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Guitar pioneer Les Paul

Google honour a musical pioneer with original and harmonious doodle

Olwen Mears

eitb.com

06/09/2011

Google has come a long way since it produced its first doodle back in 1998. Thirteen years later, users can "doodle" and create their own melody.

To mark what would have been jazz musician and guitar pioneer Les Paul''s 96th birthday - the site is averse to celebrating round numbers - Google''s latest doodle not only moves, but also makes music when "played" by the user.

Moving the mouse over the Google icon - which is in the form of an electric guitar - one can literally play a tune. By clicking on the keyboard icon, the latest doodle even allows you to play the guitar using the computer keyboard, offering a range of more than an octave.

Lester William Polfuss - better known as Les Paul - was born in 1914. He was an American jazz and country guitarist, also dedicated to the creation and development of the musical instrument. He was the pioneer of the solid body electric guitar, as well as such musical developments as the delay effect.

Paul gave his name to the Gibson Les Paul electric guitar. He died in 2009 aged 94.

Given the original and groundbreaking designs and inventions that Les Paul contributed to the music business during his lifetime, it seems only apt that such a revolutionary and musical doodle be issued in his honour.