Today’s Google Doodle is a whole lot of win. Not only does it honor a legend, but it is probably the most fun Doodle to interact with that Google has ever displayed.
Today, the Google homepage features a guitar in honor of Les Paul’s birthday. Les Paul, of course, is the great American musician and inventor whose contributions to the electric guitar pretty much shaped the way we hear music today. You can find his name on one of the most popular and we-known guitars in the world, the Gibson Les Paul. Les Paul died in 2009 at the age of 94.
Not only is the Google Doodle fun to look at, but it is also a fully playable guitar. You can pluck single strings or strum chords to your heart’s delight, or to your office mate’s chagrin. You can either use the mouse to play, which is tough to do if you are actually attempting to play a real song, or you can use your keyboard.
When using the keyboard, make sure you click out of the search bar and into the doodle itself or you’ll just end up searching for ddgkd kdkf oui oui.
When you think you’ve perfected a track, you can record your performance with the record button, that serves as the bottom of the “g.” Clips up to 30 seconds will be given a link by Google so that you can share them with your friends.
Some people have already been experimenting with the Doodle, and have put some videos up on YouTube. I give the Rugrats and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time clips A’s for nostalgia.
YouTubers have also already figured out some other good ones –
Want to play the intro to Metallica’s “One?” (No word yet on the ending)
DJDG AJAG DJDG AJAGK DJDG SJSG AJAG
How about “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic?
K KK K JK K
K JK K L P L
K KK K JK K JK KL G
Or Bill Withers’ “Lean On Me?”
Z ZXCV VCXZ ZXCC X Z ZXCV VCXZ ZXCX Z
Ok, I guess I’ll stop. Or else I’ll never get anything done today.