Sunday, November 16, 2014

The original Kurt Rosenwinkel Lick

I have evolved slowly but surely as a musician but I feel a milestone has been reached and I am finally able to hear/conceive what is going on with this lick (See Fig 1) that has inspired and eluded me for so long.  I transcribed it incorrectly a couple times before and learned a lot trying to reverse engineer it.  I wonder if at times my subconscious was playing a shell game and keeping the loot always just out of sight while other incidental knowledge was revealed.  Kurt is such an amazing guitarist I am often left scratching my head.  This to me sounds like it's in the ball park and is one of several places this lick lives on the guitar.  I suspect he played it on the top three strings starting with a Bb Minor triad (see Fig 2) in the first position but the articulation is essentially the same.   My aim is not to play just like Kurt Rosenwinkel but to shine a light on his prodigious technique and express gratitude that he has inspired guitarists like myself to look deeper into their instrument and coax new music from it.  Like other greats he has found his own voice but his is especially grounded in sound technique and a firm grasp of harmony.  These qualities have enabled him to become a prolific and poetic musician and I really can't overstate the impact his presence has had on my musical development.  I have practiced and transcribed loads and loads searching for scraps of what seems to come so effortlessly to him.  Anyway, this is for me a milestone technique and I'm excited to post it!  Thanks Kurt!  Geek out!

Fig 1 

Fig 2