ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Preston Reed - Revolutionary Guitarist
Preston Reed’s hands have an otherworldly coordination. The fingers, nails, thumbs, and palms of both left and right dance, pluck, strum, and slap his guitar, which bursts with a full sound.

Why you should listen

Most guitarists the world over play their instruments in essentially the same way: the left hand holds the neck and applies pressure to each string to change notes, while the right hand plays the melody. Not so with Preston Reed.

In the 1980s, Reed began playing his instrument in new ways, sometimes twisting his left hand to pick out a melody while the right hand strummed accompaniment or tapping the guitar’s body like a drum. A new playing style was born, with deep chords, complex percussion, and weightless melodies. And he's inspired new generations of guitarists to further innovate on the genre he pioneered.

More profile about the speaker
Preston Reed | Speaker | TED.com
Usman Riaz - Artist, composer
TED Senior Fellow Usman Riaz is an artist and composer.

Why you should listen

Usman Riaz is the founder of Mano Animation Studios -- Pakistans first hand-drawn animation studio. Their first project, The Glassworker (شیشہ گر), was created by a team of creatives from Pakistan, Malaysia, Canada, South Africa, the US and the UK. 

More profile about the speaker
Usman Riaz | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2012

Usman Riaz + Preston Reed: A young guitarist meets his hero

Usman Riaz en Preston Reed: Een jonge gitarist ontmoet zijn held

Filmed:
5,260,414 views

Usman Riaz is een 21-jarig wonderkind op de percussiegitaar, een stijl die hij aanleerde door zijn helden op YouTube te observeren. De TED Fellow speelt op het podium van TEDGlobal 2012 -- gevolgd door een overweldigende solo van de meester van de percussiegitaar, Preston Reed. En kijk hoe deze gitaristen een inspiratie-van-het-moment-improvisatie weggeven.
- Revolutionary Guitarist
Preston Reed’s hands have an otherworldly coordination. The fingers, nails, thumbs, and palms of both left and right dance, pluck, strum, and slap his guitar, which bursts with a full sound. Full bio - Artist, composer
TED Senior Fellow Usman Riaz is an artist and composer. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:17
(MusicMuziek)
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(MusicMuziek)
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11:21
ChrisChris AndersonAnderson: You guys were amazingverbazingwekkend.
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Chris Anderson: Jullie waren geweldig.
11:23
That's amazingverbazingwekkend.
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Dat is geweldig.
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(ApplauseApplaus)
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You just don't hearhoren that everyelk day.
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Dat hoor je gewoon niet elke dag.
11:30
(LaughterGelach)
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(Gelach)
11:32
UsmanUsman, the officialofficieel storyverhaal is that
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Usman, het officiële verhaal is
dat je gitaar hebt leren spelen
11:34
you learnedgeleerd to playspelen the guitargitaar
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by watchingkijken JimmyJimmy PagePagina on YouTubeYouTube.
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door Jimmy Page te observeren op YouTube.
11:38
UsmanUsman RiazRiaz: Yes, that was the first one. And then I --
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Usman Riaz: Ja, dat was de eerste.
11:41
That was the first thing I learnedgeleerd,
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Dat was het eerste dat ik leerde,
en dan ging ik verder met andere dingen.
11:43
and then I startedbegonnen progressingvordert to other things.
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11:46
And I startedbegonnen watchingkijken KakiKaki KingKoning a lot,
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Ik begon Kaki King vaak te bekijken.
11:49
and she would always citeciteren PrestonPreston ReedReed as a biggroot influenceinvloed,
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Zij noemde Preston Reed
altijd als belangrijke invloed,
11:53
so then I startedbegonnen watchingkijken his videosvideos,
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dus begon ik zijn video's te bekijken.
11:55
and it's very surrealsurrealistische right now to be --
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Het is surrealistisch om hier nu te zijn --
11:58
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CACA: Was that piecestuk just now,
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CA: Dat stuk van daarnet,
12:07
that was one of his songssongs that you learnedgeleerd, or how did that happengebeuren?
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was dat één van zijn stukken
