Wim den Herder

Wim den Herder born on December 20 1983 in Voorschoten has two strengths. He is a talented guitarist and a driven entrepreneur. He won the National Guitar Awards already at the age of 13 defeating all adult guitar virtuosos with his piercing blues solos. Then he played rock, graduated from the jazz department of the Conservatory and currently has a focus on acoustic guitar. Guitar heroes as Harry Sacksioni, Tommy Emmanuel and Jan Akkerman consider Wim as one of the best guitarists in the Netherlands . Guitar Academy As an entrepreneur, Wim is founder and the driving force behind the Guitar Academy, a guitar school that now has four locations with 250 pupils and is still growing. Wim's vision to create an Amsterdam 'guitar scene' gets a lot of followers: guitarists Stochelo Rosenberg, Harry Sacksioni and Eric Morel Vaarzon have come to play with Wim and other talents together. Also world star Tommy Emmanuel is a big fan of the Guitar Academy and gave an exclusive workshop to the students of the Guitar Academy. The philosophy of Wim is that you choose your own path, follow your heart and thereby encourage each other to bring out the best in yourself.

Wim den Herder Trio After graduation from the Conservatory Wim recorded with his funky jazz trio a professional DVD. The trio then played in various jazz festivals in the Netherlands and impressed everyone with energetic performances. Wim is known for his blazing speed. On youtube he plays a piece of solo jazz pianist Oscar Peterson note for note: the film has been watched worldwide and Wim got extra publicity. Currently he focuses more on the acoustic guitar. He even developed a new technique: Wimpicking. Wimpicking Wim plays the bass and melody with one pick. As a result, several parties are right between each other. The unique style makes Wimpicking therefore think of a painting by Escher: the tortoise and the swan exactly complement each other, but never are exactly on the same place. The technique arose when Harry Sacksioni asked Wim to play a solo piece. The compositions in this style are very catchy and groovy. The most striking number is Karoshi, a piece in which Wim depicts what in Japan is called Karoshi, literally 'working yourself to death'. Guitarduo Currently Wim also plays a lot with Lars Rijck. The audience knows Lars from 2009, when he won the second prize in the final of Holland's Got Talent. The critics praised the virtuosity, joy and the infectious fun of the guitar. Lars has charisma on stage and the two guitarists complement each other perfectly. They made their debut during the 'Ode to Harry Sacksioni' in the Royal Theatre Carré in 2010. The response was enthusiastic and a successful collaboration was born.

Website: www.wimdenherder.nl