Someone's managed to take the plastic guitar out of Guitar Hero.

OK, not really, but a group of Finnish scientists did invent a Virtual Air Guitar program that allows orange-glove-wearing people to churn out monster chords and wicked-cool solos by standing in front of a camera and acting like an idiot.

You simply put on a pair of orange gloves, stand in front of a camera which is attached to a computer and the software reads your hand movements to create music, of a sort.

Here's the BBC's take on the programs two basic functions: chords and solos.

The chords on offer are perhaps a little basic but even the most musically inept can, within a minute or two, produce the opening riff to Deep Purple's classic Smoke on the Water.

One member of the team behind the project, Aki Kanerva at the Helsinki University of Technology, said the tune was ideal as it was both "easy to play and has the right spirit of rock".

But it is the "solo" function that truly unlocks the guitar's potential.

Rock legend Jimi Hendrix was renowned for his guitar solos
Simply by frantically waggling your hands in a vague imitation of playing a guitar you can do a passable impression of a guitar soloist.

Sign me up.

How to be a rock star, virtually [BBC]

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