Added: 5 years ago
From: tmjcbs
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  • The Lord of the 12 string Axe jack!

  • there was creaters runnin', wings on fire!

  • I love how it zooms out and you see the tv screens in the backround focused on his picking... very orwellian but this is before the fall... also note how uncomfortable leo is playing way up high on that barstool while people are surrounding him.

  • Matt Damon?? You mean Jeff Healey. They could be twins! One was blind one was deaf.

  • wow, I wish I could use a slide like that

  • I saw Leo at the Sellersville Theater in PA for $45. He still has his wonderful dry humor and has mastered his skills far beyond his younger days. He has been making the same annual appearances in PA and NY. College stations in Philly don't play his music as much. Though his hair has turned silver, He still plays with the fire and vigor with creative interludes like the first time I saw him in Philly. His pioneering style is copied by many but only Leo Kottke is the Picasso of the 12 string!

  • why do die hard Fahey fans say that Kottke is only technical but plays wiith no soul??? i totally disagree...hes technical and plays from the heart as well....i love john fahey too...they are both amazing and both revolutionized acoustic guitar playing...they were close friends and fahey was kottkes mentor...just listen and enjoy them both...thaey are amazing

  • Girl in red looks utterly hypnotized

  • great use of the slide and harmonics

  • Prefer Fahey

  • shit

  • His feet are smiling!

  • I never liked Leo Kottke's stuff, his music is oddly discomforting; sounds like Hell's theme music, certainly good at his craft though

  • @joshuabolt Needs more Diminished 5th

  • @joshuabolt Sheesh, what do you find comforting then? I think they have Lady Gaga's albums on repeat in hell and all around people's heads are exploding like in the movie 'Scanners'. Thank god I only have to go into a supermarket a few times a week and hear putrid bile like that. :)

  • @themachinist1000 I find Chet Atkins comforting. Music that carries a simple melody you could whistle. This is a mess of guitar parts to my ears. Too much dissonance, to much fret buzz, too much string noise, etc. I have the "armadillo album" and do not like it after many listens. Leo Kottke is very good but if I was in a dark forest and I heard this I would go the other way. Fahey doesn't do it for me either. I do agree with the rest of what you said though......

  • @joshuabolt Well that's where we differ I guess, each to their own tastes. I feel a lot of guitarists go too far in trying to avoid string noise or fret buzz, whilst trying to achieve what they've been taught is 'perfect tone', and they lose a lot of gut and spontaneity in the process. I personally don't like simple melodies, because I think music is capable of being so much more. Then again I've never been fond of whistling! :)

  • @joshuabolt i can see your point with Kottke but I can't really jib how Fahey isn't soothing.

  • @bentnosewp you are correct I suppose Fahey is nothing if not soothing....

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  • Mamma MIAAAAAAAA!!!

  • Why isn't he regarded as the worlds best guitarist? He definitely should be.

    In my humble opinion his playing is way above anyone else.

  • @JedF2010 Have you ever seen shawn lane? He's an electric guitarist and you can't compare different styles but you may just think that Shawn is by far the best.

  • @JedF2010 Disregard that comment as no-one is actually the worlds best guitarist. It's all about taste.

  • He went off for 7 years and learned how to play the guitar all by himself, no paper, no humans, no technology and totally has his own mind-blowing way of playing guitar. No one plays like this guy.

  • Thanks Jan Bernstein for introducing Leo to me.

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  • He's almost incomprehensibly good. I think he's part of a different species that's actually born with a guitar as an appendage. Such a unique style, too.

  • Am I the only person to notice that the video cuts in just after Leo is introduced by Colonel Sanders?

  • @dogwomble The introducing guy is Bill Ramsey, the location a german studio.

  • @dogwomble LMFAO

  • my ears just got raped

  • I saw this guy play solo for two hours at the Avalon Theater in Grand Junction,Colorado. It was mesmerizing.

  • So jealous I cant play like this.

  • This is just the most oustanding playing. Wonderful!

  • Can anyone identify what kind of 12 string he is playing? It's not a Martin or a Guild but I can't make out the name on the headstock.

  • @gparment1 it looks like the gibson logo... but i can't make it out either

  • Wow! it's 4 minutes .

  • delightfull - thanks for sharing - i can listen to this every day - thanks Leo!

  • i didnt know matt damon played guitar

  • I've never heard anybody pick a 12 string like that. Definately weird. But this no doubt takes great skill to play. Call me old fashioned, but I'm happy with six strings.

  • @DudeWheresMyDeLorean

    You're old fashioned

  • As Johnny Cash coined the name The Man in Black, Leo will always be coined something considerable to One Hellova Guitar Player!

  • I just had the chance to see him live a couple of days ago... He may not be as peppy as he was in this video, but he was still incredible... and funny as hell. Definitely my favorite guitarist of all time.

