Why Ask Why tab by Leo Kottke
Guitar tabs
Dean.... Was on travel last week. Late getting back to you, but thanks for the response (to my submission of Watermelon and Tenn Toad). Here's "Why ask Why" in text format. Will send text format of "Little Martha" right behind it. kicking my butt!! :) just can't get second section down... as you say, and point is well taken, "some assembly required"... in fact, I find that I don't really play some of my own tabs the way I write them down. I write down what I hear but end up putting my own spin to the tune, particualarly in the syncopation... years ago used to be a "nut" for trying to learn tunes "note for note"... guess I've mellowed in my old age!
🎸
Accuracy Rating: - Votes: -
Don Ross?? Ummm... never heard of him... fingerstyle instrumentalist? How
about Phil Heywood, ever hear of him? Only one tape I'm aware of, "Some
Summer Day" (avail from Elderly records). His tape is superb!
Re. tunings for Sleepwalk and Dream Dream... one of those issues where I
probably could tab 'em out if I knew tuning... too lazy to go through
experimentation to find tuning... there's only about 3 choices... D G or C.
Don't think Kottke plays any slide in other than those 3 tunings... with
couple exceptions...
Speaking of which... re. your comments on your "Skinflint" tab. I had been
playing it for several years and had tab "sketched out" (middle section is
tough!). I figured out it was in C from a video tape I have of Kottke
playing it as the closing number on an "Austin City Limits" show. His
unaccompanied version on the show is, well, a "showstopper" and FAR exceeds
recording. Recording pales in comparison... Alas, while your tab is real,
real close, there's some nuances missing that you would have immediately
picked up on had you seen it on tape. Maybe one of these days I can make a
copy of the tape and send it to you.
Getting long winded here... am working on putting some more tabs into my
computer... great way to spend late sunday afternooon while watching NFL on
the tube... Sincerely, Jim
As a new guy on the net, and a bona fide Leo Kottke nut, my first tab
"Dreams and all that Stuff". Six string, standard tuning, "Why ask Why?" is
a classic example of Leo's occasional foray into the sublime (ie. Muzak or
"elevator music").
While not a Kottke original, I have no clue who composed the piece. It kind
of fits along the pattern of other "old standards" Leo has "covered" over
the years, the most recent being "Twilight Time" and "Wonderland by Night"
from "Peculiaroso". "Why ask Why?" is a little less tongue in cheek and has,
as most old standards, a very pretty melody which is probably what draws Leo
to these tunes to begin with.
The biggest problem I have with Leo's cover is the piano banging out the
melody in the background. Unfortunately he has always had a tendancy to add
too many "bells and whistles" to his productions vice solo guitar. An
attempt to find commercial success I suppose but sure wish he'd stick to
pure, unadulterated solo guitar...that's his audience in my humble opinion.
His recent excursions into spoken word, "Rap"tunes, really turn me off but
what do I know...:)
Regardless of aforementioned criticisms, I've been a long time Kottke fan
and had the rare opportunity to talk with Leo and his wife Mary for about
twenty minutes on the floor of the Taylor guitar factory in San Diego in Dec
95.
"Why ask Why"
composer: unknown
arrangement: Leo Kottke
From: "Dreams and all that Stuff"
Tab: Jim Jarrell
Standard tuning
Capo II (or there abouts)
a = arppegio
v = vibrato
Note: As a "registered musical idiot", no time values per measure are
provided. I break up measures in a hap-hazard manner...ie. you gotta hear
the tune! A straight forward tune, Leo's stuff doesn't get any easier than
this. Reasonably slow tempo with lots of feeling...play it like a "lounge
lizard" would!
Section I
Em(?) G
e|-----------------------|---------------------|
B|-----------------------|----------------0----|
G|-----------------------|--------0-----2-2-2--|
D|-----0--4----4-------4-|--------0-----0---0--|
A|--2-----2--2---2---2---|------2---2----------|
E|--------0--------0-----|-2-3--------3--------|
a
first two notes in above measure are "whole notes", then the pace picks up
to say what? quarter notes?
