Guitar Hero

Les Paul, the legendary guitarist and recording technology innovator, died yesterday at 94, and in his long life he created new ways for music to be heard. His Gibson solid-body guitar with electric pickups allowed for a more shimmering, fluid sound, and its controls allowed players to manipulate the sound and make the notes cry or sing by manipulating the treble for more brightness and clarity or deepening the rhythm for a fuller sound. Also, he pioneered multi-track recording, allowing bands to concentrate on each instrument of the arrangement individually and re-record elements of the song, rather than perform a song live in the studio over and over until they got it right. The range of possibilities he created helped spur the rise of the guitar hero in sixties and seventies rock, and many a rocker - Jimmy Page, Joe Walsh, Joe Satriani, Keith Richards - has sung Paul's praises. Or, more appropriately, played them.

Paul was still playing at the Iridium Jazz Club every Monday night in New York as recently as June - he never planned to retire - but pneumonia sidelined him this summer, and he died from complications of the disease. Mondays will still be devoted to guitarists there as a memorial to him. It will be a fitting tribute.

While many veteran rockers and rock fans are eulogizing Paul as one of music's greats, I doubt his death will have much of an impact on the younger generation of hip-hop and dance pop performers.

To them, Paul was probably just another white guy with a guitar.