Michael Hedges - Harp Guitar Player of the Month

On April 10, 1994, I sat in a Chicago performance hall transfixed as my soon-to-be musical idol lifted an unwieldy, misshaped instrument that vaguely resembled a guitar from its case. The next three minutes and thirteen seconds brought me to my knees (almost literally) as I heard “Because It’s There” for the first time.

Many have cited Michael Hedges as one of the most pivotal composers in the history of the harp guitar. Over his years of performing, he influenced countless musicians by recognizing the possibilities beyond six strings. His untimely death in 1997 left a void that will not be easily filled.

Hedges was born in Sacramento, California in 1953, later moving to Oklahoma. He was surrounded by music as a child and at an early age showed talent and proficiency. He began playing the guitar in the 6^th grade and formed a rock band by the 8^th grade. He attended Phillips University, then Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore studying composition and classical guitar. During the summer he spent time at Interlochen furthering his education. The nights were spent in bars honing his technique and covering tunes by Joni Mitchell and Neil Young.

After signing a contract on a napkin with Will Ackerman for Windham Hill in a crowded bar attic, he went on to redefine the acoustic guitar on albums such as “Breakfast in the Field” and “Aerial Boundaries.” The guitar at that time was unable to carry out his compositions, so he created new tunings and techniques to compensate.

from Guitar World, May, 1988

“Composers filter their input - modifying, distilling or leaving raw what shouldn’t be touched.
My music has come from these choices. I can tell you about much of my input, education and music I like.
But why a choice is made, that is difficult….” (Rhythm, Sonority, Silence)

Many quickly fell under Hedges’ spell. Classical and jazz musicians quickly took note of his complex compositional abilities while the rockers appreciated his sense of rhythm and driving melodies. During interviews, he discussed Bela Bartok and Whitesnake in the same breath. He quoted Galileo and Neneh Cherry with equal enthusiasm. Yet with Hedges there was a recurring theme of being primarily a composer, not a guitarist.

“I saw it in a music store and I knew it was for me, so I just got it….
The Gibson was like just one body, and the Dyer had this funny thing comin’ out and I thought,
‘Wow, this has got to be for me’ because I always wanted to have more bass….”
(Guitar World interview, May 1988)

In 1986, Hedges participated in two groundbreaking albums that reintroduced the harp guitar to the masses. The first was titled “The Shape of the Land” and was the soundtrack to the biography of the Japanese explorer Naomi Uemura. The album features the two harp guitar compositions “Aurora / Nevermore” and “Because It’s There” (BIT). BIT became a staple in his performances and was played throughout his career, creating in its wake many followers asking, “Where can I get one of those guitars?” Structurally similar to the earlier composition “Aerial Boundaries,” BIT employs the Dyer’s five sub-bass strings to present the melody, with the six strings providing rhythm and accompaniment with hammer-ons and pull-offs. This differs dramatically from previous harp guitar compositions that use the sub-basses to support lead lines on the six string. This piece has been notated and analyzed by John Stropes and is available at his website for purchase (www.stropes.com).

The same year saw the release of “Santabear’s First Christmas,” with Geena Davis narrating and Hedges performing the soundtrack (a part originally intended for Stanley Jordan). From it came the two harp guitar songs: “Carol Jean” and “The Double Planet.” “The Double Planet” and BIT became highlights during his live performances and they were re-released in 1987 on a live album entitled “The Double Planet.” Associated promotions included a Windham Hill video release featuring BIT and tour shirts with pictures of Hedges holding his Dyer. Word quickly spread and crowds grew larger.

In 1988, Hedges was included in a Windham Hill compilation disc entitled Winter Solstice II in which he performs Bach’s “Cello Suite #1 in G major” on the harp guitar.

The “Taproot” album (1990) marked a high point in Hedges’ career. It was released at the peak of the New Age movement and the pinnacle of Windham Hill’s success. Although there were now many fingerstyle guitarists, Hedges was one of exceedingly few using the harp guitar regularly, and none more visibly. For this album, “Chava’s song” was recorded as a duet with George Winston on piano, yet there has been recent speculation by Jeff Titus that it was initially composed for solo harp guitar. “Point A/Point B” was played on a new Steve Klein Transtrem Harp Guitar which Hedges then began taking on the road with him.

Throughout the ‘90s, Hedges continued to use the harp guitar during his performances. He electrified and stunned audiences with interpretations of “Comfortably Numb,” “No Expectations,” and “Almost cut my Hair.” He also composed his first vocal/harp guitar piece entitled “Torched” which addressed his recent divorce. In 1996, Hedges and his harp guitar appeared as guests on the album “Sticks and Stones” by Robert Eberhard Young.

	By this point Hedges had several harp guitars in his arsenal. Perhaps as a result of this increased inventory, a review of magazine articles finds many inaccuracies in identification and description of his instruments. His Dyer was labeled as a Maurer harp guitar in one article while another called his Knutsen a Dyer. Regardless, he was using his trusty Dyer as well as the Klein Transtrem. He also owned a Gibson U with 11 sub-basses, and was using a Knutsen Seattle-style circa 1912 harp guitar named ‘Darth’ with increasing frequency.
	from Musician, November, 1995
	Note: The Gibson appears to be a standard 10-sub-bass Style U, but with an added 11th sub-bass. This could have been a custom Gibson offering, or a later retro-fit. For ‘Darth,’ see also Inventory # HGS17 in the Knutsen Archives. –GM

Throughout his career Hedges worked diligently on the best ways to capture his sound. For electronics he frequently used a combination of a FRAP under-the-saddle pickup with a Sunrise S-1 magnetic pickup in the soundhole. To represent the sub-basses he initially used an Autoharp Magnetic pickup (pictured above with the Knutsen), then a Barcus Berry magnetic pickup (pictured with the Dyer at left).

On December 1, 1997, Michael Hedges tragically died in a car accident. There is much speculation as to where his relationship with the harp guitar would have led in the years to come. However, there is no ambiguity as to the impact he had on the current revival beyond six strings.

Postscript

We will forever be indebted to Michael Hedges for the inspiration he has brought to untold guitarists, and as the instigation for so many of our growing "harp guitar brotherhood" to join the harp guitar movement. Many have stories of inspiration to tell. Guitarist Doug Geeting's should be particularly noteworthy to the fans of Hedges' most famous piece, "Because It's There." -GM

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