Tommy Emmanuel Teaches Variations in "Freight Train" by Elizabeth Cotten | Reverb Learn to Play

Tommy Emmanuel is an Elizabeth Cotten fan, and his lesson on how to play her iconic "Freight Train" shows that the world should follow suit. The famed Australian guitarist runs through the melodic structure of this folk classic so you can try it out and add it to your repertoire.
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[@tr24291]

I’ve been playing Freight Train for about 40 years and I thought I played it quite well and in one short video he’s given me and every other fingerpicker enough lessons to keep me busy for weeks. What a wonderful gift to share with the world. I’ll never play it as well as him but I’ll sure have fun adding some of those moves to my version.

[@gepal7914]

Try listening to the Doc Watson version. My preferred.

[@DM-hk4cw]

Elizabeth Cotten played it upside-down, left handed to boot. She wrote this tune at age 11, which I find astonishing. Great video on this rendition.

[@lifetimestruggle55]

i find it easier to obseve backwards n upside down weirdly....

[@bk1bennett]

I like the little hints that Tommy leaves us that none of this comes without a lot of work: "Rewind this a few thousand times," because that is what I had to do. Of course, he didn't have youtube, but he had a very strong desire to be the best he could be. Wow, what a result he achieved.

[@yadurocky]

bk1bennett very true

[@pardieupopper339]

Practice til your fingers bleed, as Mark Knopfler puts it.

[@Hawkswill]

LOL....I did that with a little portable cassette player.....would tape the songs and then....rewind....rewind!

[@42014202]

I have listened to him once playing Freight Train, and I played exactely like him on my first try, last night in my dreams. Don't know why, it didn't sound as good with my guitar this morning. It seems like if I forgot some notes. Thank you Mr.Emmanuel for taking the time to share your knowledge with us . Thanks to you, at 72, I'm finally enjoying playing guitar.

[@MrBigdee183]

HAHA!! Its probably just your guitar. Thats my problem... My guitar doesnt have all those notes so I gotta get me one of those Maton guitars!

[@Raina430]

😂🤣😂🤣 I started playing this 50 years ago, but I haven’t played in Decades. I thought I’d try to pick it up again. Your comment cracked me up. Good luck with your playing!

[@bholderried5555]

Every time you play "Freight Train"-- whether it's around a campfire, at an open mic, or otherwise -- please mention the fact that it was written by Elizabeth Cotton. She's the one we have to thank for this gem of a song, and more people need to know her name.

[@t-rexkalita1379]

Its cotten

[@AmarSingh-bq4nl]

Mister can you teach me like your own son but,I,m from,India,yes,or,No,my,dad,

[@michellelee8276]

Yea, it is disrespectful that he doesn’t even mention Elizabeth Cotten’s name. Also, his version is awful compared to the original. It’s not supposed to be a happy song… it is supposed to be played tuned down.

[@onefull1]

I absolutely agree with all who’ve stated, “Give credit where credit is due.” Miss Cotten rightly deserves a mention of credit. I just recently learned of Elizabeth Cotten, and I’m happy I did. R.I.P Libby.

[@stephenkim7277]

Her name is written on the title of this video .😊

[@garywillis2031]

I don’t think there is another person on earth that enjoys playing guitar more than Tommy. He does this all day and night and never looks like isn’t having fun both playing and teaching. I met this great man a couple of years ago and it was a time of my life, and I was 75 at the time and he took as much time with the meet and great people that that was necessary. Never get tired of listening.

[@andytekno]

The best acoustic guitarist alive today and there will never be anyone like him.

[@Latchy77]

Bryan Sutton

[@nedlambton6602]

Billy Strings is better. Fact not opinion.

[@nedlambton6602]

Richard Smith is also better

[@joeesquire5927]

I am 58 now....maybe I’ll get it by the time I am 70.....love Tommy’s unassuming style. He is the best. Period.

