Composer and multi-instrumentalist Michael Hedges, may not be a household name, but his influence on guitarists is unprecedented. He is perhaps one of the most influential guitarists of the late 20th century.
Classically trained at the world-renowned Peabody Conservatory, Michael Hedges was able to earn a degree in musical composition. He then went to Stanford to study electronic music.
Hedges combined all of his teachings with the experimental work of Igor Stravinsky, Edgard Varese, and Morton Feldman to name a few. From this amalgamation of various musical influences, Michael Hedges was able to create a sound all his own, which continues to influence musicians to this day.
Michael Hedges reinvented the acoustic guitar by introducing as well as improving on techniques such as percussive tapping, classical right hand fingerstyle, right and left hand tapping, a strumming style known commonly as “whacka whacka” strumming, and alternate tunings rarely used on the guitar.
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| Michael Hedges Tapping on His Harp Guitar Source: Guitar International |
Not only was Michael able to use these techniques, he was able to use them with such ease that he made them sound extremely simple when in reality they are not by a long shot.
Michael Hedges was associated with the record label Windham Hill which is known for acoustic works as well as new age music. While working under the Windham Hill label, he was able to complete eight albums two of which received Grammy Awards. And I must say that Aerial Boundaries and Taproot, the two albums which Michael Hedges received his Grammys are completely superb. I would highly recommend for you to stop reading and listen to both of those albums RIGHT NOW.
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| Taproot Album Source: Valley Entertainment |
One of the most important philosophies for Michael was the idea that music is a language. Musicians reiterate this phrase thousands of times, but Michael Hedges truly took this idea to heart. Hedges refers to the album Taproot as an “autobiographical myth” influenced by Joseph Campbell and Robert Bly. Michael took characters and problems from his own life and converted all of those thoughts into music for the listeners to decipher.
At the same time, Michael Hedges was highly influenced by the work of E.E. Cummings as can be seen by the fact that he put the poem ‘I Carry Your Heart’ to music in his album Taproot. Not surprisingly, his bassist and friend Michael Manring created his own rendition of E.E. Cummings’ work The Enormous Room. Michael Hedges describes E.E. Cummings work as being a beautiful stream of consciousness. For this reason, he created this wonderful rendition of one of E.E. Cummings’ best works.
His Legacy Today
Even after his unexpected death in 1997, Michael Hedges continues to exert an influence on the world of music today.
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| Kaki King Tapping Source: Kaki King |
For instance, in 2007 Michael Hedges’ brilliant song “Ritual Dance” was performed in the movie August Rush by acoustic guitarists Andy Mckee and Kaki King.
To this day, musicians such as Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Pete Townshend all use the techniques Michael perfected back in the 80s.
Michael Hedges may not be a household name but his influence on guitarists today is undeniable.
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