Upcoming Shows
Flatland Guitars
Fargo, ND
Saturday, 09.07, 2:00PM-4:00PM
Ben Ranson
Born and raised in Sebeka, Minnesota, Ranson got his first guitar at the age of 11 and quickly discovered a natural ability on the instrument. In high school, he played in a hardcore punk band and started writing music. He credits his mom, a math teacher, for teaching him the critical thinking skills needed to invent and engineer palmfrets.
His musical and educational path took him through North Dakota State University, Bemidji State University, and eventually Berklee College of Music.
After Berklee, Ranson performed in many bands before establishing himself as a solo musician.
As a performer, he found that his greatest strength was combining advanced guitar playing with comedic storytelling, He is known for his mesmerizing fingerstyle guitar and witty original lyrics.
Throughout his musical journey, he became increasingly aware of the limitations of the instrument and began searching ways to get around them.
As a guitarist known for playing multiple musical lines at once, Ranson sought out a way to play bass lines and melodies simultaneously without relying on a second guitarist or looping.
After years of experimenting, engineering, and testing, he invented palmfrets. Using his inventions, the palmboard and the unifret, Ranson became the first person to play a chromatic bass line (by palmfretting) and a fully articulated melody on a guitar at the same time.