  • thats just so weird sounding :D

  • Hot damn! THAT'S how you play a guitar!!!

  • @takewhatswrongand sorry ,no offence to Leo,...The Yellow Princess by Fahey is my favourite,,,Curved Air by John Martyn and anything by Ledbelly.

  • @lambertroberts You are right to be humble in face of lambertroberts criticisms

  • My oh My, Leo. Please return to the Egyptian in Ogden, Utah. We like "prophets" here and you would fit right in with your direct conduit to Musical Heaven... Meleasdaddy

  • not as good as John Fahey

  • @lambertroberts Could you (i) recommend something by Fahey that would support your statement and (ii) briefly explain what algorithm -- other than your personal preference -- you use to rank fingerstyle guitarists? Eg, compare and rank Michael Hedges and Paco de Lucia.

  • i really really realllly wish he explored that darker change of tone more . awesome performance nonetheless.

  • what a fucking beast

  • I didn't know Matt Damon could play guitar

  • @Torka123 HA !

    

  • I like Leo's jams a lot. He's real good. Now back to watching MysteryGuitarMan.

  • kottke and john butler together would be so intense

  • watched him on youtube at Uni in Sussex in 2008.

  • Saw him play at Uni in Sussex in the 1970's.Shook his hand, beautiful man. Inspired me to pick up a guitar and play.

  • that dont mean shit, when ppl like something that shows tallent... uh hello... apparently not many like this little shit, maybe he should get a race change and start rapping.... thatll make him famous... ;)

  • @manixxx93

    uh no. popular appeal doesnt show talent, it just shows a good ability to sell out. lil wayne cant rap for shit. listen to him live, its bullshit. the studio processes his stuff so much to make it work.

    so how about fuck you

  • @manixxx93

    and by the way, im sure most rappers cant even comprehend this "little shit"

    too big for their nigga minds

  • @lcaptainlcapl yeah well aint nobody ever heard of you, so i apologize for calling him little shit, maybe thats for your hard head, and it dont matter, wayne uses a different instrument than kotke and apparently his shit is better TODAY.

  • @manixxx93 Naw, his shit isn't better today, it'll never be. I respect this guy as a musician. I think Lil Wayne is a lil ghetto thug piece of shit who bought into and sells nigga culture to people. He is a salesman. This man is a musician.

  • Lucky for me being older, I don't really get MODERN stuff. I have been an ardent Leo fan some 30 years or more and just don't see anyone even coming close to his equal. #0 years from now, he will still be acclaimed as---THE BEST!!!

  • Seeing Leo Kottke in concert on Kauai in 2 days. What a musician!

  • Excellent performance and great footage...now if the audio and video were only in sync it wouldn't be so painful to watch! Thumbs up anyway. Leo rules!

  • It sounds like a record player speeding up and slowing down lol

  • is that a gibson?

    it looks like one

    i'm falling in love with gibsons

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  • @crankthetoto i clearly love leo, it was just curiosity

  • beiber can't even hold a 12string....its too many for him to count. Lady gaga can sing...but shes a bit odd.

  • @talha318 who can sing?

  • He is AMAZING live...not only is he incredibly talented, he is really funny!  He says he's shy...can sort of tell here...says he doesn't like to fly, which is how I was able to hear him five minutes from my house, and driving distance from his, in a little stick town in southern NH...people came from hundreds of miles to hear him play to a small crowd...he IS an unblievable talent.

  • The lady to his right looks totally bored.

  • Fake.

  • Not one of my favourites but still an amazing guitarist, especially when it comes to slide and finger picking.

  • is a fucking god of slide

  • Had this saved in my favourites for ages. Drunk (me) but still sounts mighty!!

  • another great musician if you're interested is the goddess of slide Ellen Mcilwaine man can that girl can play

  • Frick this guy is good i cant believe that kids these days listen to that techno and new metal crap that is justin and gaga and so on

  • @esean3645

    They have been brainwashed to believe that the so called black music is cool and better than this

  • @UFOdisclos Dat's a fack! Us Jigaboos be evah so unaquaited - lahk wiff the nuances of akshhooall moosik.

  • You wanna listen to some talent,........ listen to Kraja. The angels from Sweden. Those girls are just like Leo. .......talent, Talent, TALENT!!!!!

  • sounding this clean using a slide on a 12 string is very hard, this is great

  • leave JC alone, he's listening to LK

  • by far the most talented guitarist i've ever heard

  • @pauletto213 You need to listen to more guitarists.

  • amen why the fuck are you mentioning people taht arent worth a shit? they are not worth mentioning by name

  • I think I just jizzed my pants.

  • Love his playing!! Agree with you, tanker4909! Would love to see him live.

  • I've been going to see him since the 70's. He's still great!

  • I've been going to see him since the 70's. He's still great!

  • Definently deserves to be in my "favourite" list.

