Black Kettle

Black Kettle was a song I wrote when I was 18 or 19. It was the first “keeper” I came up with and one of the few things I have ever done in a standard tuning. Its one of my favorites.

I was still figuring stuff out on the 12-string when I wrote this, so it uses the 2-finger cross picking that Leo Kottke had perfected on many of the songs on his 6&12 String Guitar album. I learned that lesson after my fashion.

This version is played on a small Breedlove 12 string which is slacked off a step or so to give it a little more umph. I am still dialing in the guitar but this is ok alright for a Saturday after lunch, this was a first take. I took a couple more hacks at it but this was the pick of the litter.