The Chetboard

LEARNING BY WATCHING?

When I first met Tommy Jones in 1976, I expressed how difficult it was for me on my own to learn what he was doing by watching him. He responded with “I learn a lot by watching!” I never forgot that. It never took him much time to learn pretty much anything I showed him. He would often play things back to me better than I was able to when I showed them to him. Over the years I’ve learned that how much I learn by watching someone depends upon how much I already know at that point in time. Over the years the details that were once “mysteries” are much more clear to me than they used to be.

This is a very short clip from a 2-hour concert that Tommy Emmanuel recorded in November of 2021 at The Center for Arts in Natick, MA. (TCAN) and there is no copyright violation because it’s on YouTube. He’s demonstrating a masterful use of harmonics in the song “Secret Love”. If I had watched this a few decades ago, I would have been totally lost. Now it all makes sense but it has also greatly increased my level of respect for the physical ability to achieve such clarity.

This is one of the best up-close examples of utilizing harmonics that I’ve ever seen. Some of you already play these or at least have a good idea of how they are done, but I’m guessing that you’ll learn something by watching this, and others of you are likely to be as lost as I once was.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/388nr4v4d50y3yh/Tommy%27s%20Secret%20Love.mov?dl=0

Rande,

I agree with you. This an excellent demonstration of harmonics at a high level, and the camera work does a great job of showing his hands. Of course, Tommy is at the highest level and plays with such ease. It's a bit mesmerizing and beautifully done, and it's this type of playing that impresses me the most. Thanks for sharing this!

Bill B.

Absolutely gorgeous playing!

Bill and Rich, I agree that this is beautiful and I wouldn't expect to be able to compete with Tommy's disproportionate level of commitment to the time required to develop such a high level of expertise, but just to be able to see the fine details of execution is very valuable to me. I'm NOT a passive listener and I'm always trying to absorb whatever I can that will enhance my own abilities!

Rande,
I know your main reason for posting this was to express learning by watching another play and I suppose I could learn this beautiful piece at a younger age, but at 73 I've learned to listen to and admire another's playing of guitar or piano for that matter. Again, thanks for posting this.

Rich Irvine

Rich, I'll be 73 in a matter of weeks and I can't imagine feeling too old to continue learning in the way that I always have. I've only gotten better at figuring things out, although playing some of them may be a little more difficult when it comes to speed and accuracy. However, the mental process is better than ever! I don't feel that you should give up unless you have truly lost motivation?