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.
Gospel Of Mary/The Holy Flame
Michael Hedges Lyrics
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"Son, all I know is, if you wanna move on - just let go.
Ask your father; he'll say it the same:
If you really wanna rock, child - break that chain!
Oh, throw that ball away.
You won't need it when you're flying
Into the holy flame!"
Oh, oh - Break that chain
Throw that ball away
You won't need it when you're flying
Into the holy flame
The Gospel Of Mary/The Holy Flame by Michael Hedges is a song about breaking free from the chains that hold us down and seeking liberation through the holy spiritual flame. The lyrics tell the story of the singer turning to his mother for advice about how to move forward in life. She advises him to let go of anything that is weighing him down and to break free from his current situation. His father echoes this same sentiment, emphasizing that in order to truly rock, one must break the chains that bind them.
The repeated phrases "break that chain," "throw that ball away," and "you won't need it when you're flying into the holy flame" represent a call to action - a call to shed old habits, old ways of thinking, and embrace a new, freer way of life. The holy flame, in this song, represents a symbol of renewal, a chance to be reborn and set free from past mistakes and regrets.
Overall, this song is about letting go of the things that weigh us down and embracing a new, more authentic way of life. It encourages us to be brave, to take chances, and to break free from anything that is holding us back.
Line by Line Meaning
When I turned to my ma, she said,
When I asked for my mother's advice, this was her response:
"Son, all I know is, if you wanna move on - just let go.
"My son, the only advice I can give you is to release your past and move on."
Ask your father; he'll say it the same:
My mother believes that my father would agree with her advice,
If you really wanna rock, child - break that chain!
If you desire to succeed, then you need to let go of the things that are holding you back,
Oh, throw that ball away.
Get rid of any negative thoughts or emotions that are hindering your progress,
You won't need it when you're flying
These negative thoughts will not serve you when you are moving forward,
Into the holy flame!"
When you are moving forward towards your goals, you will find yourself in a state of awakened consciousness and purity of thought and spirit.
Oh, oh - Break that chain
The chorus is a reminder that the only way to progress is to let go of the past,
Throw that ball away
Mental and emotional obstacles will not be necessary in achieving success,
You won't need it when you're flying
When one is moving forward, all that is left behind must be left behind with no regrets,
Into the holy flame
Success and progress require leaving negative thoughts and emotions behind, entering an awakened state of being.
Contributed by Samantha D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.