Tommy Emmanuel

Tommy Emmanuel at Robert Kirk Walker Theatre

Follow the bass line for a few seconds. Now listen to the tune above it. Tommy Emmanuel can play both on one guitar, and there’s a special pleasure in seeing how he does it. His Living in the Light Tour comes to the Walker Theatre in Chattanooga on Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.

Emmanuel’s fingerstyle playing has a connection to Chet Atkins, the mentor associated with his Certified Guitar Player designation. You can hear the appeal of that tradition without knowing a thing about technique. Pick a melody and stay with it. Then pay attention to the lower strings and notice how much motion was underneath it the whole time. The same few bars can give you two completely different things to listen for.

If you play, bring the friend who always stops a video to figure out what a guitarist just did. If you’ve never picked up an instrument, bring someone who likes to get absorbed in a sound. Live guitar gives both of you something a recording leaves out. You can watch the small movements that make a phrase ring out and see how little it takes to change the feel of a line.

Look up ticket options for Tommy Emmanuel and spend an evening hearing what one guitar can do.