A Salute to Les Paul
Last week, Les Paul, the inventor of the modern electric guitar passed away (died) at the age of 94. Inventors are people who create or make things that didn’t exist before, and Les Paul is credited with (recognized as) inventing some of the devices (electronic things) and techniques (ways of doing something or performing) that gave rock music its sound.
In 1939, he invented the first solid-body electric guitar (see photo). His prototype (the first model) was called “The Log.” It was called “The Log” (a short piece of round wood) because it was actually a piece of wood with a neck and strings attached to it! He later partnered with Gibson, the large American guitar-maker, to mass produce (make a lot of for sale) the electric guitar. The Gibson Les Paul guitar has been and continues to be played by some of the best and most well-known guitarists, including Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Slash.
Les Paul was also the inventor of overdubbing and multitrack recording, two things that make the ESL Podcast recordings sound the way they do. Overdubbing is putting sound over sound, such as adding music or sound effects (noises that make a recording sound more realistic or interesting) to something that has already been recorded. We also use multitrack recording, which is when voices, music, noises, and other sounds are recorded on different tracks (single recordings) and are later put together to create the final recording.
So we salute (recognize) Les Paul for his many innovations (creation of new ways of doing things). ESL Podcast wouldn’t be ESL Podcast without his contributions.
~ Lucy
August 18th, 2009 at 7:56 am
There’s a very good tribute (when your talk about the things someone has done) to Les Paul here – http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/remember/july-dec09/lespaul_08-13.html (PBS News hour). There’s video + text, and you can download the audio, if you want.
August 18th, 2009 at 8:20 am
Hats Off to him
God bless his soul.
He passed away at 94 but his name lives on way after
August 18th, 2009 at 10:10 am
I join to this salute and also he has all my gratitude for his inventions. I am a music and film lover and it´s sure this man did a big step about the
way we listen now to modern music and all kind of sound records.
Thank you Lucy I know nothing about him and I think your post is a tribute to his memory that let we know about Mr. Paul and his great
innovations with sound recording.
Thanks Les Paul, we all enjoy so many things for your wonderful work.
August 19th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Here in this site of n.y.t., there is the last play and words of this man, Les Paul, we may see the video and him.
Thanks.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/08/13/obituaries/1247463983106/last-word-les-paul.html?ex=1266292800&en=aaa5991a3af539be&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=NYT-E-I-NYT-E-AT-0819-L19
August 20th, 2009 at 2:36 am
Of course, He was a person that deserves to be honoured. Such inventions and upgradings got many people to be happy and enjoy listening music.
I think that, in a way or another, all of us have to admire men like this one.
Best regards from Spain,
Julio (Jack).-
August 22nd, 2009 at 5:20 pm
I play the guitar, so I have known his awesome innovation for long time.
And I actually have Gibson Les Paul. It’s really amazing guitar, I think.
I really wanna salute him as awesome innovator.
Johnney – from Japan.
August 24th, 2009 at 5:59 am
Lucy’s writing is quite good!
August 26th, 2009 at 1:55 am
I watched a documentary program on TV yesterday whose topic is about people
who don’t sleep during the night but work in the office.
An interviewee says that he can do more something creative while he’s working during the night
comparing to working for the daytime.