Light On Dark Water

52 Guitars: Week 14

William Ackerman

The founder of Windham Hill and one of its best-known artists, Ackerman's guitar style is less complex than Alex de Grassi's (see guitarist #13 from last week), or Michael Hedges's (next week). But he has, at least on his early albums, a gift for sweet, wistful, memorable melodies. Both these pieces are from his second Windham Hill album, Childhood and Memory. (Before founding Windham Hill he made an earlier album, The Search for the Turtle's Navel, which in both its music and song titles is clearly heavily influenced by John Fahey.)

  

"The Velvet Gentleman," which I believe is a reference to Erik Satie:

 

"The Wall and the Wind"

 

I have not by any means heard all of Ackerman's work, but from what I have heard it seems to me that the albums that came after these first three or four are considerably less appealing. I own one of those later ones–I can't remember which one, and don't want to dig into the closet to find out–and remember listening to it several times, waiting for it to click, and being disappointed. It included other instruments, and seemed bland and New-Age-y in a bad way, lacking the sort of post-flower-child prettiness of Childhood and Memory, which I suspect is his best overall. Like, apparently, much of the best of the Windham Hill catalog, it's out of print, but I believe most of it is included in this YouTube playlist. I would have included those versions but embedding is disabled on them. Used copies on both vinyl and CD seem to be pretty readily available at reasonable prices.

Maclin Horton
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7 responses to “52 Guitars: Week 14”

  1. Robert Gotcher

    I just figured out what it is that leaves me cool about this kind of music. I’m a not fan of non-standard tuning, although I will tune the low E down to D occasionally. The only person I know who does the non-standard tuning well that I’ve heard is Joni Mitchell.
    I did write one song with open-E tuning, although I haven’t played it in years.
    My cousin, who lost three of his fingers in a carpentry accident, played the guitar with open-E tuning, using the skin pad they had grafted onto his hand to slide up and down. he was quite good. He played country.

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  2. Mac

    I once read about a band that tuned their guitars to an open chord and played everything with only one finger of their left hands–“so we can concentrate on our stage show.”
    Seems to me non-standard tunings can be used to make things more chromatic or less. These Windham Hill guys seem to lean toward more, while John Fahey, for instance, who used a lot of open tunings, seems less. I’m not sure if I’m using the right terminology but Fahey seems more basic.

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  3. Rob G

    Don’t think I’ve ever heard ‘Childhood and Memory’ so I’ll have to check it out. The two albums of his that I really like are ‘Passage’ and ‘Past Light.’

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  4. Mac

    I delved into the closet on Saturday and discovered that I actually have a copy of Childhood and Memory, which was embarrassing because I’d been considering buying it. Also Passage, which I don’t like nearly as well overall. Also discovered that the “later more New-Age-ish album” I remembered not liking very much was actually not Ackerman but de Grassi, Clockwork, and apparently was the next album after Slow Circle. So much for my memory…

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  5. Robert Gotcher

    Chromatic would make me think of atonal, like Schoenberg or someone. I listened to a little Fahey the last time you posted about him. It seemed to me that he was more atonal than this Ackermann fellow.
    I read on Wikipedia that Ackermann uses open tuning so that the main notes of a song can sustain longer. That is part of my problem with it. Too much sustain makes for mushy music. Which I don’t like too much. That’s why I prefer baroque and classical to a lot fo romantic. Too lush wears on me.
    My one exception–Debussy. I could listen to La Mer forever. I suppose I should take it on the island with me.

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  6. Mac

    Fahey atonal? My knowledge of music theory is barely up to the rudimentary level, but I wonder if that’s because he uses modes. What I mean by more and less “chromatic” is that the harmonic space is more or less crowded. Fahey’s is pretty sparse, which of course doesn’t mean it’s tonal. Schoenberg’s atonal is sort of the end point of chromaticism.
    “Too much sustain makes for mushy music.” Seems like everything except piano, plucked strings, and percussion would be mushy, then. Ackerman’s guitar sustain is miniscule compared to a bowed string or wind.

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  7. Robert Gotcher

    I think we are talking around each other.

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