The One-Man Orchestra

Hailing from Armonk, New York, Preston Reed has for over twenty years been showcasing his “self-invented” guitar technique around the world. Since his debut album released in 1979, aptly titled ‘Acoustic Guitar’, Preston has released 15 albums, most of which have been instrumental guitar albums. His solo live performances have become the stuff of legend, so much so that one Irish Independent journalist declared Preston “the best one-man show since Bruce Springsteen”. Speaking to the Strabane Chronicle ahead of his show in the Alley next week, Preston was very welcoming of such high praise.

“I think that reviewer saw me play at the Crawdaddy in Dublin. It’s quite a compliment and publicity that I didn’t even have to pay for, which was nice,” he joked. “The technique I use when playing the guitar tends to draw people in and they get puzzled as to how so many sounds can be coming out of one instrument. It’s something people like that journalist tend to remember.”

Indeed, Preston is like a one-man orchestra, combining percussion, rhythm and melody lines all on one guitar. It’s an ambitious technique that Preston developed in the mid-eighties.

“I wanted to figure out how to play guitar and drums at the same time. Conventional guitar playing would never allow for such an idea, so I began by going at the guitar fret board with both hands instead of one. I wanted to get away for the finger picking techniques and basically leave behind all that I had learned previously and try to come up with something new. I developed an almost ambidextrous way of playing the guitar. Sometimes I’d have both hands on the fret board, sometimes just my right-hand, sometimes just my left-hand, with the other hand finger picking at the same time,” he explained.

While it all sounds very original and inventive, Preston is consciously aware that it serves little purpose if the music does not have a substance of its own. “It’s may be a style I invented, but it’s not a gimmick. It’s completely music driven, and has many facets and colours to it with so much going on at one time,” he stressed.

Preston’s beginnings on the guitar stemmed from a few chords learned from his guitar-playing father. While secretly practicing some of his favourite Beatles and Stones songs on his father’s guitar, he studied classical guitar for a while only to quit due to an overly strict classical guitar teacher and a teenage rebellious streak.

“I was a bit of a rebel back then and in many ways I still am, if I’m honest. If someone tells me how to do something, I’ll do it another way. When I play guitar I need to be in control. Unfortunately for me, learning classical guitar is steeped in rigour and tradition, so we were destined to be on a collision course from the start,” he laughed.

It was this determination to do things his own way that would eventually see Preston re-write the guitar rulebook and become the innovative figurehead he is today. After being disillusioned following his classical guitar encounter, his interest in the guitar was rekindled in a big way after hearing Jefferson Airplane's rootsy blues offshoot, Hot Tuna. After studying acoustic guitar heroes John Fahey and Leo Kottke, Preston played his first live gig, supporting beat poet Allen Ginsberg. Ginsberg had long been associated with musical figures like Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney and Preston found such unconventional collaborations to be beneficial not just to his rebellious nature but to his playing technique.

“I was 17 and playing tunes at a party for my sister. A friend of hers, who was at the party, rang me a few weeks later telling me that Allen Ginsberg was looking for a guitarist to accompany him for some of his readings. I was quite literary and read a lot of beat literature by the likes of Ginsberg, Burroughs and Kerouac, so I knew what he’s be looking for musically. He was big into improvising and would read his poetry while playing a squeezebox, stopping randomly to allow for me to play a guitar solo. It was all very interactive and a great thing to be around.
“By the time I recorded my first record in 1979 I had pretty much perfected finger picking guitar techniques. By 1987 I was feeling held back by the guitar, so that’s when I started to develop the kind of guitar playing I’m known for now. It’s always been about creating new music for me and searching for fresh new sounds,” explained Preston.

Preston’s guitar style has influenced many, most notably American freestyle guitarist, Andy McKee, who, after seeing Preston perform in 1995, set about developing his own guitar technique from an instructional videotape made by Preston.

“Andy McKee was indeed influence by what I do. He has always been respectful of that fact and has actually helped build my audience. He sends a lot of people who go to his shows my way, which is fantastic,” Preston enthused.

Next Thursday will be Preston’s first visit to Strabane, but not his first visit to Ireland. He has been a regular performer in Dublin, Cork and recently performed in Derry’s Playhouse also.
“Ireland has always been a great place for me to perform. The audiences really appreciate what I do. I’m looking forward to the intimate set-up at the Alley in Strabane. What I do can work in every environment. I’ve played rooms with only a handful of people present and I’ve played festivals in front of thousands. You get away with less at the more intimate gigs though, being more exposed to the audience, but that’s also exciting. I’ll have five guitars with me, including a solid body baritone guitar, steel guitar and an acoustic 12-string.

“The shows seem to appeal to all ages. It’s pretty much across the board – young kids, families to old ladies. They are always very complimentary to me after the show, which makes it all worthwhile. I want share the experience with people and hopefully they will have a great evening of instrumental guitar music. There’s a lot going on when I play and I’d like to hope everybody will find something in there for themselves,” stated Preston.
His music can be heard on his myspace page (www.myspace.com/prestonreed).

Preston Reed performing 'Ladies Night'