Preston Reed
Preston Reed ( born April 13, 1955 in Armonk, New York State ) is an American fingerstyle guitarist.
Life
Preston Reed learned guitar as a child, initially with the help of his father and classical guitar with a teacher. Discouraged by the dry lessons, he stopped again with the guitar. It was not until the age of 16 his interest was awakened by the music of the group Hot Tuna again, which is characterized by the acoustic guitar of Jorma Kaukonen. He picked up the guitar again and began to play his own pieces in the style of Leo Kottke and John Fahey. At 17 he entered the first time in public by playing at a performance by Allen Ginsberg at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington. He joined then on again and finally signed by the help of his friend Lyle Lovett his first recording contract with record label MCA.
Preston Reed has played with various artists from Linda Ronstadt to rock - band NRBQ. He came again and again in American radio and on television. Since 1979 he has published until 2007 at various record labels a total of 15 albums - almost all as a solo - guitar album - his own record label Outerbridge founded, participated in numerous productions and released two videos.
Preston Reed moved in 2000 from the U.S. to Scotland, has the British nationality adopted and lives with his wife Cathy in Girvan, Scotland.
Playing style and musical influences
Preston Reed is influenced by the guitar playing Leo Kottke and John Fahey and was first a finger picker with considerable technical skills. However, he developed over the course of the early 1980s coincided with the pioneering publications of Michael Hedges its own distinctive style with unusual game ideas, which his models not only in fingerstyle, but also in the Rock ' n' Roll has. He developed many of his pieces have a pronounced rhythmic drive, other pieces are, however, very melodic and almost dreamy ballads.
Characteristic of his game is the use of percussive effects that it produces both hands on the various points of the guitar body. He describes these effects in accordance with the terms from the world of percussion as rim shots and bongo hits. He also used slap - and tap - techniques such as slapped overtones ( harmonics slap ) or the velocity of notes or entire chords with the left hand ( hammer -on, pull- off). He puts both hands simultaneously to a (two- hand tapping ) and used the right hand for playing chords ( right-hand fretting ). To produce its effects, he often engages with one or both hands from above the guitar neck. In many of his plays Reed used open tunings, which are often characterized by very deep toned down bass strings, such as BGDGAD or CGDGGD.
Guitars and equipment
On his first CD he sat until the beginning of one of the 1990 Guitar of the American luthier Michael Jacobson -Hardy. After that, he played guitar for the brand Washburn with Seymour Duncan pickups. Later, he joined with a specially modified Adamas - to model the Ovation.
Since the late 1990s he began to use different guitars, not only steel strings - Akustiggitarren, but also solid body electric guitars, semi-acoustic guitars, electric baritone guitars, 12-string steel string guitars and classical guitars.
His 2007 released album Spirit, he played with a semi- acoustic Gibson L-5 - a guitar from Yamaha - type.
Discography
Collaborations, guest appearances
Compilations
My Videos
Video guest appearances
Sheet Music, Books
- Guitar Impact ( 2006). Bruce Muckala ( Mara Haley Music).