Tabs
Here's Roger Hess's improvement upon the work of the great Jim Jarrell on
"Open Country Joy", perhaps better known as "Constant Traveler" from the
Dreams And All That Stuff version.
Patrick R. Schwemmer
[email protected]
OPEN COUNTRY JOY (CONSTANT TRAVELER) REV 2 11/8/96
Artist: Leo Kottke (album credits J. McLaughlin)
Album: DREAMS AND ALL THAT STUFF, also LEO KOTTKE 1971-1976
Transcription and tablature: Roger Hess
Portions of Part 1 and 2 based on tab by Jim Jarrell.
12 string, standard tuning lowered to 
D MajorD
REV 2 has corrections and (hopefully) improvements to lines 20, 21, 23, and
corrects chords in lines 33 and 34 (should be 
G+G but 
G7G7 was shown).
This tune is classic Leo Kottke. I heard this in concert in the late 70s
when I was going to school at Madison, WI. I couldn't believe it when I
heard it live, because it always sounded as if Part 3 had some overdub
(other than the bass and percussion), but I was wrong. I never got past the
first part, and wrote it off as one of the unlearnables.
Here's a shot at it. Comments, corrections, and other interpretations are
always welcome.
TAB NOTATION
p = RH thumb
i = RH index
m = RH middle
a = RH ring
OPEN COUNTRY JOY (CONSTANT TRAVELER)
Part 1
This section is straightforward, although some of the bass runs get a little
tricky (the beginning of line 2, for example).
It seems to work best to use the left hand ring finger for the 0-2-3 bass
runs on the 
C majorC and 
FF chords, rather than trying to use the middle finger for
the second fret and then the ring for the third fret. The G+G chords are a
different matter, and either method seems to work.
The first string should be allowed to sustain from the first chord (C, for
example) as long as possible, until the next note (third fret) is actually
played.
Play 6 times
|-----------0-----------3-----3-------------------------------
|-------1-------------------0--(0)----------------------------
|-------------------0---------0------------------------------- 1
|---------2-----------0---------------------------------------
|-0-2-3------(3)----------------------------------------------
|---------------2-3-------3-----------------------------------
p i p i p
Note the unusual right hand fingering at start of this line. Try
p p i p i p if this doesn't work for you.
|--------------2----------------------------------------------
|--------------3------------------1---------------------------
|--------------2--------------2---------------0------2/4\2-0-- 2
|-----------0--0----------------3---------0-------------------
|---0-2-3-0---------0-2-3-------------------2--------0--------
|-3-----------------------0-1-------1.--3-------3-------------
i p i p i p p i p i p
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|-------2-----------0---------------------2-----------0------- 3
|---3-----------0---------2h3p2p0-----3-----------0-----------
|-----3-----------2---------------------3-----------2---------
|-1-------1.--3-------3---3---------1-------1.--3-------3-----
|-----------------------3-------12----------------------------
|-------------------1-------9---------------------------------
|-------0-----0----------------------------------------------- 4
|---------2-----0-----2-------9-------------------------------
|-0-2-3-----------0-------------------------------------------
|-----------3-------------0-----------------------------------
p i p m i p m i p i p m p i p m
|-----------0-----------0-----0-------------------------------
|-------1-------------------1---------------------------------
|---------2---------0----------------------------------------- 5
|-0-2-3------(3)------2-------2-------------------------------
|---------------2-3-------3-----------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------
p i p i p m p i p i p m p i m
p
|-----------3-----------0-----0-------------------------------
|---------------------------1---------------------------------
|-------0-----------0----------------------------------------- 6
|---------0-----------2-------2-------------------------------
|---------------2-3-------3-----------------------------------
|-0-2-3------(3)----------------------------------------------
p i p i p i p i p i p m
|-----------0-----------0-----0-------------------------------
|-------1-------------------1---------------------------------
|---------2---------0----------------------------------------- 7
|-0-2-3------(3)------2-------2-------------------------------
|---------------2-3-------3-----------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------
p i p i p m p i p i p m p i m
p
Play 3 times (same as line 1)
