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Preston
Reed has virtually reinvented how
the acoustic guitar is played.
Reed practices a flamboyant
"self-invented" style,
characterized by percussive
techniques and simultaneous
rhythm and melody lines that
dance and ricochet around each
other, giving his music a level
of excitement that is
unparalleled among today's
guitarists.
Playing an array of guitars from
acoustic to electric to classical
Reeds vast range of explosively
original music will forever
change your expectation of a
guitarist.
First-time listeners find it
impossible to believe that
they're hearing just the one
musician, in real time. Reed
attacks the entire instrument in
a never-ending search for the
orchestra he knows is lurking
inside. At full tilt, his
fingers, thumbs, fists and hands
at once suggest a drummer,
keyboardist, bassist and several
guitarists at work.
The most impressive thing about
Reed's technique, though, is that
it doesn't draw attention to
itself. His compositions are far
from abstract virtuosic displays;
even without lyrics he creates
vivid, engrossing scenes.
Sometimes the effect is almost
onomatopoetic. Reed generates
visual stimuli with every tweak
of his instrument, thus
augmenting his wordless
compositions with an aura of the
poetic. Each tune is a story in
itself with a potent, cinematic
atmosphere and an almost tangible
thread of communication between
Preston Reed and the
listener.
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Reed's
entry into this guitar odyssey
was inauspicious enough, his path
thereafter largely
self-discovered. A few chords
learned from his guitar playing
father, a brief, very brief,
flirtation with the ukulele,
clandestine practice sessions of
his favourite Beatles and Stones
songs on dad's guitar .... and
then a too-strict classical
guitar teacher led to premature
retirement.
At 16, however, Reed heard
Jefferson Airplane's rootsy blues
offshoot, Hot Tuna. His interest
was rekindled big time. Acoustic
guitar heroes John Fahey and Leo
Kottke were studied, their styles
absorbed but not imitated, and at
this point things really begin to
get interesting because, at 17,
Reed, by now precociously
proficient, played his first live
gig, supporting beat poet Allen
Ginsberg at the Smithsonian
Institute.
Just getting on a train from his
native Armonk in New York State
to Washington was a cool
adventure. And it was just the
first of many, not least of which
was the one which resulted from
his signing his first deal with a
major record company, MCA,
through the auspices of his
friend, country singer-songwriter
Lyle Lovett.
Determined to make the most of
this opportunity, Reed pushed
himself to go beyond the standard
fingerpicking styles he'd
perfected. The result was the
beginnings of Reeds startlingly
innovative style, with its
percussive, two-handed fretboard
attack, that you hear today and
which has caused guitar
luminaries such as Al DiMeola and
the late Michael Hedges to
describe Reed as "phenomenal" and
"inspiring". His playing has
spawned a generation of
imitators, yet Reed remains one
of a kind.
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Reed's
compositional talents extend to
film soundtracks and prestigious
commissions for the Minneapolis
Guitar Quartet, and as well as
appearances alongside Bonnie
Raitt and Linda Ronstadt his
major performances include an
historic live satellite broadcast
on Turkish National Television in
1997 with renowned saz player and
composer Arif Sag which reached
an audience of 120 million in 17
countries, prompting a flood of
international telephone calls to
the station from stunned
viewers.
Since 1979, he has recorded
thirteen albums and three videos
and charmed audiences on three
continents. He continues to tour
with the same hunger and relish
that informs his guitar playing.
The secret, he says, is to relax
and let the guitar patterns run
by themselves. Which explains
how, at full tilt, he may sound
like a full-on heavy metal band
but he still won't have broken
sweat.
Contact Preston via email at
fretgenie@googlemail.com
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