Peter Finger (born 11 October 1954) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

acoustic fingerstyle guitarist, songwriter, composer and record producer. His most notable recordings include "Just Another Day in May", "Vielleicht Im Nächsten Leben", "Fanesca", "For You", "101 South", "Blue Horizon", and "No Man's Land".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

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, Tim Sheridan, noted when relating to Finger's 1999 album, ''Open Strings'', that "Finger displays remarkable skill and sensitivity as a musician. The title track is a standout showcase of jaw-dropping technical skill and melodic invention".

Biography

Life and career

Peter Finger was born in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

, Germany. He came from a musical family with his father being employed as an orchestral conductor, and Finger studied both violin and piano before taking lessons on guitar playing at the age of 13. He won first prize for classical violin in the

Jugend musiziert ''Jugend musiziert'' is a music competition for children and adolescents in Germany on regional, federal and national level. ''Jugend musiziert'' in Germany In Germany, the nationwide competition refers to young adults up to 20 years and for t ...

on two occasions. He later studied music in

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

. His debut recording took place in 1973, which saw ''Bottleneck Guitar Solos'' issued by Kicking Mule Records. Following further releases, Finger toured from 1976 onwards and performed worldwide. He later expanded his activities to include production work for radio, television and films. In 1981, he commenced composing works for orchestral arrangements, and this led four years later to similar work for television and film productions. In 1985, he was awarded first prize in a competition run by the

Oldenburgisches Staatstheater The Oldenburgisches Staatstheater (Oldenburg State Theatre) is a German theater in the city of Oldenburg, Lower Saxony. Beginnings The theatre was first opened in the times of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, on 1 February 1833. At that time it w ...

, for his composition "Herbstwind" ("Autumn Wind"). In the same decade, Finger also performed in a duo with the vibraphone player, Florian Poser, and in a trio with

Trilok Gurtu Trilok Gurtu (born 30 October 1951) is an Indian percussionist and composer whose work has blended the music of India with jazz fusion and world music. He has worked with Terje Rypdal, Gary Moore, John McLaughlin, Jan Garbarek, Joe Zawinu ...

and

Charlie Mariano Carmine Ugo Mariano (November 12, 1923 – June 16, 2009) was an American jazz saxophone, saxophonist who focused on the alto saxophone, alto and soprano saxophone. He occasionally performed and recorded on flute and nadaswaram as well. Biogra ...

. By 1988, Finger had set up his own music publishing business and record label, the latter being known as Acoustic Music Records. From 1995 onwards he worked as the publisher of the ''Akustik Gitarre'' magazine. Finger returned to recording in the early 1990s, which included the albums ''Niemandsland'' (1993) and ''Solo'' (1995). In 2000, Finger produced the Open Strings Festival in Germany for the third time.

Live performances

In 2008, Finger performed at the Guitares au Palais. In 2009, Finger appeared at the International Çukurova Instrumental Music Festival.

Production work

Finger has produced albums such as '' Guitar Bazaar'' (

Tim Sparks Tim Sparks (born October 31, 1954) is an American Steel-string guitar, acoustic guitar player, singer, arranger and composer. Life Raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, he was given his first guitar when a bout of encephalitis kept him out of ...

, 1995), '' One String Leads to Another'' (Tim Sparks, 1999), and '' Vicki Genfan Live'' (2003).

Equipment

Finger uses mainly his own-built guitars under his 'Finger' brand, and guitars manufactured by the luthier, George Lowden.

Discography

Albums

Compilation albums

References

External links

Peter Finger homepage

Akustikgitarrist.de

Audio sample: Peter Finger plays Getaway

Osnabrück: Passing Clouds video with Peter Finger
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finger, Peter 1954 births Living people Musicians from Weimar People from Bezirk Erfurt German classical guitarists German male guitarists German rock guitarists German male songwriters German classical composers German male classical composers German film score composers German male film score composers German record producers German music publishers (people) Music publishing companies of Germany Fingerstyle guitarists Acoustic guitarists Music industry executives Stockfisch Records artists