Guitarist Eddie Lang introduced the popular string instrument to a wider audience and forever changed the way that people listened to music. His versatility and musical talent made it possible for the humble guitar to rise to an elevated status in the jazz, blues, and classical genres. His career included collaborations with with such renowned artists as Louis Armstrong, Hoagy Carmichael, Bix Biederbecke, Benny Goodman, King Oliver, Bessie Smith, and Paul Whiteman.
He also played under the name “Blind Willie Dunn” on a number of blues records with Alonzo “Lonnie” Johnson, an African-American blues and jazz singer, guitarist, violinist, and songwriter. Eddie Lang showed no tolerance for racism and appeared on more recording sessions with black musicians than any other white musician of his time.
The jazz guitar virtuoso became friends with legendary singer Bing Crosby and often served as his accompanist. Eddie Lang’s most famous association was with childhood friend and violinist Joe Venuti, with whom he recorded many titles.
Eddie Lang’s career was cut short in 1933 when complications arose after what was supposed to be a routine tonsillectomy. He was only 30 when he died.
Eddie Lang
Jazz Guitar Virtuoso
Listen with Unlimited Streaming
In 1986 Eddie Lang was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
Colorful Musical Hearts
Our bass clef and treble clef heart designs are available on several products, including shirts, tote bags, coffee mugs, magnets, aprons, playing cards, buttons, and PopSockets. Give a fun and practical gift to your favorite musician, music teacher, or music student.
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The Strumstick string instrument was designed in 1981 by Bob McNally, an accomplished musician, recording artist, and plastics engineer. His goal was to make it easy for anyone, particularly non-musicians, to learn to play music.
Bob began designing musical instruments in the 1970s. One of his previous designs, The Backpackers Guitar®, was licensed to world-famous guitar maker C. F. Martin and Co., Inc. in 1994.
Learning is Easy and Fun
Designed to be simple with only three strings, the Strumstick plays in just one key (or scale). Most string instruments are designed to be played by experts, with the notes needed for all 12 keys. Unlike more complicated instruments, there are no wrong notes. This makes learning easy and fun.
The frets are spaced to give you the notes of a major scale, plus one extra note that is handy to have. The other two strings make a background (a drone) which harmonizes with whatever you play on the fretted string. Chords are created automatically.
More Strumstick Facts
Fun Fact
Bob McNally also created the Space Guitar, a version of his backpacker guitar designed for a Space Shuttle mission in 1994. It was the first American guitar in space, and the first musical instrument ever designed to go to space.
Are you learning to play the acoustic guitar? Learn the basics and grow your confidence with the Strumstick. Think of it as training wheels for guitar! If you already play another string instrument, the Strumstick can be used as a creative tool for composition. You can also play it for simple relaxation. Rediscover the simple joy of playing that brought you to music in the first place.
Awesome Beginning Instrument
Here’s one of our favorite Strumstick facts. Kids love the Strumstick! Are you looking for a beginning string instrument for a child? The best-selling D-33 model is a perfect choice. It’s lightweight, rugged, and easy to play. With a little supervision, kids as young as 3 are able to make music with it right from the start.
The Strumstick opens a door to the study of music. It’s fun to play, and much easier to learn than the guitar or ukulele. Each instrument comes with written and audio instructions, with plenty of online follow up and support. Give this easy string instrument a chance, and you’ll be making music in no time.
The Perfect Beginning Instrument
McNally D-33 Grand Strumstick
Listen to the Strumstick
Introduction by Bob McNally
Strumstick creator Bob McNally introduces his best-selling D-33 model, which is longer and wider with a deeper tone. The G-29 is shorter and a little narrower with a brighter tone. Most people choose the D-33 as their first Strumstick. The G-29 can be used to add another “voice” and a different pitch range.
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McNally G-29 Standard Strumstick
Product details:
Handmade from padouk, spruce, and maple
Plays in the key of G
3 strings and a diatonic scale
Sounds similar to a banjo or dulcimer
Designed for ease of learning and playing
Created to be played with as little as one finger!
Tuning the Strumstick
The Standard (G) Strumstick is tuned G D G (key of G) but can also be retuned up or down a whole tone to play in keys of F or A. The Grand (D) Strumstick is tuned D A D (key of D) but can also be retuned up or down a whole tone to play in keys of C or E.
Learn to Play the Strumstick
The Strumstick Chord Bible, with its 1,156 chords, provides the musician with 17 different types of chord in all twelve keys (where applicable), making it the definitive publication for mastering the Strumstick.
