About This Piece
A shorter and more approachable Leo Kottke piece, Stealing shows his ability to create something warm and complete in under two minutes. The piece has a folksy, intimate quality — melody-driven with clean thumb-finger independence throughout.
It comes from Kottke's early period when his writing was strongly influenced by traditional American folk and blues, before he developed the more complex compositional style of later decades.
Technical Overview
- Melodic clarity: The melody sits in the upper strings while the thumb provides steady bass movement
- Syncopation: Kottke uses subtle rhythmic displacements to keep the piece feeling organic rather than mechanical
Learning Path
A good entry point into Leo Kottke's style. The duration and tempo make it achievable for intermediate players who are comfortable with alternating bass fingerpicking.