Pat Kirtley (born in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, United States) is an American

fingerstyle Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of guitar picking, playing the guitar or bass guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking (plucking individual notes with ...

guitarist, composer and guitar educator.

Biography

Pat Kirtley grew up in a musical Kentucky family. As a child he was exposed to the musical influences of his mother's family – listening to

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

and bluegrass – and his father's family who were more attracted to pop and

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

.''Pat Kirtley'', Interview by James Jensen for Acoustic Music Resource (1999)
Accessed on November 17, 2007. Kirtley's first exposure to guitar, at age 5, was hearing guitarist and composer Spider Rich (writer of many tunes for

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music s ...

, including Yakety Axe) in a small recording studio where Kirtley's father worked as a part-time assistant. Rich was playing fingerstyle in the style of Chet Atkins, and Kirtley says from that moment, he wanted to learn guitar. He began learning at age 8, taught by two uncles who were influenced by Chet Atkins and

Merle Travis Merle Robert Travis (November 29, 1917 – October 20, 1983) was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and guitarist born in Rosewood, Kentucky, United States. His songs' lyrics often discussed both the lives and the economic expl ...

, as well as pop and country music of the day. In his teenage years he was also drawn to

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

and its technology. By age 13, he had acquired a

tape recorder An audio tape recorder, also known as a tape deck, tape player or tape machine or simply a tape recorder, is a sound recording and reproduction device that records and plays back sounds usually using magnetic tape for storage. In its present- ...

and had become interested in electronics, not just using the equipment, but teaching himself how to build and modify it. He soon began experimenting with tone modification and looping techniques on his recorder and took his early steps in recording with some of his first, never to be published compositions as a 14-year-old.

Pat Kirtley's self-introduction to the Looper Forum
Accessed on November 17, 2007. In the early seventies, after having played in groups including pop, rock music">rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, jazz, and a nine-piece Rhythm and blues, R&B show band, Kirtley moved away from electric guitar and began focusing on the acoustic, playing both steel-string and nylon-string guitars. During this time he began to develop his unique playing style, using alternate tunings, and writing original material. In 1974-75 Kirtley recorded his first album, with eastern Kentucky guitarist Wendell Cornett. Though the album was never released, it established the characteristics of Kirtley's acoustic style, introducing tunes like "B-Rod's Rag" and "

Old Joe Clark "Old Joe Clark" is a US folk song, a mountain ballad that was popular among soldiers from eastern Kentucky during World War I and afterwards. Its lyrics refer to a real person named Joseph Clark, a Kentucky mountaineer who was born in 1839 and murde ...

" which were re-recorded 20 years later for his first CD ''Kentucky Guitar''. While always an ardent guitar player, Kirtley began his professional career on the other side of the microphone, working as a

studio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

and producer for twelve years beginning in the mid-70's. He continued playing and creating his compositions, but never published them or pursued working professionally as a guitarist until around 1989, when he began touring as a solo act. In 1992 he entered the fingerstyle competition at the

Walnut Valley Festival The Walnut Valley Festival is an acoustic music festival held annually in Winfield, Kansas, United States. The main genre of music is bluegrass, but a wide variety of other acoustic styles are represented. The festival is held on the Wednesday ...

Winfield, Kansas Winfield is a city and county seat of Cowley County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Walnut River in South Central Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,777. It is home to Southwestern College. Hi ...

- without notable success. He didn't give up, and won the 1994 National Thumbpicking Contest in

Mountain View, Arkansas Mountain View is the largest city in and the county seat of Stone County, Arkansas, United States. Located in the Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U ...

. That same year, he released his first CD ''Kentucky Guitar'', which earned very positive reviews. The next year, 1995, he went to Winfield for the third time and became the ''National Fingerstyle Guitar Champion'' in the Walnut Valley Festival competition. In 1996, Kirtley was chosen to participate in a project for

Narada Records Narada is a record label formed in 1983 as an independent new-age music label and distributed by MCA Records, MCA. A fully owned subsidiary of Universal Music Group and distributed by Capitol Music Group's Blue Note Records, the label evolved thr ...

