Tommy Emmanuel - Saltwater

[garfinorbit]

an absolute killer stretch ! :D i did a cover of this song too.

[dr05guitar]

wow this is amazing, tommy's music always so pleasing

[devilforlife123]

its as easy as shelling peas for tommy , but for us mere mortals, tough as nut.

[mytubesme]

I just love Tommy. He takes such a delicate melody and plays with such clarity and flawless style and feeling. An absolute master of the Guitar!

[MikeConnehaye]

Not only technically the best ever, but also a gate to ... he brings it to us.

[dunnowhathuh]

Great rendition of an awesome song.

[greenwallguitar]

This guy is amazing. No way this could ever be arranged more beautifully than this. Solo guitarist/cowboy Steve Jirak has a really cool little UP-TEMPO arrangement of this tune posted that you should check out. He's no Tommy, but it's still pretty cool. While you're at it, check out his solo reggae arrangement of Red Red Wine, it's pretty cool too.

[PietjeP92]

he is using a custom maton guitar, looks like one from the ebg series, with a flatpick, he plays this song while 'hybrid picking'

[natlongrox]

hi, what guitar are you using?

[IronMan360]

He's using an Australian company called Maton guitar.

[psychopathtoine]

is he using a thumbpick?

[willtaylorguitar]

I think it's a flatpick on this song.

[AndyCeeeee]

what kinda guitar is that? the hole is closed up i think...

[calcorrfan]

He plays a Maton. The devise in the hole prevents feedback.

[ZebZeppelin]

most people that play guitarists are known for their riffs, not particularly their skills, i mean given, slash buckethead, jimmy page, john paul jones, angus young and slash have come up with some of the greatest riffs we know today, but Tommy emanuel has been playing for 47 YEARS thats a longass fucking time. correct me if im wrong, its either 47 or 37, but, either way, he has that much practice under his belt, and, even stevie ray vaugh, or eric clapton, hell even van halen cant compare 2 TE

[MrMrSnack]

@ZebZeppelin i think its not just his practice. tommy was born to play guitar

[adam7979]

sigh... does anyone even come close to him....

[Gnarlycardz]

dam that stretch is hard. 2nd fret to 7th!

[wilhorstman]

excuse me: Do you have an accurate tab from salt water?...Gr. WH

[aryel123]

I would like to know which amp he is using. The guitar sounds so warm and alive - I know it's his playing but it's also the pre amp in the guitar and the guitar amp. It's probably a tube from what I can hear...

[pootubeftw]

how can you possibly tell that from listening to a sucky qualtiy youtube video? :p

[aryel123]

Because tube has very distinct beautiful sound. In order to put on youtube you change the format of the sound. It means that lots of frequencies are cut but some still remain. If the source is high quality the remaining sounds are high quality. I also have a nice earphone amp and sound card that help.

[gianno120992]

It's an AER Aplha. I mean he uses that now but he used to use an AER compact 60 II. hope it helps

Gianno

[william1theguitarwah]

lol yeh definatly, what kind of god like this would use a solid state

[tntornadojpm]

if you look at the forums on his site they show what amps he uses.

[stevieRay3211]

Man, some of those chords are sic. Rock on TE.

[hascha08]

Is he one of the best or THE best ?!

[tommietunes]

THE best.

[1AussieAvenger1]

awesome.. the most repected guitar player in australia. they dont come any better than tommy emmanuel

[bjjforme]

I think that he is the most respected guitar player in the world, hes the man and Im a kiwi lol

[J0sA1Ac]

that stretch is mad.

[themanicwombat]

This is a gorgeous song. Personally I prefer his version to the original. (*puts on flame proof suit*)

I am trying to learn it but that stretch from the barre on fret 2 up to the pinkie on fret 7 is an absolute killer.

[666RIPblink182]

Yeah it really is. But I changed it up so that the notes are played on differnt strings so it soudns the same but is played alot easier. It still soudns great.

[g8rman05]

it's great to read that other people's reactions mirror mine so closely, truly a beautiful song...and person. themanicwombat instead of stretching from the 2nd with the pinkie on the 7 fret, use a barred 'a' on the 5 fifth fret moving where your pinkie would be on the chord to the 7th fret. you can definitely make it sound as good as tommy, just doesn't look as cool ;)

[Cardathing]

@themanicwombat same for me - it's kind of depressing because I just realized my hands are too small for this song. maybe I should try it on a 3/4 guitar.. -.-

have you figured it out yet? I would love to get some helpful ideas :-)

[jonborne]

i was here ;) niiiice!!

[jacky555222333]

tab pigs . com had some saltwater tabs that I found... not quite right but it'll get you started

(no spaces by the way)

[mara235]

This is lovely - did he write this song?

