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Papa George by Tommy Emmanuel Guitar Lesson

Tommy Emmanuel

SONG DETAILS

DIFFICULTY:

7

TUNING:

Standard

CAPO:

2nd fret

TEMPO:

Around 140 BPM

KEY:

F# major

Papa George was written by Tommy Emmanuel and the song appears on his 2011 album ‘Little By Little’. Like virtually all of his songs, it’s tricky to play and not one for beginners. Emmanuel is without doubt one of the finest acoustic guitar players alive today and he holds nothing back when it comes to his songwriting.

What I personally love about Emmanuel’s writing is that, as musically clever as he is, he still writes songs for people of all walks. His songs may be very challenging to play and often used by people to boast about their capabilities, but underneath all the showmanship and astonishing techniques are great songs. Great chords, great melody, great rhythm and brilliant feel.

I’ve personally learnt a huge amount from watching/studying him, and if you’re new to his music I urge you to study his songs deeply.

Learn To Play Papa George

Papa George (Performance)

As you learn to play this fingerstyle arrangement of Papa George, be sure to frequently return to the performance as a good reference point and guide.

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Verse

There really is a lot going on here, and it’s very easy to miss things. When I was learning this I watched Tommy play it over and over again and to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. The especially crazy thing is is that Papa George is one his easier songs to play!

Bridge

This is really the only other main section of the song; it’s certainly no easier than the verse and you may even find it a little harder. Don’t worry, I have faith in you!

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Ending

A short but jam-packed ending here, there always seems to be one last surprise up Emmanuel’s sleeve.

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