Virtual Rock Star

The mapping is performed by the musical intelligence module, a piece of software that determines many parameters like the position on the string where a note is plucked or how sharply a note is plucked. Some of the more important factors are the guitar playing style, if the performer is plucking, fretting or bending the virtual strings, and the musical style, for example hard rock or folk. Since playing a note or chord involves so many different parameters, the set of rules used by the software to convert gestures into parameters is very complex. "Imagine that you are holding a guitar, then swing your right hand over the strings as if you were strumming to make a note. The distance between your hands controls the pitch. You can make slides by moving your left hand along the neck, and vibrato by waving your left hand," says Kanerva. "No two playing sessions are the same, and we've noticed that individuals come to have very distinct-sounding styles."

The sound of the virtual air guitar is produced based on sound models of each of the six strings on a guitar, calibrated to replicate the sound of a Fender Stratocaster guitar. Starting with the sound of a plucked string without any vibration, different filters are applied to the sound wave based on the parameters determined by the musical intelligence module. The sound is then passed through a physical model of a tube amplifier, the amplifier of choice for most guitarists because of its pleasing harmonic distortions, and then through the model of a guitar speaker cabinet. The final added effects are equalization, reverb and delay… and then the air guitarist hears his masterpiece.

Kanerva says that the idea behind the virtual air guitar is not to play actual songs, but to give an explosive, visual show and actually control the sound as well. At present, it can be experienced in an exhibit at the Heureka Science Centre in Finland, but soon it could be integrated into your living room. Kanerva has recently founded the Virtual Air Guitar Company and has begun developing a console game based on the original idea. He predicts its release for Christmas 2007, when it will also be available in the United States. "Our vision is that the virtual air guitar will become known as the new karaoke. Combine this with future instruments from us and singing, and you could start a virtual band with your friends, heading for instant stardom."

For more info:

Virtual Air Guitar
http://airguitar.tml.hut.fi/index.html

Professor Tapio Takala
http://www.cs.hut.fi/~tta/