Press release: 1/4/06
In a brief communication in nature, researchers from UNSW announced today a new discovery in the acoustics of the air guitar. "The body of a traditional guitar acts to match the high specific mechanical impedance of the strings to the low acoustic impedance of the radiation field" said Prof Wolfe. "In an air guitar, the strings and body both have the same specific impedance as the radiation field, so the transmission should be maximised. So we wondered why the air guitar was so quiet."
Visiting student, Avril Poisson, has solved the conundrum: "The perfect impedance match between strings and bridge it is good for transmission, but the absence of the reflection at the bridge means that the standing waves are not produced and so the sound is not radiated."
It is speculated that the absence of standing waves may be related to the observation that, on the air guitar, even a beginner can play extremely rapid passages with ease.
(posted on the first of April)