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Are you looking for unique gift ideas for your favorite guitarist? Maybe you’re a guitar player and you’d like to treat yourself to something special? We’re assembling an ever-growing collection of the best guitar gifts for guitarists and music lovers alike. Many of our gift selections are customizable with the recipient’s name for a truly personal touch.
We’ve got awesome guitar gifts for every budget. Find the ideal gift for your favorite guitar player. Check out the cool T-shirts, trucker hats, cotton canvas tote bags, coffee mugs, refrigerator magnets, posters, colorful buttons, jewelry, business cards, cooking aprons, guitar accessories, and more unique guitar gifts.
Ace Frehley (Kiss) I went to my friend’s house one day, and he had an electric guitar he had just bought with a tiny little amp. I turned the volume up to 10 and I hit one chord, and I said, I’m in love.
Unique Guitar Gifts and Accessories for your Favorite Guitarist
Guitar-Themed Decor
Here are some really fun ideas for guitarists. All of these guitar gifts are perfect for decorating bedrooms and music studios.
We’ve designed 2,000+ products for string instrument musicians and fans, including unique gifts for your favorite guitar player or enthusiast. Beware of inferior copycats! Our original designs are available here and in our Guitar Shirts and Gifts collection.
Guitar Elegant Scrolled Heart
This bold design features an ornate, scrolled heart with the word “Music” elegantly nestled at its center, symbolizing the passion and soul of guitar melodies. Flanking the base of the heart are two more scrolls, creating an eye-catching composition. Below, the word “Guitar” stands out in bold, confident lettering, making a proud statement. With its robust graphic style, this design is perfect for anyone who wants to wear their love for the guitar with pride and flair. Visit the Guitar Shirts and Gifts collection:
Shirts are always a welcome gift, especially when they depict a favorite string instrument. These shirts are available in dozens of styles and colors for all ages and body types. Click on any design to see the available options.
Here are some designs for animal lovers who are easily distracted by the sound of guitar players. Choose from playful cats and dogs in a variety of styles, colors, and sizes for the whole family.
Who are the coolest people on earth? Guitar players, of course! Spread the word about this cool string instrument. Makes a great gift for any music student, music teacher, or guitarist.
This guitar design features a symmetrical heart formed by two mirrored bass clefs that face each other, their elegant scrolls meeting perfectly at the center to create a unified heart shape.
Guitar trucker hats are available in eleven color choices. Hats feature a 100% polyester foam front and a 100% nylon mesh back to keep you cool. Trucker hats are adjustable from 17 to 24 inches.
Guitarist tote bags are a stylish yet practical gift. They’re perfect for organizing and transporting sheet music and small guitar accessories. Most bags are available in a wide selection of sizes, colors, and styles.
Mugs are one of our favorite affordable guitar gifts. Everyone can use a few mugs. Click on any mug to see how the design looks from different angles. Experiment with sizes, styles, and colors to create a personal gift for your favorite guitarist.
Chef aprons are another of our top picks for practical guitar gifts. Choose from several style and color options. Classic cotton-poly twill blend aprons are machine washable and proudly made in the U.S.A. Spacious front pockets hold plenty of utensils and cooking tools.
Here’s one of our favorite inexpensive gift ideas for guitarists. Who doesn’t need a couple of refrigerator magnets? Standard size square magnets measure 2 by 2 inches, and round magnets are typically available in three sizes. Designs are printed on 100% recycled paper. A scratch and UV-resistant Mylar coat keeps each magnet looking new for years to come.
Buttons are another of our favorite cool guitar gifts. Standard sized square buttons measure 2 inches by 2 inches. Round buttons are available in several sizes. Designs are printed on 100% recycled paper, then covered with scratch and UV-resistant Mylar for years of enjoyment. Some styles allow you to choose a new background color for complete customization.
One of the most popular guitar gifts is a set of playing cards. Each comes packaged in a cardboard box for easy gifting. Poker size cards measure 2.5 by 3.5 inches, with 52 playing cards and 2 jokers per deck. Click on any design to see the available options. Standard cards are printed on smooth card stock, and premium quality Bicycle playing cards are printed on durable semi-gloss card stock.
Bossa Nova Begins in Rio
In the late 1950s, Oscar Castro-Neves was part of the emerging bossa nova movement alongside Antônio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto. At 16, his composition “Chora Tua Tristeza” became a national hit in Brazil, recorded by over 50 artists. In 1962, at age 22, he performed at the historic bossa nova concert at Carnegie Hall, a pivotal moment which introduced the genre to the United States.
