flagshipmile354 Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Hey are there any Kottke fans out there? It seems like alot of guys over look him but he is oldskool. I mean he was around as a teenager playing in the 60's but he is still around now. I have only seen him 1 time live and it changed my whole perspective on the kind of player I wanted to be. He is truly an inspiration. He sounds like 2 guys playing most of the time cuz of his usage of open tunings and his excellent fingerstyle. I have read he is a major innovator and that he was a big influence on alot of players but I rarely see his name mentioned. If you haven't heard him before I recommend his live album recorded in 96' or 'Essential Leo Kottke' which has alot of nice fingerstyle stuff. I don't care much for his vocals when he does sing, but he has a couple good vocal songs too. I am amazed at his ability to have so many independant things going on at once. Like in the song 'Oddball' on his live performance or 'airproofing'. I have since bought a Taylor 12 string and have been attempting to develop a good right hand style. I also wanted to add that players like Kottke get alot from a little by using open tunings. This totally can bring out your right hand technique because it makes the guitar more symetrical (if I spelled it right). In other words you can cheat a little. I think it takes alot of dedication though. I tuned my guitar to open D minor for like 2 months. I mean I would pick it up casually as I always do and I would be confused cuz of all the crazy note relationships. I mean guitar is a pattern based instrement so alot of guys dont even know what they are playing half the time they just know shapes and stuff. Anyways, after you get beyond this awkwardness you realize that your limited vocabulary on the guitar is expanded when you fool around with similar patterns in an open tuning. I think this is a cool feature of Kottke. Of course I know others have done this also, I think Leo was an innovator though and probably influenced alot of guys playing now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funk Jazz Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 you know, a lot of guitarists we talk about on here get the love/hate treatment. but leo is so down to earth, and such a great musician, i have never heard anyone talk sh*t about him (with the sole exception of his vocals). definitely one of the greats. "last steam engine train" was one of the first fingerstyle tunes i learned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgstrat Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 Let's put it this way: I still have my original vinyl copy of the "Armadillo" album. Saw him once at Carnegie Hall double billed with Michael Hedges. He played great and put on a terrific show, in a natural sense. He has a wonderfully wry sense of humor and really connects with his audience. Let's all remember a man who influenced Leo and first released a record by him: the late, great John Fahey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mchen Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 I first saw Leo when I was attending UMD (University of Minnesota, Duluth), in about 1972. I was totally blown away. A friend of mine had his 1st local vinal release (instrumental only, because his voice sounded like "geese farts on a muggy day"). I've seen him a couple of times in the last few years at the Vilar Center in Beaver Creek, CO. He's even better now. My wife has become a total convert. "It's better to wear out than to rust out!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flagshipmile354 Posted December 31, 2003 Author Share Posted December 31, 2003 Yes I noticed that his playing and technique have definatly evolved over the years. If you listen to 6 & 12 string guitars (armidillo I think) he is much more basic than he is now. Of course he studied classical with Segovia to change his right hand style because of some kind of tendonitis or carpel tunnel he developed from his unorthodox approach. I think he is a total innovator because he seems to meld a bunch of styles into 1. I mean I would imagine he can dabble in just about anything AND HE DOES. I especially like his ragtime type stuff. Live I agree, he makes a nice connection with the audience with his dry humor. What a good showman and a likable guy. I wish I could take a lesson with Kottke that would rule. If I could somehow take lessons from Kottke and Holdsworth I would be a happy guy!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funk Jazz Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 nice article about Leo Kottke here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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