[@percival743]

So true

[@joeinterrante7873]

been playing guitar for 50 years, but this..wow so much harder than it looks. I need another 50 years Lord.

[@usernamemykel]

Hi, the Lord sent me. His message: "Sorry, but you're SOL".

[@usernamemykel]

Kilo Mintoni Funny!

[@tomasd2112]

Just perfection in every way. As a beginner guitarist I have to say that hearing string buzz every now and then in Tommy's playing is very encouraging!

[@chetansanghani6284]

It's going to sound crazy, but I've been slowly coming to love fret buzz and string slide sounds in recordings, it just feels more real

[@travelingsnowflakehermes517]

If you're hearing a buzz it's probably on purpose with Tommy lol

[@thomaslemon3971]

@@chetansanghani6284 Man I thought I was the only one. Been appreciating the little human imperfections more too. The only thing I can’t stand is an out of tune guitar. Makes it distractingly unlistenable

[@eashwar1231]

I agree. That's because Tommy prefers a very low acoustic action.

[@Priyadarshan_Nag]

Tommy is a true musician and an amazing human being! Just love this guy 😊

[@sbkpilot1]

I love the way Tom plays it with the little hammer ons, slides and bends thrown in

[@johnsmith-xr6qy]

I have played this over & over. I left for dinner and came back and found Elizabeth Cotton. Wow she plays a right hand guitar upside down (left handed) without moving the strings!!! Wow that is mind boggling to me (can't play anything but the radio)HOW did she do that?

[@haraldsvik1452]

Took me a whole day to get this straight. And I have been playing for 10 years...

[@BibleStorm]

I've been playing for 14-15 years, got the basic version of this down in about an hour. Long way to go but, it's pretty sloppy. I'd wager your day of practice was 24 times more productive than my hour.

[@waynegreene6405]

Used to watch Tommy and his brother Phil playing at our local RSL at Miranda, Sydney in the early 70s. Bloody fantastic.

[@Nils3OWN]

He's such a lovely guy! Always so wholesome, but being true and saying it takes immense practice - GOOD practice, to actually play something like this in one take. A few thousand times is not an exaggeration unless you've been playing for decades.

[@Josh-it6uy]

What a charming man.

[@vincentsabatino4480]

Tommy never disappoints could listen 24/7

[@SetFreeByTruth]

7:35 "There's a lot of ideas that just went by you." Well said, sir!

[@milesotoole8664]

great person and world's best fingerstyle guitarist. I'll learn this song as I"ve learned many such tunes.

[@ldelcarmen]

Finally got the chance to see TE live at Pepperdine University in Malibu last year and if you have a chance to do so, go see him in person. His playing so crisp and articulated to go along with his infectious, self deprecating humor

[@granada025]

Love it, that was my favorite song 50 years ago and today.

[@hadenhenha]

This man is unbelievable... great musician, great person! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us!

[@allan2098]

He is an amazing talent and I can state that there is a clear way he is so brilliant. His timing is perfect. Whatever he does, whatever fancy technical trick he plays, he is ALWAYS in time perfectly. So, even if he makes a mistake or fluffs a note, it is in time, and sounds great.

[@robertfarmer7427]

Tommy, You did a concert back in September of 2021, not far from my home near Columbia South Carolina, at the Charleston Music Hall, in Charleston South Carolina. What a Concert that was! I was fortunate to have a 2nd row seat near center stage at that concert. We bought our tickets way early, as I insisted on the best possible seat I could get. I was a bit mesmerized by the young lady who opened for you. It was a definite treat to see and hear "Yasmine" perform her unique talent. Of course the big moment came when you stepped out and "got down on the strings". One of my "bragging rights" is that I now have been within 20 feet of the sounds radiating from your guitars, while I noticed the enthusiasm flying out of you and listening to the silence of the crowd as they "bent their ears" to not miss a note, myself included. What a performance you gave! Hopefully I will be fortunate to attend another of your concerts again one day. Keep on "Keeping On"!

