Teja Gerken – Seven Years
Here is Californian German born guitarist Teja Gerken playing his original composition “Seven Years” on his 2004 Custom Shop Martin OM, in Open D-Minor (DADFAD) tuning. “Seven Years” was originally recorded for Teja’s 1999 release “On My Way,” and combines fingerstyle techniques with two-handed tapping sections.
“Born in Germany in 1970, Teja Gerken began his journey on the guitar at the age of six and became a serious student of the instrument after his family moved to California in the mid ’80s.
Today, Teja is no stranger to those familiar with contemporary steel-string fingerstyle guitar. Weaving together influences of folk, jazz, classical, and world music into a style that is uniquely his own, Teja’s playing reflects his diverse musical interests. While many of his composition employ alternate tunings, two-handed tapping, percussive effects, and other extended guitar techniques, others simply rely on his keen sense of melody and movement. Within this framework, Teja has created a repertoire that appeals to fellow guitarists as well as to listening audiences, and while original material is his main focus, he can also be found playing Irish traditionals, the occasional jazz standard, or improvising on themes by classical composers.
An active participant in the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area acoustic music scene, Teja is a regular performer at many of the region’s venues. A firm believer in creating community, he hosts a monthly acoustic guitar showcase (currently at Fairfax’s Sleeping Lady ) which features both established and emerging players. Teja also frequently introduces international talent to Bay Area audiences.
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Besides performing and recording, Teja also writes about guitars, guitarists, and related subjects. He was a senior editor at Acoustic Guitar magazine from 1997 to 2013, and he has contributed to Guitar Player, Premier Guitar, InTune, Fretboard Journal, Akustik Gitarre, Gitarre & Bass, and other publications. In 2014, he co-founded Peghead Nation, an online e-leaning environment with video instruction for guitar, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, fiddle, and dobro.” more
by Miche Archetto
Author: Robert Harris