die je instudeerde? Hoe ging dat?
UR: Ik had het nog nooit
eerder ingestudeerd,
12:10
URUR: I'd never learnedgeleerd it before,
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but he told me that we would be playingspelen that on stagestadium,
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maar hij zei me dat we dat op het
podium zouden spelen.
12:14
so I was familiarvertrouwd with it, so that's why I had so much more funpret learningaan het leren it.
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Het was me bekend, dus was het veel
leuker om in te studeren.
12:18
And it finallyTenslotte happenedgebeurd, so ...
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En toen was het zover, dus ...
12:21
(LaughterGelach)
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12:22
CACA: PrestonPreston, from your pointpunt of viewuitzicht,
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CA: Preston, vanuit jouw standpunt,
jij hebt dit 20 jaar geleden uitgevonden.
12:24
I mean, you inventeduitgevonden this like 20 yearsjaar agogeleden, right?
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12:26
How does it feel to see someoneiemand like this
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Hoe voelt het om iemand als hij
12:29
come alonglangs takingnemen your artkunst and doing so much with it?
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jouw kunst te zien opnemen
om er zoveel mee te doen?
12:33
PrestonPreston ReedReed: It's mind-blowinggeestverruimend,
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Preston Reed: Het is verbluffend.
Ik voel me echt trots en vereerd.
12:36
and I feel really proudtrots, really honoredgeëerd.
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12:39
And he's a wonderfulprachtig musicianmusicus, so it's coolkoel.
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Hij is een fantastische muzikant. Het is cool.
12:44
(LaughterGelach)
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12:47
CACA: I guessraden, I don't think there is like a one-minuteéén minuut other piecestuk you guys can do?
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CA: Ik neem aan dat er geen stuk van
één minuut is dat jullie nog kunnen spelen?
12:53
Can you? Do you jamjam? Do you have anything elseanders?
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Kunnen jullie? Jammen jullie? Heb je iets anders?
12:55
PRPR: We haven'thebben niet preparedbereid anything.
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PR: We hebben niets voorbereid.
12:58
CACA: There isn't. I'll tell you what.
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CA: Niets. Weet je wat,
13:02
If you have anothereen ander 30 or 40 secondsseconden,
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als je nog 30 of 40 seconden hebt,
en dan nog eens 30 of 40,
13:06
and you have anothereen ander 30 or 40 secondsseconden,
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13:07
and we just see that, I just think --
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en we zien dat -- ik denk,
ik voel dat we nog wat willen horen.
13:09
I can feel it. We want to hearhoren a little more.
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13:12
And if it goesgaat horriblyverschrikkelijk wrongfout, no worrieszorgen.
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Als het vreselijk slecht afloopt,
maak je geen zorgen.
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Translated by Els De Keyser
Reviewed by Christel Foncke

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Preston Reed - Revolutionary Guitarist
Preston Reed’s hands have an otherworldly coordination. The fingers, nails, thumbs, and palms of both left and right dance, pluck, strum, and slap his guitar, which bursts with a full sound.

Why you should listen

Most guitarists the world over play their instruments in essentially the same way: the left hand holds the neck and applies pressure to each string to change notes, while the right hand plays the melody. Not so with Preston Reed.

In the 1980s, Reed began playing his instrument in new ways, sometimes twisting his left hand to pick out a melody while the right hand strummed accompaniment or tapping the guitar’s body like a drum. A new playing style was born, with deep chords, complex percussion, and weightless melodies. And he's inspired new generations of guitarists to further innovate on the genre he pioneered.

More profile about the speaker
Preston Reed | Speaker | TED.com
Usman Riaz - Artist, composer
TED Senior Fellow Usman Riaz is an artist and composer.

Why you should listen

Usman Riaz is the founder of Mano Animation Studios -- Pakistans first hand-drawn animation studio. Their first project, The Glassworker (شیشہ گر), was created by a team of creatives from Pakistan, Malaysia, Canada, South Africa, the US and the UK. 

More profile about the speaker
Usman Riaz | Speaker | TED.com

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