We were sitting in the left balcony, third section from the stage, front row… They were great seats! We were lucky, it was a sold out concert.

Micheal Hedges Concert

When Ian was in high school, 10th or 11th grade, we went to a concert at Finney Chapel at Oberlin college in Oberlin, Ohio, featuring Michael Hedges. Hedges was a phenomenal guitarist, with a unique playing style. He was one of the first that I saw who used recordings and as you play loops of sound, adding the leads and melodies over the looping, repeating chords and bass lines.

We were enthralled by his performance. We’d never seen anything like it before. He made his solo performance sound like a full ensemble, using his unique style of tapping and left-hand picking, while strumming and picking counterpoint with his right hand. It was amazing. I like to think it also encouraged Ian to apply himself even more to his guitar studies.

This was in the late 1980s, if memory serves. Unfortunately, Michael Hedges died a couple of years after that, the result of a car accident.

To be Continued…

–LE

Here’s an example of his playing style…