Busted Bicycle Live tab by Leo Kottke

This is probably of limited use to anyone not in possession of the
professional transcription to which it refers (which is almost certainly
extremely rare by now and of course out of print). This should, however,
give you many clues as to the way the tune is played (we get the tuning, at
least, which is something I wouldn’t have guessed on my own). Let’s hope to

Patrick R. Schwemmer
pschwemm@hotmail.com


Here's a partial tab for the live version
of Kottke's Busted Bicycle. The rest of the
live version corresponds more or less to the
tab for the 6 & 12 String version (available from
Accent on Music, address and other info given
below) except for a few variations
which are easy to distinguish at normal speed.
And this live version is on at least two
"Best of..." releases.

Leo changes where he applies damping, accenting,
and that special striking of the open 1st string
to make the strobe-like *busted* rhythm more
effective than on the 6 & 12 version.
The end is different too.

The tuning is open-C.

here's one substitution for the Hanson

ff

  >    >     >       >      >       >
-------X------------------------|-------X--------------------------
-------X---0---.------0---------|---0---X-------0--------------0---
-------X-------0------0--.---0--|---0---X-------0-------0----------
-------X---0-------------0------|-------X---0----------------------
-------X------------------------|-------X------------------0-------
---0---X----------0-------------|---0---X-----------0--------------
  |___|  |___| |___| |___|   |___|  |___|  |___| |___|


      >      >        >      >
---------------------------X-------|---0---X-------------------------
-----------0---.-------0---X-------|---0---X-------0--------------0--
-------0-------0-------0---X---0---|-------X-------0-------0---------
-----------0---------------X-------|-------X---0--------------0------
---------------------------X-------|-------X-------------------------
---0---------------0-------X-------|---0---X-----------0-------------
  |___|  |___|  |___|  |___|    |___|  |___|  |___| |___|



or this one:

ff

  >    >     >       >      >       >
-------X------------------------|-------X-----------X--------------
-------X---0---.------0---------|---0---X-------0---X----------0---
-------X-------0---------.---0--|---0---X-------0---X---0----------
-------X---0-------------0------|-------X---0-------X------0-------
-------X------------------------|-------X-----------X--------------
---0---X----------0-------------|---0---X-----------X--------------
  |___|  |___| |___| |___|   |___|  |___|  |___| |___|


      >      >        >      >
---X-----------X-------0---X-------|---0---X-------------------------
---X-------0---X-------0---X-------|---0---X-------0--------------0--
---X---0-------X-----------X---0---|-------X-------0-------0---------
---X-------0---X-----------X-------|-------X---0--------------0------
---X-----------X-----------X-------|-------X-------------------------
---X-----------X---0-------X-------|---0---X-----------0-------------
  |___|  |___|  |___|  |___|    |___|  |___|  |___| |___|


or this one:

ff

  >    >     >       >      >       >
-------X-------X---------X------|-------X-----------X--------------
-------X---0---X------0--X------|---0---X-------0---X----------0---
-------X-------X---------X---0--|---0---X-------0---X---0----------
-------X---0---X---------X------|-------X---0-------X------0-------
-------X-------X---------X------|-------X-----------X--------------
---0---X-------X--0------X------|---0---X-----------X--------------
  |___|  |___| |___| |___|   |___|  |___|  |___| |___|


      >      >        >      >
---X-------0---X-----------X-------|---0---X-----------X-------------
---X-------0---X-------0---X-------|---0---X-------0---X----------0--
---X---0-------X-------0---X---0---|-------X-------0---X---0---------
---X-------0---X-----------X-------|-------X---0-------X------0------
---X-----------X-----------X-------|-------X-----------X-------------
---X-----------X---0-------X-------|---0---X-----------X-------------
  |___|  |___|  |___|  |___|    |___|  |___|  |___| |___|



or here's a surprise:

ff

  >    >     >       >      >       >
-------X------------------------|-------X-----------X--------------
-------X---0---.------0---------|---0---X-------0---X----------0---
-------X-------0---------.---0--|---0---X-------0---X---0----------
-------X---0-------------0------|-------X---0-------X------0-------
-------X------------------------|-------X-----------X--------------
---0---X----------0-------------|---0---X-----------X--------------
  |___|  |___| |___| |___|   |___|  |___|  |___| |___|


      >      >    >        >
---X-----------X-----------X---0---|---X-----------------------------
---X-------0---X-----------X---0---|---X-------0------------------0--
---X---0-------X-------0---X-------|---X---0---0---------------------
---X-------0---X-----------X-------|---X-----------0-------0--0------
---X-----------X-----------X-------|---X-----------------------------
---X-----------X---0-------X---0---|---X-------0-------0-------------
  |___|  |___|  |___|  |___|    |___|  |___|  |___| |___|


and the ending directly follows something like the third variation
above(the one with the mute right before the last three notes of
the last measure):

---X---------------X---------------|---X---------------X-------------
---X-----------0---X-----------0---|---X-----------0---X----------0--
---X---0-----------X---0-----------|---X---0-----------X---0---------
---X-------0-------X-------0-------|---X-------0-------X------0------
---X---------------X---------------|---X---------------X-------------
---X---------------X---------------|---X---------------X-------------
  |___|  |___|  |___|  |___|    |___|  |___|  |___| |___|

                    fff

---X---------------X---------------|---------------------------------
---X-----------0---X-----------0---|---3b(4)~------------------------
---X---0-----------X---0-----------|---0-----------------------------
---X-------0-------X-------0-------|---0-----------------------------
---X---------------X---------------|---0-----------------------------
---X---------------X---------------|---0-----------------------------
  |___|  |___|  |___|  |___|




Enjoy!

Richard Kucera
kucera@nlm.nih.gov