Les Paul: An Inventor Who Changed the Sound
Long before huge speakers filled concert stadiums with roaring music, an inventive boy in Waukesha, Wisconsin, wondered why acoustic instruments were so quiet. Born in 1915, Lester William Polsfuss—known to the world as Les Paul—began playing the harmonica and guitar at an early age. Whenever he performed outdoors, his listeners struggled to hear the delicate strumming of his wooden acoustic guitar. Lester decided that if the world could not hear his music, he would have to invent a way to make it louder.
His experiments began at home with everyday items. Young Lester took the needle from a family phonograph player, attached it to his acoustic guitar, and wired it directly into the living room radio. The radio acted as an amplifier, blasting the vibrations of the strings across the house. While the sound was undeniably louder, it created a major problem: the hollow body of the acoustic guitar kept vibrating along with the speaker, causing a loud, screeching noise known as feedback. Lester realized that as long as an instrument had a hollow soundbox, the trapped air would echo out of control.
- acoustic:
- Relating to sound produced naturally without electrical amplification.
- amplifier:
- An electronic device used to make sound louder.
- feedback:
- A screeching sound caused when an amplified noise is picked up and re-amplified.
- pickup:
- A device that detects string vibrations and turns them into electrical signals.
- contraption:
- A machine or gadget that appears strange, complicated, or unusual.
- multitrack:
- A method of recording separate audio tracks and playing them back together.
- overdubbing:
- Recording new musical parts alongside previously recorded tracks on the same tape.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Vocabulary
Practice words from the passage with a printable worksheet.
Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
Fix the Sentence
Practice editing sentences drawn from this passage with a printable worksheet.
Ready to use this passage in class?
Start free with the Mixed worksheet and 3 PDF downloads each week. Focused skill sets depend on plan.
Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What initial problem inspired Les Paul to experiment with amplifying his guitar?
- 2How did young Lester use household items to make his acoustic guitar louder?
You Might Also Like
About this biography passage for 5th Grade
“Les Paul: An Inventor Who Changed the Sound” is a biography reading passage about Les Paul, written for 5th Grade. It takes about 3 minutes to read (489 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.