About This Project

This site grew out of nearly a decade of guest lectures for MIT's Heavy Metal 101 course, exploring the science behind electric guitars through interactive simulations and visualizations.

About Dr. Will Lunden

Will Lunden is a technical professional and lifelong musician based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He earned his PhD in atomic physics from MIT in 2020, where he studied ultracold atomic gases of lithium and dysprosium. He has worked on a variety of projects in atomic timekeeping, software development, and financial technology. He currently works as the CTO of a fintech startup.

On the music side, Will plays guitar in the technical/progressive death metal band The Beast of Nod, whose latest album featured guest appearances by Joe Satriani and Michael Angelo Batio. He's been playing guitar for over 25 years and has a particular love for 8-string guitars.

Will has been a guest lecturer for MIT's Heavy Metal 101 course since 2017, originally presenting in person while finishing his PhD, and continuing to join remotely from the west coast in the years since. This website grew out of the materials he developed for those lectures, with the goal of making the content accessible to a wider audience.

You can find more about Will at wlunden.com.

What You'll Find Here

Interactive simulations and visualizations covering:

• Wave mechanics - The physics of vibrating strings, standing waves, and harmonics
• Electromagnetic transduction - How pickups convert mechanical vibration into electrical signals
• Fret placement - Equal temperament, multiscale designs, and intonation compensation
• Signal processing - Amplifier distortion, intermodulation, and tone shaping

Contributing

This is an open educational resource. If you'd like to contribute simulations, corrections, or improvements, check out the project on GitHub.