|-----------0-----------3-----3-------------------------------
|-------1-------------------0--(0)----------------------------
|-------------------0---------0------------------------------- 8
|---------2-----------0---------------------------------------
|-0-2-3------(3)----------------------------------------------
|---------------2-3-------3-----------------------------------
p i p i p
|-----------0-----------0-----0-------------------------------
|-------1-------------------1---------------------------------
|---------2---------0----------------------------------------- 9
|-0-2-3------(3)------2-------2-------------------------------
|---------------2-3-------3-----------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------
p i p i p m p i p i p m p i m
p
|--------------2----------------------------------------------
|--------------3------------------1---------------------------
|--------------2--------------2---------------0------2/4\2-0-- 10
|-----------0--0----------------3---------0-------------------
|---0-2-3-0---------0-2-3-------------------2--------0--------
|-3-----------------------0-1-------1.--3-------3-------------
i p i p i p p i p i p
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|-------2-----------0---------------------2-----------0------- 11
|---3-----------0---------2h3p2p0-----3-----------0-----------
|-----3-----------2---------------------3-----------2---------
|-1-------1.--3-------3---3---------1-------1.--3-------3-----
|-----------------------3-------12----------------------------
|-------------------1-------9---------------------------------
|-------0-----0----------------------------------------------- 12
|---------2-----0-----2-------9-------------------------------
|-0-2-3-----------0-------------------------------------------
|-----------3-------------0-----------------------------------
p i p m i p m i p i p m p i p m
Part 2
Easy stuff here, but listen to the recording to get the timing. Tab is *Not
to Scale*!!
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|---2---2---2-2-----2---2-----2---2---2---2---2-0-------------
|---0---0---0-0-----0---0-----2---2---2---2---2-0------------- 13
|---2---2-2---2---2---2-----------------------------2---------
|-0-----------------------------------------------------------
|-----3-----2---0---2---3-2-2---2---2---2---2---0-------------
i i p
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|-----1 --1-----1-----0---------2---2-------------------------
|-----2-- 2-----2-----0--------------------------------------- 14
|---3---3-----3---3---0---2---2---2---------------------------
|-----------------------0-------0---0-------------------------
|-1---1---1p0---0---3-------0---------------------------------
Play 2 times
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|--------0-----------2---2------------------------------------
|--------2-----0-----0---0------------------------------------ 15
|------3---3---0---2---2--------------------------------------
|----------------0--------------------------------------------
|-0-1----0---3------------------------------------------------
|-12-\-3---------2---2-------2---2-------7-\-1----------------
|-11-\-2---------0---0-------0---0-------7-\-3----0h1-0-------
|-12-\-3-------2---2---2---2---2---2-----7-\-2----0---0------- 16
|-11-\-2-----0------------------------------------1---0-0-0---
|-------------------------------------------------0-----------
|------------------------2---------------7-\-1--------3-------
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|------------------------------------------------------------- 17
|---0-0-------4h5p4p2h4---------------------------------------
|-------------2-----------------------------------------------
|-2---------0-0----(0)----------------------------------------
Part 3
This section is pretty wild and is pure Kottke. It's amazing to hear at
speed but even more amazing to hear at half speed, where you can appreciate
just how clean his technique really is. This tab attempts to hit most of the
notes and keep the general timing, but it's got some pretty vague areas.
The notes in this section really need to played with the correct damping and
accents, otherwise it's going to sound like a bunch of spaghetti strung
together (what does spaghetti sound like?). Study of a half speed recording
is highly recommended to get the timing down.
Vertical lines indicate beats. Lines were added after the tab was done, so
ignore any uneven spaces.
The last section (lines 32 thru 35) is an attempt to get some of the chord
transitions and general feel of the recording, since the added
instrumentation buries some of the guitar part.
