Thomas Leeb

November 2007

Welcome to www.fingerstylechina.com!

Hello - I'm very happy to talk to you!

What are you doing these days?

I am on a tour through Croatia, England and Ireland - 33 concerts, workshops and radio shows in one month! I like being in England and Ireland as I have many friends there but I am also looking forward to my own bed in California again.

Congratulations for the new CD! I have heard the samples of 'Desert Pirate' and they sound cool! Please introduce something about this CD.

The whole album was recorded in only two days, so it's more of a live album than a standard studio recording. For me it's more important to capture the spirit of a song than having a clinically clean and perfect recording with no soul. As far as the sound goes, we've tried some new things and it sounds really, really big. I'm very happy with it!

I find a Bob Marley song in your CD what inspired you to record the arrangement?

I am a big fan of Bob Marley and always loved the song. The melody is so simple but arranging his free phrasing for the guitar while keeping the beat going was a real challenge. I love playing this one live.

You have many shows recent years, do you have any unforgettable things or play concerts with some great guitarist?

The fantastic thing about the fingerstyle world is that everybody has their own voice and plays differently. It's so inspiring to tour with somebody else because you always go home with new ideas.
Touring with Andy McKee was a lot of fun. I drank whiskey at a guitar festival in Ireland with Preston Reed last year and that was fun too, but I didn't feel so good the next day. This week-end there's a festival and I'm opening up for the legendary Bert Jansch - I'm very excited about this one.
Then there was a tour through Taiwan with Masaaki Kishibe, Ryohei Shimoyama and Huang Chia-Wei. I really enjoyed the food and good company on the whole trip. Maybe I'll have some stories about China for you in the future??

We know that you have many workshops every year all over the world, we know that fingerstyle guitar is a great study of all kinds of music, the beginners may have difficulties of choosing the door of this style, do you have any advice on fingerstyle "standard lessons"?

Like I said before, there is no 'standard' to fingerstyle, we are all so different. It's good to keep your mind open and learn material from as many different players as you can. Everything helps. If you keep working on it, you will get better and better....
Learn how chords are built on a piano or keyboard - it's difficult to understand on guitar but on a piano it makes more sense because you can see the voicings.

But for every door you open, there will be two new ones. I am still learning new things every day so it never stops. I believe that if you think you know everything, you have a problem.

When did you pick up the guitar, and when did you become interested in fingerstyle guitar?

I started playing the electric guitar when I was 13 because I thought Metallica and Guns'N'Roses were so cool. But I lived on a mountain in Austria and there were no bass players or drummers. So it was a bit boring for me. When I found out how versatile the acoustic guitar was, I was in love.

Do you play other musical instrument besides acoustic guitar? Did they give you any idea on playing fingerstyle?

I play some West African drums - from a tribe called the Ewe in Ghana. When I am in California, I sometimes perform with an ensemble there and love the music and rhythms. And yes, I absolutely get ideas for guitar from them! The drum I play is called 'sogo'.

In 2006, I first heard your 'riddle' which was released in 1999, and the first 2 CDs were released in 1995 and 1997 you were very young that year, what was your feeling of releasing your first CD?

I was 17 for my first album and 19 for the second one... Of course I was very proud back then, but now I think they are not worth listening to.

'Akaskero' is one of your great hits on YOUTUBE, you know, many fans in China are learning this tune, could you please tell us the meaning of the title and the story behind this masterpiece? Could you offer us some playing advice on it?

I was in Finland in 1997, in a little village called Äkäskero ( www.akaskero.com ). Because it is so far in the north, there is no sun in the winter - it's always dark. It's extremely cold and you have "northern lights" and howling wolves outside the window. Magic.
It was also a very important time for me and my family - we have always worked very hard and this means we were a bit distant. That winter we grew together again.

'The Winds Are Changing' is a very special tune for me,

I'm happy you like it! But to be honest I haven't played this one in many years...

I hear each string becoming a voice, how to organize the complex sound in one guitar maybe the most difficult thing in composing, do you have any tricks when writing this kind tunes?

I always find it very difficult to answer when somebody asks me that question. Groove and melody are the most important things - if it sounds good to you, play it! 'The Winds Are Changing' was more an exercise in textures - probably the piece that's most inspired by Michael Hedges. The tuning is GGDGGD. Very low :-)

I'm a very slow composer - I write a little bit that sounds good and then it's a lot of work to find the rest to make it all one. Right now I'm writing this new song in DADGAD in the key of G - and I'm stuck. So I've decided to put it on the side and wait until after the tour - it's sometimes good to wait and see.

'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' has become one of the most famous arrangement on guitar, I think your version contains a story, right? Could you tell us?

I arranged this when Eric Roche was very ill and we spoke on the phone and per e-mail and his voice got weaker and weaker...

'Almblearmal Dancing' is a Celtic style music, what kind of music do you like most?

it's called 'Almbleamal Landler' - and is an Austrian folk song, not celtic. It's a traditional accordion piece and playing it on guitar is just a joke. People in Austria think it's really funny.