, a CD titled ''Guitar Fingerstyle'', featuring a collection of tracks from leading contemporary acoustic guitar artists. The release was a success for the label, selling nearly a quarter-million copies worldwide. 1997 and 1998 saw Kirtley releasing two more CDs, ''Irish Guitar'' and ''Rural Life''. Both contain his own solo guitar compositions, and arrangements of pop and traditional tunes. He then appeared on other artist's CDs as accompanying guitarist and also began developing pieces for a group/duo context, leading up to his CD "Just Listen" (2000), which featured collaborations with

Tommy Emmanuel William Thomas Emmanuel (born 31 May 1955) is an Australian guitarist. Regarded as one of the greatest acoustic guitarists of all time, he is known for his complex fingerstyle technique, energetic performances and use of percussive effects on ...

, jazz guitarist Craig Wagner, and acoustic super-group

Nickel Creek Nickel Creek (formerly known as the Nickel Creek Band) is an American bluegrass band consisting of Chris Thile (mandolin), and siblings Sara Watkins (fiddle) and Sean Watkins (guitar). Formed in 1989 in Southern California, they released six alb ...

. The group sound context was further developed on Kirtley's ''Brazilian Guitar'', released in 2002. This CD focuses on Brazilian

Samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...

and

Bossa Nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...

styles and was recorded with an ensemble setting. Here Kirtley's sound comes from the nylon-string guitar instead of his usual steel-string. Through this period, Kirtley also released a number of video projects, including three instructional titles for

Stefan Grossman Stefan Grossman (born April 16, 1945) is an American acoustic fingerstyle guitarist and singer, music producer and educator, and co-founder of Kicking Mule records. He is known for his instructional videos and Vestapol line of videos and DVDs. ...

's Guitar Workshop, as well as producing a number of videos on other artists. In 1999 he released the video ''Nine Pound Hammer: Guitar Styles of Western Kentucky'', produced on-location in

Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Muhlenberg County () is a county in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,928. Its county seat is Greenville. History Muhlenberg County was formed in 1798 from the areas known as Logan and Christian ...

, introducing several significant guitarists in this genre to new audiences. Kirtley also participated in four more CD projects for Narada Records, two CD collections on

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

, and has released two books of transcriptions of his music for Mel Bay Publications. Currently Kirtley tours in the USA and internationally, for concerts, guitar

workshop Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...

s and music camps, producing videos and keeping several recording projects running. He co-authored a book about

home recording Home recording is the practice of recording sound in a private home instead of a professional recording studio. A studio set up for home recording is called a home studio or project studio. Home recording is widely practiced by voice actors, narrat ...

and writes articles for guitar magazines about guitar technique, recording and other related topics, in magazines such as

Electronic Musician ''Electronic Musician'' is a monthly magazine published by Future US featuring articles on synthesizers, music production and electronic musicians. History and profile ''Electronic Musician'' began as ''Polyphony'' magazine in 1975, publis ...

, ''

Acoustic Guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

'', ''Onstage'', ''Home Recording'', and ''Wood & Steel'', as well as in the German magazine ''Akustik Gitarre''.^, From 1996 to 2009, he represented

Taylor Guitars Taylor Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer based in El Cajon, California, and is one of the largest manufacturers of acoustic guitars in the United States. They specialize in acoustic guitars and semi-hollow electric guitars. The company w ...

in workshops and guitar clinics at dealers throughout the US and internationally. In 2006, Kirtley was honored as the newest inductee to the ''National Thumbpicker's Hall of Fame''. Pat Kirtley lives in

Nelson County, Kentucky Nelson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,065. Its county seat is Bardstown. Nelson County comprises the Bardstown, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included ...

