A personal hero of mine is on the show today: 2-time Grammy nominee, Guitar Virtuoso, Tommy Emmanuel CGP (Certified Guitar Player)! His latest album is 2020’s The Best of Tommysongs, a double CD that features some of Tommy’s best original works with 5 brand new songs.

1:03 Nikhil’s personal musical journey starting with Tommy Emmanuel 5:01 How many solo’s did you learn off records? 6:38 Tommy’s advice for young musicians, “Get to Work!” 7:36 What do you mean by working 3hrs on a song? 8:53 Is it important to get the exact voicing when transcribing things off records? 10:58 Did you learn the complete solos of all these artists you mentioned? 12:00 What is your system for making sure what you improvise fits correctly on top of the chord? 13:06 Did your improvisational skill experience a general increase over the years or were there intense periods of practice at it? 14:37 Is it important to listen to singers? 16:43 Do you compose music like writing a song rather than guitar music 18:10 Do you play the piano? 18:46 Composing in a piano-like manner 19:24 Dixie McGuire 19:52 How long does it take to write a song? 21:20 Does the melody come first or the harmony? 22:07 What is your definition for a musical idea? 22:35 Does the melody dictate the form of the song? 23:58 Composing a song in 20mins and talking about inspiration 27:08 Do you have many sketches of incomplete songs in your archive? 28:37 The horizontal thought process of composing melody with chords/bass underneath 30:39 Tommy attempting to take lessons to learn how to sightread in the past 32:57 Economy in songwriting 34:25 What should someone look for when listening to a great song? 36:09 Chet Atkins, his influence and why he’s so special 38:01 Django Reinhardt 41:23 The Grammys 43:08 Do you have interest in arranging/orchestrating your songs? 44:05 What is your hardest song to play? 44:37 Performing live at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Singapore for billions of viewers 45:50 Do you find inspiration to compose music from physical things in life 47:49 Top 3 Jazz Guitarists 47:56 Top 3 Country Guitarists 48:03 Top 3 Blues Guitarists 48:11 Top 3 Pop Songwriters 48:21 Top 3 Film Composers 48:41 Top 3 Classical Composers 48:59 Top 3 Drummers 49:08 Top 3 Billy Joel songs 49:27 Top 3 Beatles Songs 49:40 Do you get musically inspired by books, movies, non-musical things? 50:54 The Endless Road Documentary, substance abuse past 53:04 The mystique around drugs to improve your creativity 54:24 The importance of good male role models in life 55:56 I Still Can’t Say Goodbye and the connection to the father 58:38 Are you religious or spiritual person? And does it affect your life? 1:00:11 Upcoming projects, albums and events 1:02:22 Wrapping Up