I’m delighted to be joining the Harp Guitar Gathering in Lawrence, Kansas, this November. From 1985 to 1997, I worked closely with Michael Hedges, producing detailed transcriptions of his music for publication. Drawing on previously unreleased video of Michael performing and teaching, I’ll … [Read more...] about Harp Guitar Gathering, November 13-15, Lawrence, Kansas
A Double Honor for the Leo Kottke Companion
I’m happy to share that Leo Kottke/6- and 12-String Guitar: A Companion, which I coauthored with Benjamin Kammin and published through Stropes Editions, Ltd., has received First Prize in Book Design and First Prize in Music for Fretted Instruments in the Music Publishers Association’s 2026 Paul … [Read more...] about A Double Honor for the Leo Kottke Companion
Jon Gomm Acoustic Guitar Bootcamp, August 26-30, 2026, The Asha Centre, Forest Of Dean, Gloucestershire, UK
Jon Gomm, Pino Forastiere, Thomas Leeb, Chris Woods. This sounds great! I think we should go! https://jongomm.com/bootcamp?srsltid=AfmBOoqnp4d0XjJROBtFIVGc73CviBgzc6tXI4826ulJNUrp-trt1IYG … [Read more...] about Jon Gomm Acoustic Guitar Bootcamp, August 26-30, 2026, The Asha Centre, Forest Of Dean, Gloucestershire, UK
Leo Kottke and Julian Lage Concert, August 20, 2026, Brookfield, WI
Leo Kottke and Julian Lage will share the stage in a rare joint concert at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts in Brookfield, Wisconsin, on August 20, 2026. Kottke brings a deeply personal musical language shaped by decades of exploration; Lage brings an open-ended musical curiosity and an … [Read more...] about Leo Kottke and Julian Lage Concert, August 20, 2026, Brookfield, WI
The Music of Leo Kottke Workshops at Interlochen, July 27–31, 2026
John Stropes will join the Interlochen Acoustic Guitar Retreat, July 27–31, 2026, to present two workshops devoted to the music of Leo Kottke. The sessions will explore “The Last of the Arkansas Greyhounds” and “Cripple Creek,” drawing on the research and transcriptions developed for Leo Kottke/6- … [Read more...] about The Music of Leo Kottke Workshops at Interlochen, July 27–31, 2026
The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast 535: John Stropes
A long-form conversation with Jason Verlinde is now available. We talk about Leo Kottke/6- and 12-String Guitar: A Companion—how it came to be, why we approached the 1969 album as an important cultural document, and what it takes to preserve music with real fidelity (not just the notes, but the … [Read more...] about The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast 535: John Stropes
“Because It’s There,” harp guitars, The Shape of the Land, 植村直己物語, 冰峰物语, and Lost in the Wilderness
Michael Hedges’ composition “Because It’s There,” first released on the recording The Shape of the Land in 1986, was a milestone in guitar literature — a major event. The harp guitar was fashionable in the US in the early 1900s, but it was rarely used in virtuosic music. While its photogenic … [Read more...] about “Because It’s There,” harp guitars, The Shape of the Land, 植村直己物語, 冰峰物语, and Lost in the Wilderness
Joseph Spence
by John Stropes and Justin Segel Joseph Spence is an artistic paradox. His music is powerful, captivating, and unique, yet he has never composed a song. He lives in the Bahamas, but describing him as a “Bahamian guitarist” is both inadequate and misleading. Spence has drawn upon the Bahamian … [Read more...] about Joseph Spence