OULU, Finland (AP) — They are the most passionate musicians anyone has ever heard.
Artists of this year Air Guitar World Championships In Finland took part in the Air Guitar Olympics for the 27th time on Friday and featured dedicated competitors such as “Shred Lasso” and “Guitarantula”.
This year’s challenge began on Wednesday with Airientation in Oulu, a city about 330 miles north of Helsinki, and was headlined by a course open to both veterans and new guitarists. The Dark Horses qualifiers followed on Thursday, and the winner will be crowned in the World Championship final on Friday.
Japan’s Nanami “Seven Seas” Nagura won the title last year – her third, making her the most successful air guitarist in a competition that has been running since 1996. She is looking to score her fourth consecutive victory against nine outsiders as well as the national champions from the USA, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Finland and France.
Contestants are judged on the performance of two songs in two separate rounds of 60 seconds each. Passion is a must, but a real pick or even fingerpicking style is optional. Props and costumes are allowed – but backing bands and real instruments are prohibited.
When awarding points on a scale of 4.0 to 6.0, the jury must take into account a participant’s “originality, ability to be carried away by the music, stage presence, technical performance, artistic impression and ease,” according to the competition’s online rules. The participant with the highest total score wins.
In addition to international camaraderie, the tournament also promotes inclusivity.
“Playing air guitar is neither an instrumental sport nor an art, nor does it require special facilities or skills, so it is accessible to everyone,” the championship website states. “You can play air guitar regardless of gender, age, ethnic origin, sexual orientation and social status. Playing air guitar is equal.”
And don’t worry – no matter who wins, no one will be crying quietly playing their air guitar. The organizers of the competition want to promote world peace with their slogan “MAKE AIR, NOT WAR”.
“According to the ideology of the competition, if everyone in the world played air guitar, wars would end, climate change would be stopped and all the bad things would disappear,” it says on its website. “Therefore, the whole universe is invited to play air guitar for world peace at the end of the competition.”
So grab your air guitar and play.
