Michael Adam Hedges (December 31, 1953 – December 2, 1997) was an American … Read Full Bio ↴Michael Adam Hedges (December 31, 1953 – December 2, 1997) was an American composer and acoustic guitarist born in Sacramento, CA. He studied classical guitar at Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential solo acoustic guitarists of all time. His music features his own unique performing style which features harmonics, fingerpicking, knocking and slapping.
Michael Hedges was a conservatory composition major who applied his classically trained musical background in combination with radical innovation to “reinvent” the steel string acoustic guitar. He combined many unusual techniques on the acoustic guitar with a wide range of musical styles, and was also considered a dynamic performer in concert - in short, a “Paganini” of the guitar.
He is known for extensive use in several pieces of two handed tapping techniques (nearly a contrapuntal style of multiple voices). He used the fingers of his right (typically picking) hand to slap harmonic "chords" at the 12th, 7th or 5th fret (or elsewhere). He made use of right hand hammer-ons, particularly on bass notes, and often used the left hand for melodic or rhythmic hammer-ons and pull offs, as well as unusual strummings, that played, as mentioned, independent voices to the right hand. These techniques tended to convert the guitar into a quasi-keyboard like instrument for certain musical purposes. He also made extensive use of string dampening as employed in classical guitar, and was known to insist strongly on the precise duration of sounds and silences in his pieces. Other facets to his playing were percussive slapping on the guitar body and extensive use of artificial harmonics. He also played guitar-variants like the Harp Guitar (an instrument with additional bass strings that Hedges used to play Bach's Prelude to Cello Suite #1 in G Major in its intended key), and the Trans-Trem Guitar.
Michael Hedges was discovered by William Ackerman who heard him performing in a Palo Alto cafe (the former Varsity Theater) and immediately signed him to a recording contract (1980). For several years Hedges toured and performed in concert with Ackerman. He also appeared on several of Ackerman's albums. In turn William Ackerman produced Hedge's first two albums.
The first two records Michael Hedges made - Breakfast in the Field and Aerial Boundaries - were milestones for the acoustic guitar. He then branched out into singing and performing more popular forms of music, although he would periodically make a return to more guitar-centred music. His record Oracle won the 1998 Grammy for Best New Age Album. Hedges was in fact quite a multi-instrumentalist, playing piano, percussion, tin whistle, harmonica, and flute, among others on his albums. Bassist Michael Manring contributed to many of Michael's records.
Many acoustic guitarists claim a very broad range of influences and will not fit into any genre, but this was truer of Hedges than of any other. His musical education was largely in modern 20th century composition. He listened to Leo Kottke, Bruce Cockburn, Martin Carthy, John Martyn, John Fahey, and the Beatles, but his approach to composition owed much to Stravinsky, Varèse, Webern, and experimental composers such as Morton Feldman. He saw himself as a composer who played guitar, rather than a guitarist who composed music. He was often categorized as New Age due to his association with the Windham Hill record label. Somewhat in reaction to this, he would describe his music as "Heavy Mental", "New Edge", ""Thrash Acoustic", "Deep Tissue Gladiator Guitar" or "Savage Myth Guitar," amongst other terms.
Hedges was killed in a car accident in 1997 at the age of 43. His unfinished last recordings were brought to completion in the album Torched, with the help of his friends David Crosby and Graham Nash.
Michael Hedges was a conservatory composition major who applied his classically trained musical background in combination with radical innovation to “reinvent” the steel string acoustic guitar. He combined many unusual techniques on the acoustic guitar with a wide range of musical styles, and was also considered a dynamic performer in concert - in short, a “Paganini” of the guitar.
He is known for extensive use in several pieces of two handed tapping techniques (nearly a contrapuntal style of multiple voices). He used the fingers of his right (typically picking) hand to slap harmonic "chords" at the 12th, 7th or 5th fret (or elsewhere). He made use of right hand hammer-ons, particularly on bass notes, and often used the left hand for melodic or rhythmic hammer-ons and pull offs, as well as unusual strummings, that played, as mentioned, independent voices to the right hand. These techniques tended to convert the guitar into a quasi-keyboard like instrument for certain musical purposes. He also made extensive use of string dampening as employed in classical guitar, and was known to insist strongly on the precise duration of sounds and silences in his pieces. Other facets to his playing were percussive slapping on the guitar body and extensive use of artificial harmonics. He also played guitar-variants like the Harp Guitar (an instrument with additional bass strings that Hedges used to play Bach's Prelude to Cello Suite #1 in G Major in its intended key), and the Trans-Trem Guitar.
Michael Hedges was discovered by William Ackerman who heard him performing in a Palo Alto cafe (the former Varsity Theater) and immediately signed him to a recording contract (1980). For several years Hedges toured and performed in concert with Ackerman. He also appeared on several of Ackerman's albums. In turn William Ackerman produced Hedge's first two albums.