Bossa Nova Pioneer Oscar Castro-Neves
Brazilian guitarist, arranger, and composer Oscar Castro-Neves plays the Antonio Carlos Jobim classic “Waters of March” (Águas de Março) on the Ramsey Lewis Legends of Jazz series on PBS. From 1971 to 1981, he was the featured guitarist, musical director, and vocal coach for Sérgio Mendes’ Brasil ’66, recording over 15 albums. He also toured globally with Mendes, including a 32-concert tour with Frank Sinatra. His sophisticated harmonies, gentle guitar style, and infectious enthusiasm cemented his legacy as a bossa nova innovator and versatile musician.
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Learn more about this popular string instrument and find out where you can buy a guitar online.
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The lap steel guitar evolved in the late 19th century in Hawaii, credited to Joseph Kekuku, who, as a teenager around 1889, experimented with sliding a piece of metal along the strings of a guitar laid flat on his lap, creating the signature glissando sound. This technique was inspired by Hawaiian music’s emphasis on smooth, vocal-like melodies.
While rooted in Hawaiian music, the lap steel became integral to American genres like country, blues, and western swing. In country music, it’s iconic for its weeping, soulful bends, while in blues, it adds a raw, expressive edge. It’s also used in modern genres like indie and ambient music.
The instrument is typically played horizontally on the player’s lap or on a stand, unlike a standard guitar held upright. This position allows both hands to work freely—one wielding the slide, the other plucking or damping strings.
Hawaiian Lap Steel Skateboard Guitar
More Lap Steel Guitar Facts
A person who performs on this string instrument is called a lap steel guitarist. Legends like Sol Hoʻopiʻi (Hawaiian music), Jerry Byrd (country), and David Gilmour (rock, Pink Floyd) have showcased the lap steel’s versatility. Modern artists like Ben Harper and Robert Randolph continue to push its boundaries. Other notable lap steel guitarists include Jeff Beck, Chuck Berry, John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival), Jerry Garcia (The Grateful Dead), George Harrison (The Beatles), James Kerr, John Lennon (The Beatles), Barbara Mandrell, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), and Ron Wood (The Rolling Stones).
Cultural Impact
The lap steel helped spread Hawaiian music globally in the early 20th century, influencing American pop culture through radio, films, and records. Its sound became synonymous with tropical escapism in the 1920s and 1930s.
Andrew Defrancisci walks you through the basics of sliding and picking. Learn a few general playing techniques for the lap steel guitar.
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Gretsch G5700 Electromatic Lap Steel Guitar
Product details:
Solid mahogany body for vibrant, wide ranging tone
Chrome hardware to match the striking Tobacco Sunburst finish
Gretsch single-coil pickup puts out lucidly smooth sounds
You’ll love the bang for your buck that you get with the G5700
Perfect for Blues, Rock, Hawaiian, Country, and Bluegrass
Electrification Pioneer
The lap steel was one of the first instruments to be electrified. In the 1930s, Rickenbacker and Gibson produced electric lap steels, including the Rickenbacker A-22 “Frying Pan,” considered one of the earliest commercially successful electric guitars.
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The guitar’s history spans over 4,000 years, evolving from stringed instruments like the tanbur and setar in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. A direct ancestor is the Middle Eastern oud, a fretless, pear-shaped instrument introduced to Europe during the 8th century.
By the 13th century, instruments like the guitarra latina and guitarra morisca appeared in Spain. The Renaissance saw the development of the vihuela and the four-course guitar, with four pairs of strings, popular in Europe for accompaniment and solo performance.
The Baroque period introduced the five-course guitar, with ornate designs and gut strings. It was widely used in courts and by composers like Gaspar Sanz. During this era, tuning evolved toward the modern standard.
Spanish luthier Antonio de Torres revolutionized the guitar in the 1850s by designing the larger, fan-braced body that became the template for modern classical guitars. His designs improved volume and tone, making the guitar a serious concert instrument.
The 1930s marked the birth of the electric guitar, driven by the need for louder instruments in jazz and big band music. Leo Fender and Les Paul pioneered solid-body designs. The 1950s Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul became iconic, thus shaping rock, blues, and pop music. Today, guitars are central to countless genres—from flamenco to metal. Advances in amplification, effects pedals, and digital modeling continue to expand the instrument’s versatility.
Jimi Hendrix (1942–1970)
More Guitar Facts
A person who performs on this string instrument is called a guitarist. Notable guitarists are far too numerous to name here, though Jimi Hendrix is often singled out as the greatest ever.
