Usman Riaz usmanriaz.me/ Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Riaz was classically trained on the piano at age 6, but as he got older he wanted to learn new instruments and styles. With music teachers in Pakistan in short supply, he used the internet as his teacher. Watching hundreds of videos online, he taught himself percussive guitar—a style that relies on a sharp striking of both the strings and guitars body—as well as harmonica, mandolin, harmonium, and percussion. He also used the internet to distribute his music. After a viral video for his song Fire Fly caught the attention of TED curator Chirs Anderson, Riaz found himself onstage at TEDGlobal 2012, in Edinburgh, performing alongside his hero, percussive guitar master Preston Reed, whose videos Riaz watched to learn the style. Riaz has performed on the TED main stage and travelled all over the world sharing his artwork and music with audiences to emphasize how all of us can use multimedia to further our talents. His skills and interests are not limited only to music; he writes and directs short films to complement his compositions, and he painted the cover of his album Circus in the Sky. Berklee student Usman Riaz has been named one of 12 TED senior fellows who will present at the next four TED conferences starting in 2014. At 22, the Pakistani composer, multi-instrumentalist, and filmmaker is the youngest TED senior fellow ever selected. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preston Reed prestonreed 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 todays 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 theyre 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 Reeds technique, though, is that it doesnt 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.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 01:50:25 +0000
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