Influences and technique

Kirtley's musical influences are quite diverse. He names among others

Jerry Reed Jerry Reed Hubbard (March 20, 1937 – September 1, 2008) was an American singer, guitarist, composer, and songwriter as well as an actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. His signature songs included " Guitar Man", " U.S. Male", "A Thi ...

Lenny Breau Leonard Harold Breau (August 5, 1941 – August 12, 1984) was an American-Canadian guitarist. He blended many styles of music, including jazz, country, classical, and flamenco. Inspired by country guitarists like Chet Atkins, Breau used fingers ...

Mose Rager Moses Rager (April 2, 1911 – May 14, 1986) was a guitar player from Kentucky. He is credited with creating the thumb-picking style of guitar playing - which he taught to Merle Travis. Laverda Rager was the daughter of Mose Rager. She was i ...

Les Paul Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, and his prototype ...

Doc Watson Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. W ...

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czechs, Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravian traditional music, Moravia and his native Bohemia, following t ...

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

Edgar Varèse Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, rev ...

Antonio Carlos Jobim Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

, Luis Bonfa,

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...

Harry Partch Harry Partch (June 24, 1901 – September 3, 1974) was an American composer, music theorist, and creator of unique musical instruments. He composed using scales of unequal intervals in just intonation, and was one of the first 20th-century com ...

Wendy Carlos Wendy Carlos (born Walter Carlos, November 14, 1939) is an American musician and composer best known for her electronic music and film scores. Born and raised in Rhode Island, Carlos studied physics and music at Brown University before moving ...

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

Bernard Herrmann Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in composing for films. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely re ...

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They got ...

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a dist ...

and

Keith Jarrett Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945) is an American jazz and classical music pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also been a ...

. In the early years of his career he drew from country and bluegrass sources, but at the close of the '80s he began to explore Irish – Celtic music, using alternate tunings like

DADGAD , or Celtic tuning is an alternative guitar tuning most associated with Celtic music, though it has also found use in rock, folk, metal and several other genres. Instead of the standard tuning () the six guitar strings are tuned, from low to high, ...

in guitar arrangements of

Irish fiddle The Celtic fiddle is one of the most important instruments in the traditional repertoire of Folk music of Ireland, Celtic music. The fiddle itself is identical to the violin, however it is played differently in widely varying regional styles. In t ...

and airs. Later he ventured to Brazilian and South American music, adding to a repertoire not easily categorized. His compositions are a blend of folk, pop, and other traditions. Coming from Kentucky, his " finger-" or "thumbpicker"-roots are close to the playing of Chet Atkins, Merle Travis and Doc Watson. Kirtley uses his thumb for a regular and driving

alternate bass In music, alternate bass is a performance technique on many instruments where the bass alternates between two notes, most often the root and the fifth of a triad or chord. The perfect fifth is often, but not always, played below the root, tr ...

while playing the melody with the other fingers. This melody is often

syncopated In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "place ...

and creates a swinging tension in conjunction with the regular alternate bass. Additionally he uses the

frailing Clawhammer, sometimes called down-picking, overhand, or frailing, is a distinctive banjo playing style and a common component of American old-time music. The principal difference between clawhammer style and other styles is the picking direct ...

-technique like a

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

player by lightly brushing several or all strings, alternating down- and upstrokes with bass notes. His bass-lines are meticulously composed and often repeatedly take over parts of the melody. In several of his pieces he uses single note runs build from open and fretted strings creating a very particular sound, mostly in

intro Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to: General use * Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music * Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...

- and outro-parts and bridges leading from one part of the piece to the next. Kirtley mainly composes short and clearly structured pieces, containing three

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

es, with variations in the second and third chorus and an ending repeating the main melody.

