#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
From: dgaudet@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca (Dean Gaudet)
Subject: TAB: "Taxco Steps" by Leo Kottke (with corrections)
I'm avoiding housework. As a consequence you all get an updated
version of "Taxco Steps" by Leo Kottke. (And depending on how much
more procrastination I accomplish, you may also get updates to
"Airproofing" and "I Yell at Traffic" :)
Enjoy!
Dean
"Taxco Steps" by Leo Kottke.
Transcribed by Dean Gaudet.
Based on versions from _Regards From Chuck Pink_ and _Home and Away_.
Some assembly required. This is a rough outline of what Leo plays.
The majority of the piece is here, except the solo part C is a bit
rough. On _Regards_ there's an electric guitar filling in the solo.
Live, Leo does his own unique thing (which I haven't been able to
reproduce, let alone notate. This is the sort of rhythmic section
that gives a pice the Kottke signature.).
This piece is loaded with syncopation and ghost notes. I chose to
notate none of this. My timings are just guidelines, listen to
the recording to get it as exact as you want. In fact, to get the
strumming patterns right you'll have to listen to the recording. I'm
just not too keen on timing out the 16ths and syncopation.
As with many Kottke songs, it is based on a few ideas which he uses over
and over again in different ways so as not to bore the listener. The
whole song is based on an A B7 E chord progression (time to look at
how many ways you can play those three chords :).
Steel 6-string, standard tuning, no capo.
Part A:
|-------------------0-----|-------------------------|-------------------0-----|
|-2-----0---0-------------|-2-----0---0-------------|--------2---0------------|
|-2-----2---2-0h1-1-------|-2-----2---2-0h1---------|--------2---2-0h1-1------|
|-2-----1---1----2------2-|-2-----1---1-------------|----2---2---1----2-----2-|
|-0--0--2-2-2---------2---|-0--0--2-2-2-----2/7-7-7-|--0-------2----------2---|
|-------------0-----------|-------------0-----0-----|------0-------0----------|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
ending 1. ending 2.
|--------------------------|-------------------------|
|-2-----0---0--------------|-2-----0---0-------------|
|-2-----2---2-0h1-x--0h1---|-2-----2---2-0h1---x-----|
|-2-----1---1-2---2--------|-2-----1---1-2-----x-----|
|-0--0--2-2-2--------------|-0--0--2-2-2-------------|
|-------------0---x--0-----|-------------0-----x-----|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Part B:
|-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|---------------------2-------2-|--------1-----------2---2---2---2-|
|-------2---------2-------1-----|----2-------2---2-----2---\---1---|
|-----2-------------4-------2---|------2-------2---0---------------|
|-3/4-------4h5-5-------2-------|--0-----------------------2-------|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
|-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|---------------------2-------2-|--------1-----------2---2---4-----|
|-------2---------2-------1-----|----2-------2---2-----2---------4-|
|-----2-------------4-------2---|------2-------2---0-----------2---|
|-3/4-------4h5-5-------2-------|--0-----------------------2-------|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
|----------------------------------||--------0---------------0----------||
|----------------------------------||----------------------------0------||
|--------1-----------2---2---------||*---1-------1---1---2-----------2-*||
|------2-----2---2-----2-----2---2-||*-----2-------2-------2-------1---*||
|----2---------2---0-----------2---||----------2-------0-------2--------||
|--0-----------------------4-------||--0--------------------------------||
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
||------------------5----------||--------------------------|
||--------5---------5-4--------||--4---------------------/-|
||*-------4-----6-----4-------*||--4--vigorous strumming-/-|
||*---6-----------7---4-------*||--4---------------------/-|
||------7-----0---------6---6--||--6---------------------/-|
||--0---------------------7----||--7---------------------/-|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|/9-----------------------|-2-----------------------|-------------------------|
|/9-----------------------|-2-----------------------|-2-----------------------|
|/9----strum strum--------|-2--strum strum strum----|-1---strum strum-strum---|
|/11----------------------|-4-----------------------|-2-----------------------|
|/12----------------------|-5-----------------------|-2-----------------------|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Repeat Part A go to ending 2
Repeat Part B
Repeat Part A go to ending 2
Part C
[In reality he plays this using 12th position versions of open A and open E.