Am Cmaj7
|------------------------------|-----------------|
|--------------0-------0-0-----|-----------------|
|------2-2-------2-----2-2-----|-----0-------0---|
|----2-2-2---2-------2-------2-|-1-2-2---2-------|
|--0-------0-------0-------0---|-------3-------3-|
|------------------------------|-----3-----3-----|
G Am D(1st ending)
|------------------|---------------|-------------|
|------0-------0---|-----1---------|-------3-----|
|----0-0-------0---|---0-2-2---2---|-0-0---2-----|
|--4-------0-------|-4-------2-----|-----4-0-----|
|--------2-------2-|-----0-------0-|-------------|
|------3-----3-----|---------------|-------------|
a a
D(2nd ending)
|--------------|
|--------3-----|
|--0-----2-----|
|----2-4-0-----|
|--------------|
|--------------|
a
Section II
C G D
|-------------------|-------------------|
|------1---0-0------|-------0-1-0---0---|
|------0---0-0---0--|-----0-------2-----|
|---0----0------0---|---0---------------|
|-4----3------------|-------------------|
|------------3------|-2-----------------|
v a a that's right..
no bass notes!
first three notes in first measure above are whole notes
Am
|----------------------------------|
|----------------------------------|
|--2------------------2-------2----|
|--2--2---2--2----2-----2---2---2--|
|--0----0----0--0---0-----0--------|
|------------0---------------------|
a a
Cmaj7 G
|--------------------|------------------|
|--------------------|------------0-----|
|-------0---0--------|------0---0-0---0-|
|--1-2--2---2--4---2-|-1-2--0---0-----0-|
|---------3----------|--------2---------|
|-------3--------3---|------3-------3---|
Am D
|---------------------------|
|-------1-----1-0-------3---|
|----0--2-----2-2---2---2---|
|--4-------2----------4-----|
|-------0---------0-----0---|
|---------------------------|
a a
Section III
Uh,oh...change in key! Hate it when that happens! :) Same tune as sections I
and II. Not alot of time spent trying to tab last two sections...only a
sketch. Sections I and II can stand alone as a complete tune however.
F#m A
|------------------------|----------------------|
|------------------------|------------------2---|
|--------1----1-----1----|---------2--2---4---2-|
|-----2------------------|-------2----------2---|
|--4--------4-----4------|----0-------0---------|
|--------2------2------2-|--4-------------------|
first 2 notes in both measures above are whole notes
Bm
|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|
|--4-----4-4------4-------4-4-----|
|------4--------4-------4-----4---|
|----2--------2-------2---------2-|
|--2-------2--------2-------2-----|
D A
|-------------------|-----------------|
|-------------------|---------2-------|
|-------2---2-1-----|-----2-----4---2-|
|--3-4----0-------4-|-3-4---2---------|
|-------0-------0---|-----0-------0---|
|-------------------|-----------------|
Bm E
|---------------------|--------------0--|
|-------3---3-2-------|------------0----|
|--1-2------------4---|--1-1-----1------|
|---------4---------4-|--------2--------|
|-------2-------2-----|------2----------|
|---------------------|----0---------0--|
D A
|----------------|-------------------------|
|-------3--------|--2--2-----2--3--2-------|
|-------2-----2--|---------2----------4--2-|
|--1-2-----0-----|-------2-----------------|
|----------------|-----0--------0----------|
|-------2--------|-------------------------|
|--------------------|
|--------------------|
|--4--------------4--| From here return back to middle
|------4--4----4-----| of section
|----2-------2-------|
|--2------2----------|
Any corrections, comments etc. most welcome.
Jim Jarrell work: JarrellJ@N4.OPNAV.NAVY.MIL
Why Ask Why tab