The first two records Michael Hedges made - Breakfast in the Field and Aerial Boundaries - were milestones for the acoustic guitar. He then branched out into singing and performing more popular forms of music, although he would periodically make a return to more guitar-centred music. His record Oracle won the 1998 Grammy for Best New Age Album. Hedges was in fact quite a multi-instrumentalist, playing piano, percussion, tin whistle, harmonica, and flute, among others on his albums. Bassist Michael Manring contributed to many of Michael's records.
Many acoustic guitarists claim a very broad range of influences and will not fit into any genre, but this was truer of Hedges than of any other. His musical education was largely in modern 20th century composition. He listened to Leo Kottke, Bruce Cockburn, Martin Carthy, John Martyn, John Fahey, and the Beatles, but his approach to composition owed much to Stravinsky, Varèse, Webern, and experimental composers such as Morton Feldman. He saw himself as a composer who played guitar, rather than a guitarist who composed music. He was often categorized as New Age due to his association with the Windham Hill record label. Somewhat in reaction to this, he would describe his music as "Heavy Mental", "New Edge", ""Thrash Acoustic", "Deep Tissue Gladiator Guitar" or "Savage Myth Guitar," amongst other terms.
Hedges was killed in a car accident in 1997 at the age of 43. His unfinished last recordings were brought to completion in the album Torched, with the help of his friends David Crosby and Graham Nash.
Bensusan
Michael Hedges Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Michael Hedges:
A Love Bizarre The moon up above It shines on upon our skin…
A Midwinter Night's Dream Once upon a timeless night once behind my dreams you scrat…
After The Gold Rush Well, I dreamed I saw the knights In armor coming Saying som…
All Along The Watchtower "There must be some way out of here," said the…
Come Together Here come old flat top He come groovin' up slowly He got…
Communicate Go left—right—down through the middle Go any way you want t…
Face Yourself Now or never Face yourself No one else will do Face your wea…
Follow Through Make up a story when you go to sleep tonight Wake…
Free Swinging Soul On father's day, these branches sway Like evergreen batons …
Holiday Relax Get away from it all No solution seems to last It's a…
I Carry Your Heart I carry your heart with me I carry it in my…
I Want You I plugged in nine long years at my life to…
If I Needed Someone If I needed someone to love You're the one that I'd…
Phoenix Fire A healing fault is open now, crevassing my way Something ne…
Promised Land This is the promised land On this mountain I stand Read th…
Ready or Not Ready or not Here I come Who shall I say is calling Hold…
Road To Return Throwing colors to the air I follow the breeze Painting a …
Rough Wind In Oklahoma My mother nature and my father time See their son run…
Running Blind Somewhere defined in aimless words Somewhere within my angry…
Sapphire Her heart is hot, her face cold Leaning the banks, weaving…
Shell Shock Venus Shell Shock Venus, aborted at sea Her youthful uniform torn…
Spring Buds On the last naked day of winter On the eve of…
The Streamlined Man He's a streamlined man Watch the wind from his direction as…
Tomorrow Never Knows Turn off your mind, relax And float down stream It is not…
Torched Flares Of Flaming Red And Blonde Sparks Ignite A Sacred Son…
Woman of the World The woman of the world turns slowly Days are drawn—seasons s…
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Sean Park
Wonderful tribute to guitarist Pierre Bensusan by the amazing Michael Hedges.
Math Guy
Is this song from the best guitar album ever created? Aerial Boundries. #1.
I, Jupiter
Isn't it amazing that such incredible artists like Michael can write, record and play something so perfect and beautiful so long ago....and we still have the pleasure to experience it as if it were for the first time.
Glenn Davis II
Hedges is a god. Rip
Mark Abdilla Guitar
i met pierre bensusan at the airport in edinburgh ( scotland). we had both played at the fringe ( fest) he was going back to paris, i was going to copenhagen. He was sitting in the corner practicing 3 hours before his flight. I asked why so early he said " So i can relax and practice". I being an american of course was running to my plane. The french, Italians and Spanish know how to live LOL I NEVER GOT TO SEE HEDGES. Years after he used play the varsity in Palo Alto I started playing in the samae courtyard she Borders Books had concerts. Damn
Greg Gross
+Mark Abdilla Guitar I got to see Michael Hedges once, here in San Diego. His venue that night was a converted bank downtown. He and his guitar converted it again, into something magical.
Kenneth Hall
This music is the stuff of dreams, Thanks for the moment of meditation.
SomethingReal1119
My two favorite guitarists! :0)
Philip Donovan
My first pick when I'm stressed out.
JukeBoxHero991
He is magical ~ outstanding :-) Thanx for sharing yourself with us, Michael