[@danielabatabogdanov8586]

To me this is the perfect. He does not make it too easy to understand which leaves me stopping the video so I actually learn the way by heart not just following the teacher.

[@skeymoson]

Thank you Tommy for being so generous with your gift.

[@sambeach2726]

In his home Australia Tommy played in all sorts of genres. I saw him with his late brother Phil together. Great show.

[@todd620]

Out of all the styles of guitar I keep coming back to listening to this thumb style. It’s just crazy addicting to hear fast or slow

[@musicfanmusic1249]

I love this guy...his love for music, He's happy like a little child while playing.....true artist and inspiration

[@morsecode5078]

Man he makes that guitar sing. Always impressed with the master of acoustic.

[@stefandoell9660]

I love the way Tommy plays. Some people like to look like they are playing guitar. They pose as a great guitarist. Tommy always concentrates on the melody and only embellishes it when necessary. He is a true musician. Whether his additions are simple or complex, he always keeps the melody in focus. He is always focused on creating beautiful music, not trying to look like a guitar god. I guess that is the quiet confidence of someone who is so skillful that he doesn't need to try to show off. I also like that he is straightforward. He is a true entertainer. Thanks for the lesson. I will practice and hopefully someday I will play it half as good as you do. Hell, even half as good will be enough to bring joy to the people who listen to it.

[@russella5296]

What an amazing man. Such a gentleman with a great sense of humour.

[@gflyer45]

I had the good fortune to attend one of his guitar camps, and get some one on one mentoring with him. One of my big takeaways was hidden in that last thing he said in this video, that you should practice it a few thousand times like he did. He’s so good that you just start to think that it comes easy for him, but he works very, very hard on everything he does, and breaks it down slowly. Guys like Joe Robinson and Eric Johnson are the same way, and it taught me to be methodical and patient when working on something new. The other big “AHA” for me that he harps on is to learn songs, not just scales, arpeggios, etc. All of those things have their place, but none of your friends are ever going to say, “Hey, play me a scale!”

[@GradyElla]

"You'll need to practice that to get it nice and smooth!" OK Tommy my friend, check back with me in about ten years! You are an inspiration to us all Tommy, just like Chet or Merle. Thank you for signing my guitar BTW! You an Mike put on one hell of a show.

[@karivahamaki9113]

You are truly a musician and the joy of life shine in your face. My biggest idol in guitar playing has been Mr. Mark Knopfler but now I have to consider again......AND Chet Atkins R.I.P.

[@alexskinner6905]

I love the key change and especially reverting to C with the banjo technique to change it up. He really is the master. I know he would say Chets the master, and he is, but Tommy is my guy!

[@ichigoichie369]

Thank you Tom for introducing me to this beautiful song by Elizabeth Cotten.

[@anjar46]

master piece lesson from virtuoso.... what a legacy from legend

[@jamespruitt3159]

Best 8 minutes I will spend today! Love your music Tommy!

[@buiminhmusic2935]

Thank you sir very clear teaching and demo for us to learn, my idol, I will learn it.

[@jackwild162]

"Just littl' add to make it sound inresting"... add 5 chords, add a key change and like. Every single video you made you make me smile hahahaha amazing dedication for music. You're my favorite guitarist on earth hahaha beyong. Because you hear the music like no one else hahaha. Hope you live 130 years to hear new stuff till I die 😂

[@Tylarross123]

The fact he put this lesson in under 8 mins is superb

[@twen7yseven]

I'm at 3/10000 right now and can hear some semblance of a melody. Thank Tommy, you're the man!

[@akhyaridainada9074]

He is kind of generous man that would share all knowledge that he has to everybody, Thanks Tommy Emmanuel you're great Master

[@trafyknits9222]

TE is perhaps the greatest acoustic guitarist on the planet. He can do just about anything on the guitar. He did this song beautifully. However, when Libba Cotten plays it, there's something so honest, so pure that it just hits me right in the heart. Tommy is phenomenal, but even he can't really match Libba's original magic.

