in a similar...

), a functional guitar simulator. Fitting in one hand, the device uses heat and motion sensors to detect the other hand motions and produce the guitar sounds. This guitar simulator was made popular in the UK motoring show Top Gear by presenter Jeremy Clarkson. He was seen playing the Tomy Guitar Rockstar in one of Top Gear's famous challenges.

In March 2008, Jada Toys

Jada Toys

Jada Toys, Incorporated of Industry, California, USA is a manufacturer of collectible diecast model cars and radio controlled vehicles. It was founded in 1999 by husband and wife Jack and May Li...

of California introduced the Air Guitar Rocker toy which featured patented technology in a belt buckle. When the user strums a magnetic pick in front of the belt buckle, guitar music plays through a portable amp attached to the users pant or belt. The Air Guitar Rocker is marketed with the popular Guitar Hero

Guitar Hero

Guitar Hero is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is the first entry in the Guitar Hero series. Guitar Hero was released on November 8, 2005 in North America, April 7, 2006 in Europe and June 15, 2006 in...

license and was created by toy inventor David Führer and his team.

In June 2011, San Francisco, CA startup Yobble announced the Air Guitar Move, an appcessory for iPhone and iPod Touch. Users holds the iPhone in one hand and a motion sensing guitar pick in the other. Based on the motions of both hands, the Air Guitar Move software is able to recognize air guitar movements. The bundled game is a mix of Guitar Hero

Guitar Hero

and Dance Central

Dance Central

Dance Central is a music video game for the Xbox 360 that utilizes the Kinect motion peripheral. The game was developed by Harmonix, creators of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises, and is a launch title for Kinect...

. Red Bull donated $20,000 to the project and is organizing events around Air Guitar Move.

Contests

World

List of World Championships

Austria

United States

List of United States Championships

United Kingdom

AGUK

UKAG

Innovations

See also

Official Air Guitar World Championships Network Countries

Other Air Guitar Contests

Articles

Other