Today's Google logo -- a tribute to Les Paul

Cafe Society
1

The logo at Google.com today is an interactive electric guitar, and a tribute to Les Paul, who would have been 96 years old today (the 9th of June). Very cool. :smiley:

2

Interesting. I noticed that, while I can’t play anything good (knowing nothing about guitars), it’s also impossible for me to play anything discordant and terrible. Are the notes “normalized” or something so they’ll always sound pretty good in combination with each other?

3

Knowing nothing about guitars is no handicap, since aside from rough appearance, it’s nothing like one. Really what it is is a keyboard instrument, with the keys arranged in a funny way.

I think the notes are just a major chord, possibly with seventh added, and some octaves, which would be the reason they always sound at least close to harmonic. Of course, that also severely limits the set of songs you can play.

4

When one clicks on the keyboard icon at the bottom of the interactive guitar, it lights up red. Does the keyboard icon do anything else?

5

It does a few things:

  1. It allows you to use your keyboard to play the guitar.
  2. It records what you’re doing.
  3. It spits out a goog.le link so you can share your masterpiece with others when you’re done.
6

Play the Blues : 2 5 4 2, 22, 22.

Or duel with a Banjo : 111 2 3 4 5 4 3.

7

How?

8

Ah, if only they’d made some way to bend strings…

9

…or to multi-track your playing.

10

Click the button to start recording. Play some notes. Click the button again to stop recording. Profit.

11

I don’t think that works on my computer. Maybe because I’m in Denmark, not US. :frowning:

12

It seems to be US only :frowning: No-one else will ever hear my masterful rendition of Marquee Moon

13

Sounds great. Write down the letters for us?

14

I wasn’t being entirely serious, I barely managed Twinkle Twinkle Little Star :wink:

15

Thanks Munch!

16

Dvorak Largo, well sort of, if you squint:
6 88 6 54 5 68 65
6 88 6 54 5 65 24
2 44 312 2 43 12
2 44 312 2 43 12
6 88 6 54 5 65 24

17

Awesome. I went with the dueling banjos thing, since I sometimes play this on keys to be as unhip as possible :), what with the “Dixie” part and all. Not the best thing to play to remember Les Paul, maybe, but it’s a hell of a neat tribute Google did.

18

Oh, hehe. :slight_smile:

19

Here is a guy trying to play it while singing Hey Jude.

20

You can keep playing! Google’s tribute to Les Paul’s 96th Birthday