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Kottke Leo : "Why ask why" Guitar tabs

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Here is the Guitar tabs for "Why ask why" by Kottke Leo. To get the complete songlist of this band please visit the Kottke Leo guitar tabs archive for guitar tabs, bass tabs and chords. We also have a review section with Kottke Leo CD reviews. Please help us to build our bass and guitar tabs archive, submit missing Kottke Leo tabs here. You will find a printer friendly version of Kottke Leo: Why ask why Guitar tabs here

Why ask why tabs Send "Why ask why" Ringtone to your Cell Why ask why 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!

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 tabs Send "why_ask_why-tab" Ringtone to your Cell why_ask_why-tab tabs