  • wow, is Leo Kottke like...fingerpicking Jesus?

  • LISTENING TO U ON GOTRADIO GUITAR GENUS

  • YA GOOD! I LISTENING ON GOTRADIO GUTIAR GENUS

  • I saw Leo KOttke in a german broadcast back in the 7tys. He was the one who wouldn´t play playback - he would to play live ..... just as Rory Galagher and Alvin Lee. Maybe those guys could really play!?!

  • This is music. Its Raw, only he wrote, and only he plays it. It sounds only how he wants it too. Fantastic

  • Leo Kottke: He is great!!! I’d never heard of him, but truly loved 1 song, in particular (all acoustic) on one of my Xmas CD’s; looked to see who the artist was & even when Christmas was over I kept playing it & wishing I had more; this song is in my i-tunes library, so been listening to him & that song, ALL yr long!!! Finally, tonite I decided to google & see if I could learn more & here I am at 3am; listening to this medley; want to hear more...he's great!!!

  • @gail3c Check out Pierre Bensusan. "Return to Fingal" is great, as are many of his other videos (though I particularly like his take on Irish tunes).

  • He is great; i'd nvr hrd of him, but truly loved 1 song in part (all acoustic) that ws on a Xmas CD I had; lk'd to see who the artist ws & even when Christmas ws ovr, have his song in my i-tunes library, so been listening to him ALL yr long!!! Finally, tonite decided to google & see if I cd learn more & here I am listening to this medley...want to hear more...he's great!!!

  • He is great; i'd nvr hrd of him, but truly loved 1 song in part (all acoustic) that ws on a Xmas CD I had; lk'd to see who the artist ws & even when Christmas ws ovr, have his song in my i-tunes library, so been listening to him ALL yr long!!! Finally, tonite decided to google & see if I cd learn more & here I am listening to this medley & I repeat, he's great!!!

  • i've been a guitar player for 26 years and discovered leo 20 years ago and still can not play like him.. he is a legend in his time.

  • Can someone tab it out?!!

  • Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga are both talented musicians. Lady Gaga in particular is a very skilled pianist and songwriter. Artists like Kottke would probably be more appreciated if it weren't for musical elitists who turn lesser known artists into fads and act like they're better than everyone else because they listen to "true music."

  • wait, someone could have tabbed this out?

    wow.d

  • @blancoisgod and FrankyDooDyo;

    Between the TabPigs ("Part 2" & "Train and the Gate"), and John Stropes ("June Bug"), all the tabs are out there. No charge at the TabPig site (do a google search on that name), and Stopes has a charge per tab.

    Hope this helps.

    Rgds,

    Joe Carpenter

  • r u kidding me?

  • FUCK YOU THAT MAN ROCKS

  • this guy has great tone

  • Oh my God, people, STOP MENTIONING JUSTIN BIEBER AND LADY GAGA IN EVERY VIDEO OF TALENTED MUSICIANS. JESUS CHRIST.

  • @jihadsoup ahahahah great comment pal

  • @jihadsoup Especially because Lady Gaga is also a talented musician. Not only does she write good songs, she's a satirist, mocking pop culture - and her audience - as she goes. You don't have to like her, but she knows exactly what she's doing, and she does it extremely well. Justin Bieber is just a little tool.

  • Don't disagree with the sentiment but with the poorly chosen expletive. Jihadsoup doesn't like the mention of Bieber and Gaga. I wish I could share how precious is the name that Jihadsoup used so carelessly.

  • @gapeyrot Erm...

  • @jihadsoup STOP USING THE LORD'S NAME IN VAIN.

  • @benthedler That'll be the day.

  • @jihadsoup Oh My GOD stop Mentioning Jesus Christ, Hail Satan

  • nobody can run with leo kottke

  • fucking brilliant !!

  • He is awesome, but try to fix the sound delay

  • I remember Leo at the Great Southern Music Hall in Gainesville, Florida. My son has grown up listening to him. He's prolific. Just like Leo! A man years before his time! One of the person's in my counselingl group knows Leo. I pray, I meet him one day! He's the BOMB! and always has been. He's better in person than on the web.

    God loves the worlds fastest guitar picker!

  • @Sobersynrgy1 Been saved too. That last part of the comment struck me the part before you said what you said. I thought you wrote "he"s better in prison". That made me take a second look. No offense meant it's just that it sounded to me like the artist just goes on and on. I've tried listening to his playing before and although it is technically very deep and looks intensely difficult to mimic after a while you can get bored if you get lazy listening. I thought I used to play that way stoned.

  • Play it Leo!

  • I'm entertained just watching his feet.

  • im glad im only 17, means i have plenty of years left to listen to him. i dont understand how people like lady gaga and justin bieber get so rich and popular, when true musicians with real talent can go unnoticed by so many.

