About This Piece
Because It's There — titled after mountaineer George Mallory's famous response to why he climbed Everest — is Michael Hedges' compositional masterwork. From his landmark album Aerial Boundaries (1984), the piece is a sustained study in what solo acoustic guitar can achieve when approached without limitation.
The title is appropriate: Hedges explored these techniques simply because the possibility was there.
Technical Overview
One of the most complex arrangements in the fingerstyle repertoire:
- Extended two-hand tapping: Both hands operate completely independently across the full range of the fretboard
- Open D layering: The tuning's open strings are used as drones underneath complex moving lines
- Structural ambition: At nearly six minutes, the piece has multiple distinct sections, each introducing new technical approaches
- Harmonics and tapped notes combined: Among the hardest combinations to execute cleanly
Learning Path
Because It's There is a long-term project. Approach each section as a separate study piece before attempting to link them. The stamina required — both physical and mental — is considerable. This is a piece you live with for months, not weeks.