William Powell...

[Suilven]

...I'd love to hear from anyone who's had a crack at this extraordinary piece, which is rapidly becoming one of my favourite instrumentals of all time.

Have you mastered it/got it as a work in progress/walked away in abject failure?

I'll admit I'm somewhere between work in p. and abject f., but it's fun having a go. Anyone who's tried will know how dauntingly long it is and how much is packed into those five minutes - the transcription in Mark Hanson's book runs to 20 pages...

It's like a guitar symphony in miniature, with distinct movements, motifs and repeating passages which somehow never feel repetitive.

I'll also confess that I'm doing it 'wrong' - I've always played with thumb pick and nails and that's not Kottke's way, but I don't think I'm going be able replicate his right hand technique. The biggest technical issue I'm having at the moment is the chords up the neck at the 13th and 14th frets which I'm really struggling to play cleanly.

Apart from the original, I've found Steve Hosford's cover invaluable - note perfect, technically flawless and a minor masterpiece in its own right: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ryt5F0lq5w

Anyway...any helpful advice, insights and suggestions would be most welcome.

Angus

[JonPR]

A fine challenge!

I've not heard ths piece before, and I'll admit to being tempted to have a crack at transcribing it. It's a very clear demo - as well as being beautifully played - so transcribing would be time-consuming (it's quite long!), but not difficult.

The RH technique shouldn't be too much of a problem, IMO. It's a little unusual, but the main thing is to position the hand so you can palm mute the strings when needed. The thumb is obviously near parallel to the strings, but that means it ought to be playable with a thumbpick if you prefer - athough of course the tone will be different. (Personally I play without a thumbpick, and often use my hand in that position.)

I'd be pretty confident I could play it once I got it down, although I suspect I'd be tempted to do it my way after a while....

(I once transcribed Vaseline Machine Gun, that's how reckless I am....)

[Suilven]

Hi Jon - I'm a little in awe of anyone who can transcribe pieces like this as I simply don't have that kind of musical ear.

Luckily for me William Powell appears in its entirety in Mark Hanson's book Leo Kottke Transcribed (highly recommended if you like this sort of stuff) - I've followed Steve's performance along with the tab and he nails it pretty much note for note.

I think this may be one of those projects that I dip into for the rest of my playing days, with my own work-arounds and probably my own somewhat simplified version.

Angus

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Sobell

Hi Jon - I'm a little in awe of anyone who can transcribe pieces like this as I simply don't have that kind of musical ear.

Neither do I. Not without this: https://www.seventhstring.com/xscribe/screenshots.html

I mean, I can get the gist of it - E major key, lots of E6 chords, some jazzy altered dominants here and there. But for details I record it into Transcribe right away and slow it down. No sense in wasting time getting it approximate without,

Originally Posted by Sobell

Luckily for me William Powell appears in its entirety in Mark Hanson's book Leo Kottke Transcribed (highly recommended if you like this sort of stuff) -

Thanks for heads up! That will go on my shopping list.

(But I've started transcribing it for myself - from Kottke's original - so I feel a moral duty to finish it... )

[rick-slo]

In a lot of places focus on planting the pinky firmly should help.

[Suilven]

Never come across Seventhstring before and even that looks beyond me - let me know how you get on

Angus

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Sobell

Never come across Seventhstring before and even that looks beyond me - let me know how you get on

Angus

I've been using Transcribe! software (the "!" is part of the name) for over 15 years, maybe longer, and several times a day usually - mostly just for parts of tracks. It's the most intuitive and transparent program of any kind I've ever used. The interface of the latest version has a few superfluous bells and whistles compared to the original version, but they don't get in the way.
Before that I was using a 2-speed tape deck: to slow fast parts down of course, but also to raise the octave to hear bass lines (useful for guessing chords). Now, software can do both those things at the touch of a button - and with the link between tempo and pitch - and of course much more in terms of looping or manipulation of EQ and so on.

It is only an aid to listening though - you still to write out the notes (or use different notation software)! I think of it like a microscope to a scientist. It helps you zero in on the details. It doesn't tell you what you are hearing (although it will try!), it just helps you hear it better.

But yes, I'll keep you posted on how I get on. I'm doing it in stages. Like any form of exercise, there comes a point of diminishing returns if you spend too long on it. My brain eventually says "enough already! Then I'm back to - er - surfing websites like this...