  • @tanker4909 I remember listening to my dad play his albums when I was a child, I'm 40 now, a professional guitarist, and I'm grateful for the diverse musical background I can draw from.

  • @tanker4909 Notsure what you mean. This is footage from the 1980s. He plays full rooms on all the footage I've seen--including this one. "Lady Gaga" though has been working for years herself. She's put a good ten years in so far. I got a tip on replacing plastic nuts in cheaper starts with metal ones and posted it in a reply to YouTube the day before I read the obituary of the guy I got the tip from in our local paper. Success and influence on different levels but're still success and influence.

  • @tanker4909 Unsure what you mean. This is footage from the 1980s. He plays full rooms on all the footage I've seen--including this one. "Lady Gaga" though has been working for years herself. She's put a good ten years in so far. I got a tip on replacing plastic nuts in cheaper starts with metal ones and posted it in a reply to YouTube the day before I read the obituary of the guy I got the tip from in our local paper. Success and influence on different levels but're still success and influence.

  • @tanker4909

    I'm also 17 and I've been listening to Leo since I was like14. I live in Iowa and saw him play in Pella in a small theater about 3 or 4 years ago, it was perfect. The people that are talented do it not try to make you or me happy and it's not even for the money, it's because they love what they do and it makes them happy. I'm glad Leo gets out and plays for people even though he doesn't make $500,000 a show. He's great. I'll listen to him till the day I die.

  • @tanker4909 you said it man!

  • @tanker4909

    Sad isn't it?

  • @tanker4909 Thanks Leo for the many years of fingerstyle guitar. Give my song "Thanks Mr K" a listen off my CD "Years With NO Tears" CD Baby.

    Thanks

    Vince

  • @tanker4909, 50% of people are below average, and have below-average tastes in music.

  • @tanker4909 i think becuz there are too many talented people to choose. so they choose the not so talented =)

  • @tanker4909 I wish you many years of listening to Leo, I discovered him in August of 1975, by sheer coincidence, the very next day, I went to see Linda Ronstadt, and guess who opened for her!!! My buddy and I sat with jaws agape, he played virtually all the early material, including 6&12 album. I've met him many times, he signed my LKSM-12 last October in Pawling NY. Very humble man.

  • Fantastic musician!

  • Fahey is way more touching than him.

  • This is my favorite Kotke performance

    Livin in the Country is CHOICE

  • yea! seeing him in eight days!

  • what a wonderfull change it was between 2:48 and 3:00

  • OH MY GOD!

  • genius

  • RAAAAAAAAAAAD!

  • Been listening to this genius since 1971 just a revelation then and still amazing

  • oooooooooo kkkkkkkk lol

    Awsome

  • He's so happy up there.

  • woow, i'm seriously deep impressed

  • 이런 젠장! 난이 음악을 사랑 해요.

  • this groove always gets stuck in my head.. sounds like a sped up record or something

  • loving that little "thats right.. this guitar is my bitch" smile at 1:12 lol

  • The best ones out there are in love with the music first and foremost and then THEIR music is in love with THEM. If there's a tangible relationship between a player and his instrument, he loves it and it loves him - but he's always got to be callin' the shots damn it!

    You can love an instrument and music and not have it love you back! Maybe it's your bitch, maybe your wife, - but when all is said and done she's always gonna make you breakfast in the morning cuz she loves no one else but you!!

  • Don't forget John Fahey

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  • sweet.

  • To be that easy in front of a crowd is just as amazing to me as any guitar ability. Kottke is one of the few musicians that I like as a package deal ------ he's genuine.

  • @Pan3405

    if only you knew anything about folk music

  • oh that's the excuse!

  • u have a lot to learn, especially within your lack of artistic appreciation of music

  • perhaps I dont want to learn.. because it's not worthwhile?

  • i just fell in love with this guy's music. can anyone please give me names of musicians similar to this?

  • Do you know musicians like John Fahey, Robbie Basho, Peter Lang and modern musicians like Jack Rose and James Blackshaw? That's sort of similiar stuff.

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  • Try Tommy Emmanuel , Ed Gerhard, and try out Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed = also Andy McKee there is also a great Ukelele player named Jake Shimabukuro -look for his solos and a duet with Tommy emmanuel doing While My Guitar Gently Weeps

  • absolutely bloody insane guitarist!!! love the playing!!! :D

  • man he gets into it!! love his style

  • Can it get any better than this? Leo has such an energetic style - I love it!

  • does anyone know of any other tunings besides open g that you can tune the guitar to, to have it sound good using the slide piece? I tried using one and it seems so limited what you can play with it, or songs that can be played in that tuning period.

  • try open G and D and then try Gflat, Dflat, try G minor and D minor, and using a "capo"..... you can find some other intreresting tuning by yourself ;-)

  • try an open D tuning.

    D A D F# A D

    or

    D A D F# A A

  • Sounds good :D