Air Guitar — Play Guitar with Your Hands Using Your Webcam

Turn your webcam into a guitar. Your left hand selects the chord by holding up fingers, and your right hand strums by moving up or down in front of the camera. No instrument, no install — completely free and private. All processing happens in your browser.

Click here to Start

Camera Left hand Right hand
🔊

✋ Left — Chord

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Hold up left hand

🤚 Right — Strum

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Move right hand up/down

E
A
D
G
B
e

Available Chords

Having trouble playing via hand gestures? Try the Virtual Guitar — click chords and strum with your mouse or touch instead, or open Guitar Chord Diagrams for chord charts and fretboard fingering reference.

How to Use the Air Guitar

  1. Click Enable Sound first — browsers require a tap to unlock audio. You'll hear a test note and the button turns green.
  2. Click the camera area to start — allow camera access when prompted. Stand ~60cm from your camera in a well-lit room.
  3. Hold up your left hand to select a chord — the number of fingers extended maps to a chord (fist = E, 1 finger = Am, 2 = C, 3 = G, 4 = D, 5 fingers = Em).
  4. Swipe your right hand down or up to strum the full chord. Faster movement = louder sound.
  5. String Overlay mode — click Show Strings to reveal 6 glowing horizontal guitar strings (E A D G B e) overlaid on your camera. Move either hand up or down across the strings to pluck individual notes — each string plays its note for the currently selected chord.
  6. Watch the visualiser below the camera — each string vibrates in the matching colour when it is played, whether you strum or pluck via the overlay.

Chord Reference

Left Hand Finger Count:

  • ✊ Fist (0 fingers) = E major
  • ☝️ 1 finger = A minor
  • ✌️ 2 fingers = C major
  • 3 fingers = G major
  • 4 fingers = D major
  • 🖐️ 5 fingers = E minor

Tips for best results:

  • Use a bright, evenly lit room
  • Keep both hands in frame at the same time
  • Make strum movements deliberate — wrist speed matters
  • Adjust volume with the slider above the camera

How It Works

The guitar is one of the world's most popular instruments, beloved for its portability and versatility across genres from classical to rock. A standard guitar has six strings tuned to E-A-D-G-B-e, producing a wide range of notes when plucked or strummed. Chords are formed by pressing specific combinations of strings at different positions on the fretboard — each chord has its own unique finger pattern and emotional character. The six chords available here represent the most essential shapes: E major and E minor for that classic open-string resonance, G major for uplifting progressions, C major for folk and pop, D major for bright transitions, and A minor for adding melancholic depth. When you strum, you brush across all six strings together, creating a full harmonic sound. The faster your strumming motion, the more energy transfers to the strings, producing louder dynamics. All guitar sounds you hear are generated instantly through synthesis, creating authentic plucked-string tones without any pre-recorded audio files.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this send my camera feed to a server?

No. All hand tracking and sound synthesis runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript and WebAssembly. Your camera feed never leaves your device. No data is stored or transmitted.

Why is there no sound when I strum?

Browsers block audio until the user interacts with the page. Click the Enable Sound button first — it turns green and plays a test note to confirm audio is working. Then strum.

My hand isn't being detected — what should I do?

Make sure you're in a well-lit room with your hand fully visible in frame. Avoid sitting with a bright window behind you. Keep your hand roughly 40–80cm from the camera.

Can I use this on mobile?

Yes — the tool works on modern mobile browsers with a front-facing camera. Use Chrome or Safari on a recent device. Hand tracking is CPU-intensive on mobile, so results may vary.

What chords are available?

Six chords: E major (fist), A minor (1 finger), C major (2 fingers), G major (3 fingers), D major (4 fingers), and E minor (5 fingers / open hand).

Why does sound stop after I click Stop and Start again?

After stopping, the audio context is suspended to save battery. Click Enable Sound again after restarting, or use the Start Camera button which also attempts to resume audio automatically.

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