GERMANY: Contestants go head to head for the honour of taking part in the annual air guitar world championship in Finland

Anyone can play air guitar. But only few play it well enough to take part in the annual air guitar world championship in Oulu, Finland. Rene Schmidt from Brandenburg in Germany is the lucky winner of the German Air Guitar Championship that took place in Berlin on Saturday (July 28), proving that playing an imaginary instrument is not just for airheads. The win bought Schmidt a ticket to Oulu and fame among the German air guitar community. Songs by Led Zeppelin, Eric Burdon and Prince were among the challenges 14 contestants from all over Germany had to overcome-- by improvising a guitar accompaniment without an actual guitar. Whereas other contestants such as "Spidermonk" or the incumbent German and European champion Heart Buckboard failed to impress the jury, Schmidt captured jurors and audience alike with a medley of songs, incorporating a flying change of costume and style in music. "Of course I will go to Finland and try not to be last like I did not want to be last today" Schmidt told journalists after his win. "Perhaps I will be lucky again." Schmidt's key to success: "Always give 110 per cent, just speeding along, just playing air guitar." Playing the air guitar is becoming more popular every year. The 2007 international championship in Finland will be the twelfth annual competition. Contestants from all over the world will battle for the title. But as organisers explained, playing the air guitar is not about winning a contest. They direct attention to the website of the newly founded German Air Guitar Federation, where it says, "The aim of the Air Guitar World Championship is world peace, which can be reached if all people from all over the world play air guitar."

ITN Source | August 2, 2007

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