Erik Mongrain
Erik Mongrain (born April 12, 1980 in Montréal , Québec , Canada ) is a Canadian guitarist and composer who is characterized by his special style, two-handed tapping on the acoustic guitar.
Life
Mongrain was a sports enthusiast when he was given a classical guitar at the age of 14. The guitar fascinated him and he learned to play his favorite songs by ear as an autodidact . He played the electric guitar for a while, but eventually turned his interest to the acoustic guitar.
In addition to playing, he taught himself to read music and began composing his own pieces. He was inspired by Metallica , Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain , but also by Johann Sebastian Bach , whose guitar pieces he knew by heart. At the age of 18 he discovered the guitar virtuoso Don Ross for himself: “That was a new revelation for me. I finally found my direction. ”He was later heavily influenced by the music of Michael Hedges .
At this time Mongrain began with "lap tapping", the further development of the tapping technique developed by Stanley Jordan . Similar to the Hawaiian guitar , the guitar lies on the lap so that both hands can produce sounds. The guitarist creates sounds on the fingerboard by placing the fingers of both hands with different degrees of hardness between the frets of the fingerboard (tapping) and percussive sounds by tapping on the strings and body of the guitar.
Act
Mongrain began as a street musician and played in underground stations, later he gave his own concerts and appeared on television without forgetting his roots. The Guild Magazine presented his music in front in an issue that showed his picture on the cover. Also, Le Journal de Montréal and the Journal Espagnol Granada reported on him.
Mongrain's music is used as background music for a documentary about the Everest Peace Project (produced by Lance Trumbull ). Mongrain was invited to premier the World Music Heritage, which aired in May 2007 on the National Japanese Network The footage was shot on the streets of Montreal and at Saint Joseph's Chapel , known for its acoustics, and in 2008 the iVideoTune Company recorded four videos including his composition Equilibrium .
In December 2006, Erik posted his first album, Fates, on his website. The CD was released in June 2007 (in Japan in May 2007). In 2008 his second CD Equilibrium was released . Erik Mongrain gives concerts in the USA, Canada and Europe and travels a lot in his home province of Québec.
Discography
- Les pourris de talent (compilation, 2005)
- Un paradis quelque part (music, 2005)
- Fates (2007)
- Equilibrium (2008)
- Forward (2012)
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mongrain, Erik |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian guitarist and composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 12, 1980 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Montréal , Québec , Canada |