Available Space tab by Leo Kottke
Guitar tabs
I've dug out yet another of Giant Jim Jarrell's Lost Leo Tabs. Enjoy.
Patrick R. Schwemmer
pschwemm@hotmail.com
available space in the archive. Regards..Jim
One of my favorite Jack Nickolson movies is "Going South."
A tongue in cheek western comedy, Nickolson plays a good guy
trying to be bad to the femme fatale, Mary Steenbergen. So
what in the world has all this got to do with a Leo Kottke
tune? Well, as the credits roll at the end of the flick,
"Available Space" is being played....not by Kottke but by
Ry Cooder. In fact, the credits list Cooder and the tune
by name. As I recall, "Going South" came out in the late
70’s while Leo released it in 82 on "Guitar Music."
🎸
Accuracy Rating: - Votes: -
I’ll bet even money that its Ry's tune....the flavor of it
smacks of his style. The tune is typical of the old country
blues sound from the 20 & 30's. Moreover, "Space" has a
barrel-house piano sound....I'd call it "stride slide." Note
that many of the bass notes are damped with the heel of the
right hand. The syncopation is irregular with the low
bass notes occasionally falling into a double thumb pattern,ie.
two thumb beats in between melody notes.
The tune demands a "dirty blues" approach. No problem,
because if you're like me, I couldn't play it clean if
my life depended on it. "Space" is tough but "do-able."
I find that it sounds a lot better late at night after
a couple of beers.... Not a tune for mellow Sunday mornings
with a cup of coffee.
While Leo has to my knowledge only recorded it once, and
that was on a 12-string, it can be done on a 6-string.
Cooder does it on a 6-string on "Going South" and I've
heard Leo play it in concert on a 6-string. The tab is
for 12-string so some improvisation is required to pull it out
of your 6-string. Two beers help a lot!!
"AVAILABLE SPACE"
Ry Cooder (I think!)
Arrangement: Leo Kottke
From: Guitar Music
Tab: Jim Jarrell
Open G Tuning (lowered one step or so)
12 String (w/slide)
b bend
h hammer-on
p pull-off
T^ Brush down with thumb or note played with thumb
/ slide down neck (toward saddle)
\ slide up neck (toward nut)
X mute or slide to/from indefinite point
+ notes played without slide
V Heavy vibrato (more than normal,ie. as a slide tune
there's lots of vibrato going on already)
g ghost note...played only in passing (not accentuated)
I index finger
M middle finger
() Optional note in lieu of note tabbed
Section I
1.
d|---------12-----12----------------------|
b|--11-/12----12------11-/12--------------|
g|---------------------------12-----------|
D|---------------X12-----------------X12--|
G|--------X12-------------------X12-------|
D|----------------------------------------|
|----------------12---------------12------------------|
|--11-/12\11/12-----11-/12-----------11-/12-----------|
|--------------------------12---------------12--------|
|-----------X12---------------------------------------|
|-X12-------------------------X12--------------X12-\X-|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
Section II The first half of measure 2 is not correct
but best guess...and a bad one at that. I
just couldn't figure it out. A simple
open pattern pick will suffice
1.
|--------5--------------------5----------------|
|--4-/5--------------4-/5----------------------|
|------------------4--------------0------------|
|----------X5----X5-------X5-------------------|
|-X4-/5-------X5----X4-/5------------2-/3---0--|
|----------------------------------------------|
V g g
2.
|-------------------5-/7----------|
|------------------------7--------|
|--0----------------------(7)-----|
|-----0---3-/5----------------7---|
|--0-----------------------7------|
|---------3-/5--0-----------------|
3.
|------------5-------------------5------------------|
|--4-/5\4/5-------------------------5\-3------------|
|---------------5----------3-/5----------0----------|
|--------------------------3-/5---------------------|
|--4-/5\4/5--------3\-2p0--3-/5-------------2-/3--0-|
|---------------------------------------------------|
T^ V
4.
|-----------------|
|-----------------| Measure 4. is a free flowing
|------0--0-------| strum transition to Section III.
|------0----------| Use thumb down strum if using
|--0---0-----0----| fingerpicks...otherwise use
|-----------------| back of index or middle finger
T^
Section III
1. 2.
|----------12-------------|----------12--------------|
|--10-/12-----------------|--10-/12------------------|
|-------------------------|--------------------------|
|--------------12---------|-------------12-----------|
|-X10-/12--------------12-|-X10-/12--------------12--|
|------------------12-----|-----------------12-------|
V V
3.
|----------12----------12-|---------------------------------
|--10-/12----------12-----|--10-/12-------------------------
|-------------------------|----------12------11--10-----10\X
|--------------12---------|---------------------------------
|-X10-/12-----------------|-X10-/12-----X12-X11-----X10-----
|---------------------X12-|---------------------------------
T^
Repeat Section II
Section III This requires you to really dig in with
the slide, especially at the 4th fret.
The tab appears bizarre but you have to
listen very close to the timing of the
the tune to make it add up.
1. + +
|--------------------------------------------------------
|-----------------0--------------------------------------
|--2-/4---2-/4---------4-\2--0-------------4\-2--0-------
|-------------------0-------------0-----0x------------0--
|-X2-/4--X2-/4--0---------2----------0--0x-4\-2--0-------
|------------------------------2--------------------2----
V T^
+ + + + 2.
|-------------------------|------------------------------
|-------------------------|----------------0-------------
|--0--2X--0---------------|--2-/4--2-/4---------4-\2--0--
|------------3---2---0----|-------------------0----------
|--0--2X--0---------------|-X2-/4--X-----0---------2-----
|--------------3---2---0--|------------------------------
V
+ + +
-------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
---------0--4\-2--0-------2-/3--2--0-------------
------0----------------0-------------------------
---------0-----2----------2-/3--2--0-------------
---2-----------------2-----------------0--2--4---
|--------5--------------------
|--3-/5--------------3-/5-----
|--------------5--------------
|-----------5--------------5--
|--3-/5----------X5--3-/5-----
|-----------------------------
T^
|--5\-3------------------------------5-/7---------|
|-----------------------------------------7-------|
|--------0---2-/3--0---0--------------------7-----|
|------------------------0--3-/5------------------|
|------------2-/3--0---0-----------------------0--|
|---------------------------3-/5--0---------------|
V
|------------5-------------------5------------------|
|--4-/5\4/5-------------------------5\-3------------|
|---------------5----------3-/5----------0----------|
|--------------------------3-/5---------------------|
|--4-/5\4/5--------3\-2p0--3-/5-------------2-/3--0-|
|---------------------------------------------------|
T^ V
|----------------------
|--X-/12--\11/12------- Interesting transition to the
|--X-/12---------12---- next measure. A rough approx-
|--X-/12--------------- imation....however, hit the
|--X-/12--------------- high octave string on last
|--X-/12--------------- note with thumb.
T^ T^
Repeat Section I, II and III. Then repeat Section II,
measure 3 is noted again below for continuity to
show ending, new measure 4.
3.
|------------5-------------------5------------------
|--4-/5\4/5-------------------------5\-3------------
|---------------5----------3-/5----------0----------
|--------------------------3-/5---------------------
|--4-/5\4/5--------3\-2p0--3-/5-------------2-/3--0-
|---------------------------------------------------
T^ V
4.
|--------------|
|--------------|
|--------------|
|--3-/5--------|
|--------------|
|--3-/5--------|
V
Comments, questions and corrections most welcome...
Jim Jarrell JarrellJ@N4.OPNAV.NAVY.MIL
Available Space tab