Andrew Lardner

"Constant Traveler," by Leo Kottke

Added 2022-06-01 13:01:05 +0000 UTC

Hello all:

It's good to be back for another monthly lesson. This month lets have a look at a blazing mid 70s Kottke 12-string instrumental. This piece is partially a take on the Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Open Country Joy" released the year prior.

This will be an interesting addition because it lies somewhere between the more primitive early Kottke and the more intricate work of the late 80s/90s, in a period of exploding popularity and innovativeness for Kottke.

Leo played this in standard tuning on the 12 string, he tuned anywhere between one full step and two full steps below concert pitch. I'm tuned 2 steps low on the youtube performance, I'm tuned at concert pitch in the lesson video.

The quick p&i lines mixed in with common chords make this a lot of fun to study. This is also probably the first piece Leo used to branch into live improvisation.

This transcription is based on a performance from the Constitution Hall in Washington D.C., October of 1974. I would have liked to have done it from the studio recording but there was too much layered on top to fully grasp what was happening in the guitar. It should be noted that in the lesson video I incorrectly said the recording of "Open Country Joy" from Live in Europe was from 1975, I don't have an exact date yet but it was likely from late 1979 (thank you Michael). I'm attaching another recording from late 1979 for those of you who would like to hear another take on the tune.

My YouTube performance based on this transcription: https://youtu.be/oem38dUagKA
The Patron exclusive lesson: https://youtu.be/OL7n_fIzhkY

The transcription is attached below. I look forward to having some more free time in the coming months and will put a few tunes up for vote to determine next months post, check back in a few days. Have a blast!