Jimi Hendrix
Ranking “best” guitarists is subjective, but Jimi Hendrix is often cited as the greatest for his revolutionary electric guitar techniques, including feedback manipulation and wah-wah pedals. His performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock (1969) redefined guitar expression.
A Visual Compendium of Guitars
Guitar Infographic Printed on Acid-Free Cover Stock
Brian May’s “Old Lady”
One of the most famous guitars was hand-built by Queen’s lead guitarist and his father in the 1960s. Built over 18 months in a home workshop, the “Red Special” cost around £8 to build (about $200 today). The legendary guitar went on to great fame, powering hits like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You,” and “Killer Queen.”
Queen Guitarist Brian May
Listen to Queen guitarist Brian May on Absolute Radio telling the story of how he built the famous Red Special guitar with his engineer father, using salvaged materials. Here’s what one reviewer had to say: I don’t think people realize how incredible this is. This is like saying “I couldn’t afford a space shuttle so I built one with my dad.”
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We’ve designed 2,000+ products for string instrument musicians and fans. Find a unique gift for your favorite guitar player or enthusiast. Beware of inferior copycats! Our original designs are available here and in our String Kings Music Guitar collection.
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Fender FA-25 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar
Product details:
Perfect beginner guitar for all ages
Designed by the most trusted name in guitar
Backed by a 75-year legacy of quality and craftsmanship
Includes lessons with thousands of instructional videos
“C” shaped neck, walnut fingerboard, light weight body
Sealed-gear tuning machines allow for accurate tuning
Dreadnought body shape resonates with a bold and rich bass tone
Guitarist and Innovator Les Paul The guitar is such a personal thing. It’s an extension of your fingers, your thoughts, your feelings. You can’t just plug a guitar into an amplifier and expect it to sound good. It’s all about the touch and the feel. When you get a groove going, time flies. You don’t even realize you’re playing for hours.
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The bass guitar often serves as the rhythmic and harmonic foundation of a song, bridging the melody and the beat. It drives the groove in many styles of music, including blues, country, funk, fusion, gospel, jazz, Latin, metal, pop, punk rock, and reggae. This popular string instrument is known by many names including bass, electric bass, and electric bass guitar.
While the standard bass guitar has four strings tuned to E, A, D, and G, extended-range basses can have five, six, or even more strings, allowing for a broader range of notes and techniques. Some bass guitars are fretless, allowing for smoother slides and microtonal notes, similar to a double bass. Despite having the shortest strings of stringed instruments in a typical band setup, the bass produces the lowest frequencies, thanks to its thick strings and longer scale length.
Fender Jazz Bass
More Bass Guitar Facts
A person who performs on this string instrument is called a bassist. Notable bassists include Sheryl Crow, Flea, Maurice Gibb (Bee Gees), Larry Graham, Sammy Hagar, Carol Kaye, Geddy Lee, Julian Lennon, Paul McCartney (The Beatles, Wings), Jaco Pastorius, John Patitucci (Chick Corea), Prince, Kenny Rogers, Gene Simmons (Kiss), Esperanza Spalding, Peter Tork (The Monkees), Eddie Van Halen, Wolfgang Van Halen, Sid Vicious (Sex Pistols), and Stevie Wonder.
Played with Fingers, Picks, or Both
Bassists use various techniques—fingers for a warm tone, picks for precision and attack, or even tapping and harmonics for experimental sounds. Pioneered by players like Larry Graham in the 1960s, the slap-and-pop technique (slapping the strings with the thumb and popping them with the fingers) became a hallmark of funk music, adding percussive flair.
John Patitucci, Frank Gambale, and Dave Weckl perform solos with the Chick Corea Elektric Band at the Blue Note in New York City on November 25, 2011. The piece is called “Got a Match?”
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Fender Squier Debut Series Stratocaster Electric Guitar
Product details:
Perfect beginner guitar for all ages
Designed by the most trusted name in guitar
Backed by a 75-year legacy of quality and craftsmanship
Includes lessons with thousands of instructional videos
Super-comfortable “C” shaped neck
Laurel fingerboard and thin, lightweight body for more comfort
Invented in the 1930s
Leo Fender introduced the first commercially successful electric bass guitar—the Fender Precision Bass—in 1951. It was designed to provide a louder, more portable alternative to the double bass for jazz and early rock musicians.
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Treble and Bass Clef Musical Heart Red on Grunge Bassist T-Shirt
30-inch Wood Classical Guitar – Case and Accessories – Great for Kids and Beginners – Black