I prefer to play it here. Note that when this section is repeated he uses
open position A and E.]
ad lib
|-9-----------------------|-9-----------------------|-9-----------------------|
|-10----9-----9-----9-----|-10----9-----9-----9-----|-10----9-----9-----9-----|
|-9-----9-----9-----9-----|-9-----9-----9-----9-----|-9-----9-----9-----9-----|
|-------9--9-----9--------|-------9--9-----9--------|-------9--9-----9--------|
|-------------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|
|----------------------0--|----0-----------------0--|----0-----------------0--|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
be funky
|-9------------------3-3--|-5-----5-----5-----5-----|-5-----5-----------------|
|-10----9-----9--2-2-2-2--|-5-----5-----5-----5-----|-5-----5-----2-----2-----|
|-9-----9-----9--2-2-2-2--|-5-----5-----6-----6-----|-5-----5-----2-----2-----|
|-------9--9-----2-2-2-2--|-4-----4-----7-----7-----|-4-----4-----2-----2-----|
|-0--------------0-0-0-0--|-5-----5-----7-----7-----|-5-----5-----0-----0-----|
|----0--------------------|-------------5-----5-----|-------------------------|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
let ring
|-0-----0-----0-----0-----|-x-----x-----4-----------|
|-0-----0-----2-----2-----|-0-----0-----5-----------|
|-1-----1-----2-----2-----|-2-----2-----4-----------|
|-2-----2-----2-----2-----|-1-----1-----6-----------|
|-2-----2-----0-----0-----|-2-----2-----7-----------|
|-0-----0-----------------|-------------------------|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Ending 1.
|-x-----------x-----------|-x-----------x-----------|-x-----------------------|
|-4----------/9-----------|-4----------/9-----------|-2-----------------------|
|-4----------/9-----------|-4----------/9-----------|-2-----------------------|
|-4----------/9-----------|-4----------/9-----------|-2-----------------------|
|-6----------/11----------|-6----------/11----------|-4-----------------------|
|-7----------/12----------|-7----------/12----------|-5-----------------------|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
|-x-----------------------|
|-0-----------------------|
|-2-----------------------|
|-1-----------------------|
|-2-----------------------|
|-2-----------------------|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Repeat Part C without ending 1.
Variation on Part B:
|-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|---------------------5-------5-|--------4-----------5---5---5---5-|
|-------5---------5-------4-----|----5-------5---5-----5---\---4---|
|-----5-------------7-------5---|------5-------5---3---------------|
|-6/7-------7h8-8-------5-------|--3-----------------------5-------|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
|-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|---------------------5-------5-|--------4-----------5---5---7-----|
|-------5---------5-------4-----|----5-------5---5-----5---------7-|
|-----5-------------7-------5---|------5-------5---3-----------5---|
|-6/7-------7h8-8-------5-------|--3-----------------------5-------|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
|----------------------------------||--------3---------------3----------||
|----------------------------------||----------------------------3------||
|--------4-----------5---5---------||*---4-------4---4---5-----------5-*||
|----5-------5---5-----5-----5---5-||*-----5-------5-------5-------4---*||
|------5-------5---3-----------5---||----------5-------3-------5--------||
|--3-----------------------7-------||--3--------------------------------||
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
||--------0---------------0----------||
||----------------------------0------||
||*---1-------1---1---2-----------2-*||
||*-----2-------2-------2-------1---*||
||----------2-------0-------2--------||
||--0--------------------------------||
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Repeat Part B
Ending:
|-------------------------|-7-----------------------|-12----------------------|
|-4-----------------------|-7-----------------------|-9-----------------------|
|-4-----------------------|-8-----------------------|-9-----------------------|
|-4-----------------------|-7-----------------------|-9-----------------------|
|-2-----------------------|-9-----------------------|-11----------------------|
|-2-----------------------|-7-----------------------|-0-----------------------|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
[In _Home..._ he continues with this:]
|-------5-----9-----12----|-12----------------0-----|
|-2-----5-----10----10----|-9-----------------0-----|
|-2-----6-----9-----9-----|-9-----------------1-----|
|-2-----7-----11----11----|-9-----------------2-----|
|-0-----------------------|-11----------------2-----|
|-------------------------|-------------------0-----|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Artist: Leo Kottke
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