On the 17th of September 2009 Tommy Emmanuel came and delivered one of the most inspiring and invigorating clinics I have ever had the honour of attending.
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Here Tommy talks about his evolution as a guitar player and musician. He began his musical adventures by learning songs from the radio and, having never seen a bass guitar before, he learned how to play both rhythm and bass parts.
(Plays a section of 'The Savage' by the Shadows - 0:43)
It wasn't until he was 6 years old, 2 years after beginning to learn the guitar, that he saw his first bass guitar, a Fender Precision Bass, at a concert that he and his brother had played. It was also here that he first saw the Bee Gees.
After hearing Chet Atkins on the radio, and being drawn in by his unique style, Tommy began to learn Chet's work; this was made easier by the fact that he had been playing bass and rhythm parts for some time already. His struggle with flatpicks came to an end some time later when Tommy final saw an album cover of Chet's, with him holding a thumpick.
(Plays a section of 'Windy and Warm' by Chet Atkins - 5:35)
Tommy admired Chet for his inventiveness and his use of the independent thumb technique; he recommends that anyone who wishes to pursue this style should start with the simplest of songs so that the motor skills can become engrained in one's playing.
At the end of this section Tommy demonstrated a thumb stretching exercise that he came up with, describing it as "rather hairy" - so not for the faint of heart! (8:09)
He also demonstrated the differences in his hands that the nearly 50 years of playing have done; his right thumb is remarkably flexible, whereas that of his left is rather rigid due to the sheer about of rhythm playing he has done.
"I come from the bush ... where men are men, and the sheep are nervous."
- Tommy Emmanuel (4:07)