I like music from all over the world. For example, I also have a CD with Gu Qin music - I love it.

Eric Roche was one of the greatest fingerstyle guitarists, we know you have studied at LMS in 1997 where you met Eric, and can you share some unforgettable stories between you and Eric?

I went to the LMS in London to get ear training and learn about harmony and theory - I'm still 95% self-taught as far as guitar is concerned!
How I met Eric went like this: I was sitting in a room with 90 students and Eric is looking through the list of names. He says "Thomas Leeb?? - I have your album!" - And I said "which one?"
Everybody in the room (and Eric too) were very impressed and I was very happy Eric knew about my music before we met.

We became very close friends until his death in 2005 and played many concerts together. He was a very gentle person with a great sense of humour. I miss joking with him on the phone very much.

Can you tell me about your guitar and the basic pickup and effects system? Do you use the same equipment when you are in concert and studio?

In the studio, we mostly use microphones and only sometimes a bit of the pick-ups.

I use a Fishman Rare Earth (internal mic/magnetic pickup) and a K&K Pure Western soundboard transducer for my live sound. I also use the L.R. Baggs Para D.I. and the Highlander PAMDI for tone-shaping. For a very, very little bit of chorus and reverb I use an Alesis NanoVerb. My guitar cables are made by Evidence Audo.

And your guitar have a none-finishing part, which is at the cut-away part on the top, do you scratch it?

Yes, it's a scratch plate. I stuck it on with double-sided poster tape and it works great. I scratch through one in about 12 months. It's cheaper to put that on than to buy a new guitar.

Besides guitar, do you have any other hobbies?

My wife!
Watching people. Lighting a campfire in my backyard. I have a weakness for video games so I enjoy many hours on the X-box as well.

Please recommend some finger-style CDs which are important to you.

Alex De Grassi "The Water Garden"
Michael Hedges "Aerial Boundaries"
Eric Roche "With These Hands"
Jon Gomm "Hypertension"

What is your taste on choosing guitar and stings? Can you offer some advice to us?

I simply love Lowden guitars. They fit what I do perfectly and are a big part of my music. They are different from American-style guitars and have a more complex sound and overtones.

The strings I use are .013 - .058 handmade "Wyres" Strings from Canada. The bass strings are thicker because I only tune up to E for one song.

Finger-style music contains a lot of elements, what is the most important thing do you think when your are learning or playing your music?

Melody, groove and tone.

At last, thank you for your time! We are looking forward to your performance in China!

It's my pleasure!!
I'm looking forward to coming to China in the future!


	NEWS CALENDAR SHOP GALLERY PRESS LINKS
	NEWS CALENDAR SHOP GALLERY PRESS LINKS		November 2007 Welcome to www.fingerstylechina.com! Hello - I'm very happy to talk to you! What are you doing these days? I am on a tour through Croatia, England and Ireland - 33 concerts, workshops and radio shows in one month! I like being in England and Ireland as I have many friends there but I am also looking forward to my own bed in California again. Congratulations for the new CD! I have heard the samples of 'Desert Pirate' and they sound cool! Please introduce something about this CD. The whole album was recorded in only two days, so it's more of a live album than a standard studio recording. For me it's more important to capture the spirit of a song than having a clinically clean and perfect recording with no soul. As far as the sound goes, we've tried some new things and it sounds really, really big. I'm very happy with it! I find a Bob Marley song in your CD what inspired you to record the arrangement? I am a big fan of Bob Marley and always loved the song. The melody is so simple but arranging his free phrasing for the guitar while keeping the beat going was a real challenge. I love playing this one live. You have many shows recent years, do you have any unforgettable things or play concerts with some great guitarist? The fantastic thing about the fingerstyle world is that everybody has their own voice and plays differently. It's so inspiring to tour with somebody else because you always go home with new ideas. Touring with Andy McKee was a lot of fun. I drank whiskey at a guitar festival in Ireland with Preston Reed last year and that was fun too, but I didn't feel so good the next day. This week-end there's a festival and I'm opening up for the legendary Bert Jansch - I'm very excited about this one. Then there was a tour through Taiwan with Masaaki Kishibe, Ryohei Shimoyama and Huang Chia-Wei. I really enjoyed the food and good company on the whole trip. Maybe I'll have some stories about China for you in the future?? We know that you have many workshops every year all over the world, we know that fingerstyle guitar is a great study of all kinds of music, the beginners may have difficulties of choosing the door of this style, do you have any advice on fingerstyle "standard lessons"? Like I said before, there is no 'standard' to fingerstyle, we are all so different. It's good to keep your mind open and learn material from as many different players as you can. Everything helps. If you keep working on it, you will get better and better.... Learn how chords are built on a piano or keyboard - it's difficult to understand on guitar but on a piano it makes more sense because you can see the voicings. But for every door you open, there will be two new ones. I am still learning new things every day so it never stops. I believe that if you think you know everything, you have a problem. When did you pick up the guitar, and when did you become interested in fingerstyle guitar? I started playing the electric guitar when I was 13 because I thought Metallica and Guns'N'Roses were so cool. But I lived on a mountain in Austria and there were no bass players or drummers. So it was a bit boring for me. When I found out how versatile the acoustic guitar was, I was in love. Do you play other musical instrument besides acoustic guitar? Did they give you any idea on playing fingerstyle? I play some West African drums - from a tribe called the Ewe in Ghana. When I am in California, I sometimes perform with an ensemble there and love the music and rhythms. And yes, I absolutely get ideas for guitar from them! The drum I play is called 'sogo'. In 2006, I first heard your 'riddle' which was released in 1999, and the first 2 CDs were released in 1995 and 1997 you were very young that year, what was your feeling of releasing your first CD? I was 17 for my first album and 19 for the second one... Of course I was very proud back then, but now I think they are not worth listening to. 'Akaskero' is one of your great hits on YOUTUBE, you know, many fans in China are learning this tune, could you please tell us the meaning of the title and the story behind this masterpiece? Could you offer us some playing advice on it? I was in Finland in 1997, in a little village called Äkäskero ( www.akaskero.com ). Because it is so far in the north, there is no sun in the winter - it's always dark. It's extremely cold and you have "northern lights" and howling wolves outside the window. Magic. It was also a very important time for me and my family - we have always worked very hard and this means we were a bit distant. That winter we grew together again. 'The Winds Are Changing' is a very special tune for me, I'm happy you like it! But to be honest I haven't played this one in many years... I hear each string becoming a voice, how to organize the complex sound in one guitar maybe the most difficult thing in composing, do you have any tricks when writing this kind tunes? I always find it very difficult to answer when somebody asks me that question. Groove and melody are the most important things - if it sounds good to you, play it! 'The Winds Are Changing' was more an exercise in textures - probably the piece that's most inspired by Michael Hedges. The tuning is GGDGGD. Very low :-) I'm a very slow composer - I write a little bit that sounds good and then it's a lot of work to find the rest to make it all one. Right now I'm writing this new song in DADGAD in the key of G - and I'm stuck. So I've decided to put it on the side and wait until after the tour - it's sometimes good to wait and see. 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' has become one of the most famous arrangement on guitar, I think your version contains a story, right? Could you tell us? I arranged this when Eric Roche was very ill and we spoke on the phone and per e-mail and his voice got weaker and weaker... 'Almblearmal Dancing' is a Celtic style music, what kind of music do you like most? it's called 'Almbleamal Landler' - and is an Austrian folk song, not celtic. It's a traditional accordion piece and playing it on guitar is just a joke. People in Austria think it's really funny. I like music from all over the world. For example, I also have a CD with Gu Qin music - I love it. Eric Roche was one of the greatest fingerstyle guitarists, we know you have studied at LMS in 1997 where you met Eric, and can you share some unforgettable stories between you and Eric? I went to the LMS in London to get ear training and learn about harmony and theory - I'm still 95% self-taught as far as guitar is concerned! How I met Eric went like this: I was sitting in a room with 90 students and Eric is looking through the list of names. He says "Thomas Leeb?? - I have your album!" - And I said "which one?" Everybody in the room (and Eric too) were very impressed and I was very happy Eric knew about my music before we met. We became very close friends until his death in 2005 and played many concerts together. He was a very gentle person with a great sense of humour. I miss joking with him on the phone very much. Can you tell me about your guitar and the basic pickup and effects system? Do you use the same equipment when you are in concert and studio? In the studio, we mostly use microphones and only sometimes a bit of the pick-ups. I use a Fishman Rare Earth (internal mic/magnetic pickup) and a K&K Pure Western soundboard transducer for my live sound. I also use the L.R. Baggs Para D.I. and the Highlander PAMDI for tone-shaping. For a very, very little bit of chorus and reverb I use an Alesis NanoVerb. My guitar cables are made by Evidence Audo. And your guitar have a none-finishing part, which is at the cut-away part on the top, do you scratch it? Yes, it's a scratch plate. I stuck it on with double-sided poster tape and it works great. I scratch through one in about 12 months. It's cheaper to put that on than to buy a new guitar. Besides guitar, do you have any other hobbies? My wife! Watching people. Lighting a campfire in my backyard. I have a weakness for video games so I enjoy many hours on the X-box as well. Please recommend some finger-style CDs which are important to you. Alex De Grassi "The Water Garden" Michael Hedges "Aerial Boundaries" Eric Roche "With These Hands" Jon Gomm "Hypertension" What is your taste on choosing guitar and stings? Can you offer some advice to us? I simply love Lowden guitars. They fit what I do perfectly and are a big part of my music. They are different from American-style guitars and have a more complex sound and overtones. The strings I use are .013 - .058 handmade "Wyres" Strings from Canada. The bass strings are thicker because I only tune up to E for one song. Finger-style music contains a lot of elements, what is the most important thing do you think when your are learning or playing your music? Melody, groove and tone. At last, thank you for your time! We are looking forward to your performance in China! It's my pleasure!! I'm looking forward to coming to China in the future!