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|------------------------------------------------------------- 18
|-----------0--(0)--0---0---0---0--(0)------------------------
|-7.----6.----5.------0-------0-------5h7-7-7---7.----7-----5-
|-----0-----------7-------3-------7-----------0---0-0-0-0-0---
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
p p i m p m p m p m p m p m p m p p i p m p i m i p m
p
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|-----------------------------------------------0------------- 19
|-----------0---0--(0)------5---5---------7^--------5^----5^--
|-------0-----0-------5h7-7-------7^--------------7-----------
|-0-0-7-\-3-------7-----------0-------0-------0-------0-------
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
p i p i p m p m p m p p m p m p p p p m p m p p
|-------0-----0---------------------0-------------------0.----
|---5-------0-------0---0---0---------------------------------
|---------------2/4---0---2p0---0-------0-----------0--------- 20
|-----0---0-------0-----------2p0-2---------0-0h2-------------
|-----------------------------------------0h2-----0---0---1h2-
|-0-----------------------------------0h3---------------------
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
p i p m p i m i p m p m p m p m p m p m p i p p p m p
|-------------------0-----0.----3.--2p0-----------------------
|-------------5---5-0-----0.----3.--3p0-----------------------
|-----0-------------0h1-------4---x----h1--------0h1---------- 21
|-------0h2-----7----h2---------0---0--h2--2---2--------------
|----------/7--------h2----------------h2---------h2----------
|---3-------------------0--(0.)----------0---0---0------------
| | | | | | | | | | | |
p i p p m p i m p a p i a i a p i p i m
i m m m p
p p p
|----------------------------|------------2.------------------
|---0-----0-----0-----0------|------1.----------1/2-----------
|---1-----1-----1-----1------|--2-------2---2-------0---0----- 22
|-------0---0-------0---0----|----0-------0------/2---2-------
|----------------------------|0-------0-------0---0-----------
|-0---0---0---0---0---0---3^-|--------------------------------
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
p a p i a p
m m
p
|---------------0---------------------------------------------
|-------5---5-------1/2---------------------------------------
|---5-------------------0-4p2--------------------------------- 23
|---------5----------/2-------4p2-----2h4-2-------------------
|-----5-------5---0---0-----------2h4-------------------------
|-5-----------------------------------------------------------
| | | | | | | | | | |
p i p m p m p m p m p i p p p p p
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|---0-----2-----0-----2---------0-----2-----0-----2-----------
|---0-----2-----0-----2---------0-----2-----0-----2----------- 24
|-------2---2-------2---2---2-------2---2-------0---2---2-----
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|-0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-------0-------
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
p a p i a
m m
p
|---------7---------------------------------------------------
|---------7---------------0-------0---------------------------
|-----8-------x-------2-------2-------2----------------------- 25
|-----------------------1-------1-------1---------------------
|-------9-------0h1/2---------------2-------------------------
|--/7-------7---------------2---------------------------------
| | | | | | | | | | |
p i p a p i p p i p m p i p m p i m
m p
|---------------------0---------------------------------------
|---1/2-----2-----1/2-2---------------------------------------
|---0/2-2-------2---2----------------------------------------- 26
|----/2---2-------1/2-----------------------------------------
|-0---0-------0-------0---------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------
| | | | | | | | |
p m i p m p i m a
p m
p
Repeat 3 times
|------12-------12-------12-------12-------12----|------------
|------------------------------------------------|------------
|---13----13----------13----13----------13----13-|------------ 27
|------14----14----14----14----14----14----14----|------------
|------------------------------------------------|------------
|-0----------------------------------------------|------------
|------12-------12-------|------------------------------------
|------------------------|------------------------------------
|---13----13----------13-|------------------------------------ 28
|------14----14----14----|------------------------------------
|------------------------|-7---7-7-----7-----5-----5-----0---5
|-0----------------------|-0-------0-0-0-0-0---0-0-0-0-5---7--
| | | | | | | | |
m p m p i m i p m p i m i p m p m
p p p
|-----------------------|-------------------------------------
|-----------------------|-------------------------------------
|-----------------------|------------------------------------- 29
|-----------------------|-7.----7.----7.----6.----6p5---5-----
|-----5-5---5-----------|---0-0-----0-0-0-----0-0---------7~--
|-7~------7---7-7---0-6-|-0-------0-------0-------0---0-------
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
p p m p m p m m p m i p m p i m i p m i p m i m p
p p p
| Increase volume--->
|--------------------------------|-0-----0-----0-----0---------
|--------------------------------|-0-----0-----0-----0---------
|--------------------------------|---1-------1---1-------1----- 30
|---5.----5.----------------0----|-----2-------2-------2-------
|-------7---7---7.----6------2/3-|-----------------------------
