A tribute to Michael Hedges
This song has been in my head all day..
I saw Michael play as the support act for Suzanne Vega in 1989. I had never heard of him before and when he was announced and came on the stage, just a guy with an acoustic guitar I was not expecting much. After the first chord everyone in the crowd knew that this guy was not just a “folkie”. Having 3 or more pickups on his guitar he was able to create the most amazing sounds, often playing a bassline along the melody. He also switched to some other, custom-made “guitars”. He jst blew us away.
“Ritual Dance” might not sound very difficult because he’s a master and plays it very naturally. It becomes obvious that it is quite a difficult piece once you listened to some of the countless “amateurs” having a go at it. This is not to say they’re not great players (I wish a could every play that good).
Here’s Sungha Jung which a great rendition:
And another one:
