Search - Tommy Emmanuel- Up Close on DVD

An intimate lesson with one of the world's great musicians

Mark J. Fowler | Okinawa, Japan | 02/14/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First things first: Tommy Emmanuel, if you hadn't heard, is a spectacular acoustic guitarist. (Among his many awards are the 2008 "Best Acoustic Guitarist" from Guitar Player magazine.) His playing is jaw-droppingly difficult and perhaps best of all, accomplished with an enthusiastic zeal that seems to convey "hey! I REALLY like playing this!"

A student of Chet Atkins and widely acknowledged as Australia's greatest guitarist for years, Tommy Emmanuel came to the Winfield National Guitar Championship in 2000 and won. This would be roughly the equivalent of an unknown Aussie entering the NBA Slam-Dunk championship and winning.


This DVD succeeds on two levels: the playing is pure Emmanuel - melodic and rhythmic and flowing with pure joy. If you're a guitarist who wants to see how he does it up close, this DVD is the ticket.

The previous reviewer mentions (correctly) that the music is difficult and that the Emmanuel style is best suited to "ear" players rather than adhering to the written page. I have no idea if the man can read a note of music.

But complaining that the DVD doesn't give you all the tools you need to play the same as Tommy is like complaining that watching a DVD of the Australian slam-dunk champion doesn't make you able to dunk.

This is not the lesson for a beginner player, and it is also not for one who plays solely by tablature or from written music.

But to get an up close look at some of the most amazing six-string wizardry ever recorded - it's a must."

Great as entertainment, poor as guitar lesson...

K. R. Caudle | 09/11/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"First off, let's get this out of the way: I LOVE Tommy Emmanuel's playing. He is nothing short of incredible! Virtuoso is probably a better discription.

That said, the best and brightest minds in any given discipline do not always make the best teachers. And, in this video at least, that's the case with Tommy.

As advertised, Tommy does take a few songs on this DVD and go through them slowly, breaking them down part by part and this is somewhat helpful (but BEWARE--by no means does he do this with all or even most songs listed). The problem is that the camera can't always see everything he's doing, even when he does it slowly, and Tommy is not very good about telling us. He will point out a chord here or there, if it's a strange one, but he expects a great deal from the viewer. And that's fine, but the DVD should be advertised as best for advaced by-ear learners. I consider myself a decent guitarist, and I can play some of Tommy's stuff quite well, but I'm a poor by-ear learner.

There is no tablature or notation included in booklet form or even on-screen. That simple addition would have made a world of difference for me.

So, I wish I could give this DVD two ratings. It is a joy to listen to (his playing, for me, always is), and entertaining to watch as it is a very casual setting. For that, I'd give it 4 stars. But this DVD doesn't live up to its billing of "a private lesson." Well, that's not true. It is a private lesson with Tommy. It's just that, in this video, he's not such a good teacher! For that, I give it 2 stars."