Preston Reed

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Preston Reed
Origin	Armonk, New York, USA
Genre(s)	Fingerstyle guitar
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer
Instrument(s)	Guitar
Years active	1979–present
Label(s)	Sky, Flying Fish,MCA, Folkstudio, Capitol Nashville, Dusty Closet, Outer Bridge
Website	www.prestonreed.com
Notable instrument(s)
Jacobson-Hardy guitars, Ovation Adamas, Gibson L-5 semiacoustic

Preston Reed (* in Armonk, New York) is a US – American fingerstyle-guitarist.

1 Biography
2 Technique and musical influences
3 Guitars and technical equipment
4 Discography
- 4.1 Collaborations
- 4.2 Compilations
5 Video
- 5.1 Video, guest-starring
- 5.2 Sheet music
6 References
7 External links

Biography

Preston Reed learnt guitar as a child on his father's guitar and had a short stint at classical guitar with a too severe teacher. When he was 16 his interest was rekindled by Jorma Kaukonen's acoustic guitar-playing in Hot Tuna. He took the guitar again and began to compose own songs in the style of Leo Kottke and John Fahey. His first public gig was at Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., supporting Allen Ginsberg. He continued performing and got his first record deal at MCA Records by the promotion of his friend Lyle Lovett.^[1] Preston Reed played with various other musicians, spanning the whole spectrum between Linda Ronstadt and rock – Band NRBQ. He was featured on American radio and TV - broadcasts. Since 1979 until 2007 he recorded 15 albums on several labels - mostly solo acoustic guitar -, guest-starred on other musicians productions, founded his own Outer Bridge-label and featured on two solo videos. He has been commissioned for film soundtracks and a suite of original music for the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet. Preston Reed moved to Scotland in 2000^[2], acquired British citizenship and lives with his wife Cathy in Girvan, Scotland.

Technique and musical influences

Preston Reed is influenced by Leo Kottke and John Fahey and in the beginning of his career was a Fingerpicker with notable technical prowess. In the late 1980ties though he developed his own, highly individual and percussive style; a short time after Michael Hedges published his first records using technically similar techniques, but creating very different music.^[3] He drew not only from fingerstyle, but from Rock 'n' Roll too, developing a very rhythmic drive in some of his compositions. Other pieces are very melodic and dreamy ballads. His guitar style is characterised by the use of percussive effects he generates with both hands on various parts of the guitar body, he names them appropriately rim shots and bongo hits.^[4] He uses slap – and tap – techniques like slapped slap harmonics or the generation of notes or whole chords with his left hand (hammer-on, pull-off). He uses both hands for tapping (two-hand tapping) and frets chords with his right hand (right-hand fretting). He often plays with both hands from above the guitar's neck. In many of his compositions Reed uses open tunings characterized by very low bass string tunings, for example BGDGAD or CGDGGD.

Guitars and technical equipment

On his first CDs Reed used guitars made by the American luthier Michael Jacobson-Hardy.^[5] Later he played Washburn-guitars with Seymour Duncan-pickups^[4] and in the second half of the 1990ties a custom Adamas – Long Neck Ovation. Around 2000 he began using several different guitars, not only steelstring acoustic, but solid body electric guitars too, semiacoustic guitars, electrical baritone guitars, 12-string and classical guitars.^[2] Reed recorded his 2007 album Spirit with a semiacoustic Gibson L-5–type Yamaha guitar.