Google Guitar Doodle Game is an interactive tribute to Les Paul, the legendary musician and inventor who helped shape modern music. The Google logo transforms into a playable electric guitar that you can strum with your mouse or play note by note using your keyboard. There’s even a built-in recorder that lets you capture 30-second tracks and share them. It’s not just a visual tribute — it’s a tiny instrument right in your browser.
Google launched this doodle on June 9, 2011, to celebrate what would have been Les Paul’s 96th birthday. Les Paul wasn’t just a virtuoso jazz guitarist — he invented the solid-body electric guitar and pioneered multitrack recording techniques that became standard in the music industry. His Gibson Les Paul guitar became one of the most iconic instruments in rock history, played by legends like Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Pete Townshend. The doodle honours both his musical talent and his spirit of innovation.
The response was massive. In just 48 hours, users recorded over 40 million songs — that’s 5.1 years worth of music. Those recordings were played back 870,000 times. People shared their creations across social media, and YouTube filled up with videos of users showing off their skills. It became one of the most popular and beloved Google Doodles ever made.
What makes this doodle special is how genuinely playable it is. The ten strings respond smoothly whether you’re strumming with your mouse or pressing keys. Each keyboard key maps to a different note, so you can pick out actual melodies. The guitar is tuned to C-Major, which makes it easy to play something that sounds decent even if you’ve never touched a real guitar. The recording feature added another layer — suddenly everyone could be a one-person band, just like Les Paul himself with his multitrack recordings.
Google built the doodle using JavaScript, HTML5 Canvas for the animated strings, CSS, and Flash for the sound. It was cutting-edge web technology for 2011 and showed what interactive experiences were possible in a browser.
How To Play Google Guitar Doodle Game
The guitar appears on screen ready to play. Move your mouse over the strings to strum them. Dragging across multiple strings creates a chord-like sound, while hovering over individual strings plays single notes.
For more precise control, use your keyboard. Each key maps to a specific note on the guitar. The letter and number keys across your keyboard correspond to different pitches, letting you pick out melodies one note at a time. Experiment with different keys to find the notes you want.
To record your performance, click the record button located below the strings. A red light flashes when you’re running low on time. You have up to 30 seconds to lay down your track. When you’re done, click the button again to stop recording.
After recording, you can play back your track to hear how it sounds. The doodle also generates a shareable link so you can send your creation to friends. They can listen to your recording and even play along with it.
The doodle works on both desktop and mobile devices. Make sure your sound is turned on — hearing the notes is half the fun.