William Thomas "Tommy" Emmanuel

Difficult to find gloves.

http://soundcloud.com/tommyemmanuel/fave-chord

I think I learned a lot about ego and self importance from some experts in this field in my young years in Australia! It was obvious to me that I could play when I was young, and when I finally came to the big city and saw musicians much better than me, it was a great lesson...and instead of getting disillusioned about my own abilities, I chose to really get to work and was inspired to humbly ask every musician I came across many questions. And I learned a lot, and I still do.

I have always been energetic and positive, it's not something that I think about, it's just a part of who I am. When you see me on stage, that's who I am off stage as well.

Because I've always played songs, I can remember them right back to my childhood. However, some of the more complicated ones that I've written, I often have to practise to remember the fingering.

Thanks for the drawing!

Please retrieve your guitar, dry it out and start playing it again! There are so many great players, past and present, who are mind blowing and so inspiring. I know I can't play like Joe Satriani or George Benson, but I can play like me and appreciate all the greatness around me.

It helps us to watch gifted musicians doing what they're born to do, so don't get discouraged by trying to compare yourself to somebody as good as Jeff Beck. None of us will ever play like him. However, we can try to be the best we can. Play on!

I'm never annoyed about playing Classical Gas. My guess is that the sound was not inspiring me and it was the sound that was annoying me. This happens sometimes when I play large halls and cannot hear or feel the PA system, which is my world. That's all I can think of!

Penny Lane, by The Beatles.

1. It's up to you to get the melody out properly, not the mid-range on your amp! If you can get the melody to stand out acoustically, then set the amp with everything flat, then it should sound good!

2. I'm coming in for one day on the workshop, so my part of the workshop will be concentrated and I will try to help as many people as possible and give everybody a chance to play as well.

Thank you for your kind words. The only way to build fluency and speed is by practise and dedication. It takes time, and sometimes people never reach the level they dream of and so they quit. This is a shame...you should find where your strengths lie and really go for it. Speed isn't everything, it's the quality and integrity of your music that will last.

I've never embarrassed myself on stage...others have done that for me!