Guitars and technical equipment

On his CDs and in concerts Pat Kirtley uses the following guitars^,:''Pat Kirtleys gear'', by Teja Gerken. Acoustic Guitar, issue #57
. Accessed on November 17, 2007. * Martin MC-28 * Martin 00-17 (1952) * Taylor NS42 Nylon * Taylor 512-CE * Taylor 514-C * Kirk Sand electroacoustic * Godin Multiac

MIDI MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...

guitar His favored Taylor has an EMG magnetic soundhole- pickup with Fishman pickups in other guitars. On stage he mixes the pickup-signal with the input of a good

condenser microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and public ...

. In the recording studio he records with microphones and additional effects. Along with the Godin Multiac MIDI guitar he uses a Roland GR-series

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

, Lexicon Jamman, and Lexicon and Alesis reverbs. Kirtley uses a Fred Kelly thumbpick and plays with plastic-reinforced nails. He prefers .012 to .054"-gauge ''Elixir Phosphor Bronze Light'' strings.

Discography

Compiled mainly from discography at Funky MusicPat Kirtley discography and product list at Funky Music
Accessed on November 16, 2007. * 1994 ''Kentucky Guitar'' (Mainstring Music) * 1997 ''Irish Guitar'' (Mainstring Music) * 1998 ''Rural Life'' (Mainstring Music) * 2000 ''Just Listen'' (Mainstring Music) * 2002 ''Brazilian Guitar'' (Mainstring Music) * 2011 ''December Smiles'' (Mainstring Music)

Collaborations, guest musician

* 1999 ''Before My Time'', Todd Hallawell (Soundset) * 2001 ''Wanted! Jesse James Alias: Steve Rector'', Steve Rector (Hound Sound Music) * 2004 ''Exotic America'', Andy Robinson (Brontosaurus Records) * 2005 ''Contrast'', with Pauly Zarb (Pauly Zarb and Pat Kirtley)

Compilations

* 1996 ''Guitar Fingerstyle: A Narada Collection'' (Narada) * 1997 ''Dance of the Celts: A Narada Collection'' (Narada) * 1997 ''Masters of Acoustic Guitar'' (Narada) * 1998 ''Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar V. 1: The Blarney Pilgrim'' (Rounder Records ROUN3157) * 1998 ''Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar V. 2: Ramble to Cashel'' (Rounder Records ROUN3156) * 1998 ''Acoustic Guitar Highlights, Vol. 2'' (Solid Air) * 2001 ''Guitar Fingerstyle 2: A Narada Collection'' (Narada)

Video, DVD

* 1998 ''The Blarney Pilgrim'' (vestapol 13063dvd) * 1998 ''Ramble to Cashel'' (vestapol 13029dvd) * 2004 ''Nine Pound Hammer: Guitar Styles of Western Kentucky'' (vestapol 13081dvd) * 2004 ''Introduction to Thumbstyle Guitar'' (Mel Bay Productions GW301DVD) * 2005 ''Introduction To Alternate Tunings'' (Mel Bay Productions GW302DVD) * 2005 ''Introduction To Celtic Fingerstyle'' Guitar (Mel Bay Productions GW303DVD) * 2008 ''Pickin' Like Chet Vol 1'' Guitar (Stefan Grossman's Workshop GW985/6)2-DVD set * 2008 ''Pickin' Like Chet Vol 2'' Guitar (Stefan Grossman's Workshop GW987/8)2-DVD set

Sheet music, books

* 1999 ''Acoustic Guitar Artist Songbook, Vol. 1''. String Letter Publishing, * 2000 ''Kentucky Guitar''. Mel Bay Productions 97331D, * 2000 ''Master Anthology of Fingerstyle Guitar Solos Vol.1''. Mel Bay Productions 98370BCD, * 2003 ''Irish Guitar: Celtic Guitar Solos''. Mel Bay Productions 97332, * 2006 ''Home Recording Studio Basics''. Mike Levine, David Darlington, Pat Kirtley, Rusty Cutchin (Cherry Lane Music).

References

External links

Pat Kirtley at MySpace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirtley, Pat American acoustic guitarists American male guitarists Fingerstyle guitarists 1952 births American audio engineers Living people 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians