Tabs
Dean... Here's the "toad". Jim
I've been listening to the "Armadillo" album for over
20 years. "Tennessee Toad" is not my favorite cut but,
having been born in "Tennessee" and being a self-
professed "Toad", maybe it should be. This tune makes
one wonder what in the world was on Leo's mind when he
first sat down and composed this thing. Where does he
come up with such "stuff"?
As with all of his 12 string slide stuff, trying to get
this into tab is an exercise in futility. There's just
too much going on... my assumption is that the reader is
well familiar with Kottke and the tune. This is a must
in order to play this and most of Leo's stuff. This is
a weak apology for my less than accurate tab but my
guess is that Leo never played it the same way twice
anyway. Fact is... I get confused when trying to play
my own tab. It's more of a "sketch" to get you headed
in the right direction. Liberal variations in the
syncopation are not only encouraged but required.
Leo started to play Toad on "My Feet are Smiling" but
after he "gooned" the intro... "boy I really blew that..."
he went into "Hear the Wind Howl". Having been told
by a friend that Wind Howl was in open C, I very astutely
figured out that Toad was also in C... that's the good
news... the bad news is that it took me about 10 years
to come to that conclusion... one of the many reasons
I don't do this for a living.
"The Tennessee Toad"
Leo Kottke from
"6&12 String Guitar"
Tab: Jim Jarrell
Open 
C majorC Tuning (lowered 1/2 step or more)
12 string with slide
a arpeggio
g ghost note or note whose primary purpose is to maintain rhythm
v vibrato..heavier than normal
+ notes played without slide
T^ Brush down with thumb or note played with thumb
x mute or slide to an indefinite point
' pick string upwards with finger vice down with
thumb to get lower octave on string. Can be
critical on 3rd string
Timing: I have no clue!
Intro:
+ + + + + + +
e|-----3------------------------3-3---7\5--x--|
c|-----2-----2/3--\2p0h2--------2-2---7\5--0--|
g|-----3-----2/3--\2p0h2--------3-3---7\5--0--|
C majorC|-----2-----2/3--\2p0h2--------2-2---7\5--0--|
G+G|--0--------2/3--\2p0h2--2--0--------7\5--0--|
C majorC|--------2--2/3--\2p0h2--------------7\5--0--|
T^ b T^ T^ v a a T^ T^
Section I
(no slide used this measure)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
|--------3--------0-----------------------|
|-------------------2-2----2--------------|
|----3-----------------------3---2h3p2p0--|
|------2-----2-------(2)-0----------------|
|--0-------0----0-------0------0-----0----|
|-----------------------------------------|
"(2)": a case can be made
for this note in lieu of
second string "2"...
|---------3------------------2--------|
|--2/3--------3----------2-------2----|
|--------------------2----------------|
|---------------3\2--------2-------2--|
|--2/3--3---3----------2-------2------|
|-------------------------------------|
(no slide used this measure)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
|--------3----x----0---------------------|
|-------------2------2-2-----------------|
|----3--------3------------3'--2'-0'--0'-|
|------2------2--------------------------|
|--0-------0--0--0-------0---0---0---0---|
|----------------------------------------|
T^
|--------3------------------5------------|
|------------3----------5-------5--------|
|--2/3------------3----------------------|
|------3--------3---------5--------5\\2x-|
|--2/3-----3--------3/5-------5----------|
|----------------------------------------|
very slow
slide!
w/thumb
Section II
note: monotonic bass
|---------12-------12---------12\10----10---10-----|
|--10/12------12----------12--------10----------10-|
|--------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------0----0----0---|
|---0------0-----0-----0-------0-------------------|
Repeat above measure 2 times then....
|---------12-------12----------|
|--10/12------12------12\7x----|
|------------------------------|
|------------------------------|
|------------------------------|
|---0------0-----0-------------|
Section III
v
|------------5/7--x---------------------------|
|--------5--------7\3x--0--2/3-----2--0--3/5--|
|--3--------------7\3x-------------------3/5--|
|----------5------7\3x---------3\2------------|
|----3/5-------7--7\3x------------------------|
|-----------------7\3x-----2/3-----2-----3/5--|
T^ a
|--------2----------|
|--2----------2-----|
|--2----------------|
|-----2----------2--|
|-------------------|
|--2-------2--------|
a
Section IV
First measure very free flowing in strum
fashion...
up up
|---------------5--------|--------------2-----|
|--3/7--7--5----5--------|------0---2---------|
|--3/7--7--5----5--------|--0-----------------|
|--3/7--7--5--5----5\3x--|--------0--------2--|
|--3/7--------5----------|--------------------|
|--3/7--------5----------|----0-------2-------|
T^ T^ T^
several repeats of above measure...
Repeat sections II through IV then section I...
have forgotten exact order...but Toad ends like
this...
|-------------------12----------------------|
|--------10/12------------12----------------|
|--8/10---------------------------12--------|
|--8/10---------12------------12-----12--12-|
|--8/10-----12---------12-------------------|
|--8/10-------------------------------------|
T^
|--12--------------------| 
A minorAm positive that
|--------12--------------| last note is correct.
|-------------------12---| That, and first note of
|-----------12-----------| tune, is all that I'm
|-----12--------12-------| positive about!!
|------------------------|
T^
Comments, corrections are most welcome.
Jim Jarrell Work: [email protected]
Home: [email protected]