[virolac31]

I believe it's originally a Julian Lennon song

[shalotlady]

no Julian Lennon did.

[QueenBeatlesWings]

@mara235 no, it's by Julian Lennon. on Julian's facebook page he commented that Tommy's version is so far "the best cover" he's heard. Julian wrote this and sings it, it has lyrics about the state of the world like the environment and starving kids and sadness at how nobody is doing anything.

[g8rman05]

hey guys, there are a couple tabs for this song on sites like 911tabs. they're pretty good for the most part

[jonborne]

I was there!! In the back, but still nice to see, the weather was nice that day too!

[terrysteward]

absolutely superb !!!

[arrrang]

Great song! Amazing perfomance! ;) ehhh this song is to hard for me to nail it be ear.. Anybody got tabs for it?? ;) Cheers!

[bogs714]

me too!! i need a tab for this!!

[eric7kim]

can someone tell me where to get hte full tab for this song i really want it bad!!!

someone tell me

[simonjung]

Beautiful!!!!

[shortcircuit1977]

How dare anyone speak when Tommys playing

[carlidomin]

Wow, this is some pretty good some quality You've got here...All the better to hear Tommy with! lol

[virolac31]

Thanks! :)

[geetarwanabe]

what camera were you using to record with this? / mic?

[virolac31]

I have a Sony DCR-TRV11E. No external Mic.

[fartlocks]

amazing, tommy just a question, how long have you been playing for, you are my idol guitarist.

i am just an amateaur guitarist, ive been playing for about 2 years now, and i look up to you, keep up the good work

[virolac31]

Well, I don't know if Tommy himself is gonna read this - in fact I highly doubt it ;-)

(although it would be massively cool!!)

So I'm going to tell you what I know: Tommy was born in 1955 and said in several interviews that he began playing when he was 4 years old. So if my math is correct that would be nearly five decades now.

[fartlocks]

oh alright, well whos this then?

[virolac31]

I'm just a simple but devoted Tommy-Fan from a little country in Central Europe, who was lucky enough to get to see (and film) him at a workshop in Germany.

[fartlocks]

ohhh, you are so lucky to see tommy live

[virolac31]

I am (was) indeed. That's why I'm getting all excited when I think of August and the next TommyFest in Germany. Can't wait!

[yuvents]

My vocal told me that all the greats make music so easy. Truth is it is never easy to begin with. But with passion and dedication to the art you'll end up making things look easy. Tommy made me go to the shop, and I ended up with a Maton. Found my true love again. It's wood, and it's awkward to play but hey it makes me happy when I get some things right and make it look easy ;)

'Tony Enamel' (so Tommy jokingly refers to himself) is simply inspirational. Cheers!

[yuvents]

correction: I meant to write 'My vocal coach'

[Taylor314T5]

Damn it, how does he make it look so easy. I have learnt the song, but even when I play slowly I can't get it that clean and smooth...Tommy is friggen awesome

[crazyfingerpicker]

I asked him that during a workshop and he said one word- "Practice". Just like Chet did it :)

[Taylor314T5]

I just uploaded a video of me playing saltwater. Should be available in a could days. The verses are good, but the chorus section has many mistakes. You should check it out...maybe in a day as I only uploaded it earlier today.

[kompak]

tommy is the man!

[acoustic2rock]

check out doyle dykes and harry sacksioni

[Starwars83]

You know, it's funny. This song has never really done it for me, even though I haven't disliked it or anything.

But I found this performance really heartbreaking, I mean wow. Beautifully played, it really "opened my eyes" to this song.

Thanks a lot for the upload.

[bigdood]

has anyone ever known any musician... any performer... that has attained this level of proficiency -- that is this willing to share with anyone who asks what it has taken him/her a lifetime to learn?  I met him in Nashville this week... and he is a truly humble, remarkably gifted human being. Man invented the guitar and God gave us Tommy to play it. Thanks for posting these great closeups, (for some of us it is much easier than reading tableture).

[virolac31]

Very well said and I agree 100%.

I'm glad you enjoy these little videos.

[crazyfingerpicker]

I met Tommy this year at a workshop. Absolutely true...the most humble, kind and open musician I have ever met. Total mastery of the instrument and willing to share every technique. Not to mention a plain 'nice guy'.

[QueenBeatlesWings]

@bigdood yes, Laurence Juber has a similar style, but he also writes his own music and has released numerous instruction DVDs. he's an amazing fingerstyle guitarist who played for Paul McCartney in Paul's band Wings. He can do even more with a guitar, acoustic or electric

[andydunnigan]

any more?