[@epipick]

Saw him in Bristol on 22 May. Needless to say he was superb and interacted with the audience so well,

[@georgeae4tg73]

There is none better than Mr. Emmanuel!!

[@theobeulakker3492]

I love classics, but you are giving the world a lot of happines with you're fabulous way of playing and personalty , by the way I have lived in Australia for ten years , blue sky nice people.

[@jerryv.815]

Being a former Railroader on "The Southern-RR" This song is Dear to me. I did Rail Welding on the Atlanta to Greenville S.C. & Atlanta To Chattanooga Mainlines. I play Freight Train on my 'HD-28V', But 'Not' like Tommy. He's Gooood. :-)

[@telboy1966manu]

What a great player, a humble guy and a great teacher too

[@stephenmilden9754]

I thought I already knew how to play the song until I watched this. The man is amazing!

[@sam127001]

This dude rules !

[@jelmer7214]

jeez, Tommy is talking about it like it is so easy. Awesome!

[@ivanmarkovic8499]

Thanks to musicians in America, folk and bluegrass, fingerstyle has so many beautiful melodies. It's a real pleasure to listen and play something. I wish you many beautiful melodies in your fingers! Friendly greetings .

[@niclasn2695]

I once saw T.E. in the concert hall. I brought another guitar friend who was shocked by his skills. Freight train is a children's song in Sweden (with replaced lyrics), I play this song so often and my wife goes nuts when I do. She's a singer but she doesn't realize how complicated this song is on guitar when you want to play it the way shown in this video. I've played the guitar for about 30 years but this takes some serious practice to play.

[@dawsonraybuck8826]

This man says "I've mastered this bad habit" lmao

[@adamschneller392]

Hendrix, Clapton and SRV all had the same “bad” habit. :D

[@JerryMac1125]

@@adamschneller392 Hendrix, Clapton and Stevie were 3 of my favorites, but, they were not the Musician that This Man is 😉

[@sonam6873]

100th like

[@bharp4390]

@Old Toby I don't think it's necessarily a bad habit if it works with your physiology. But it just doesn't work for some people, and it DEFINITELY doesn't work as well with guitars with wider fingerboards(classical guitars).

[@bharp4390]

@Old Toby I get what you're saying, and I agree to an extent, but using your thumb to play the higher three strings is far from forbidden in classical guitar technique. There are plenty of method books that teach you to use your thumb on higher strings, especially when playing tremolo. The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method is a good example of this.

[@Raina430]

Thank you so much Mr. Emmanuel. You have a such nice soothing way about you. I learned this song 56 years ago.😳 but I haven’t played much in the last few decades. This song came to my mind and there you were. I’m going to give it a try. Hope my fingers can remember! Thank you so much. 👍👏👏👏🌸⭐️💫

[@TheFirstAirbender1036]

been learning this song for about a month now and mastering the bass part till now 😄...wish me luck guys...ill be back when i can play it perfectly 😁

[@theeaskey]

What a great human . sharing his love for music.thank you tommy

[@tadzmaniahits4379]

Thank you very much Sir Tommy for sharing your superb guitar skills. Stay safe and healthy. God bless

[@Mirko1957]

God send us this beautifull person he made milions off new fingerpicking guitarists!! When I saw him for the first time on youtube I was totaly amazed and then I started learning his songs!

[@CesarAbeid]

Lordy, this is inspiring, and I want to have Tommy over for coffee.

[@rianwaye3453]

Cesar Abeid g

[@treasuredmusic7836]

YOU AND ME BOTH!!!!!

[@ducatibob8465]

Now I'm inspired to tackle Treight Train. Thanks Tommy and thank you Reverb!

[@Acoustic_Illusionists]

You are an inspiration for any musician...God bless you..

[@jayspenser2316]

Wow, is this wonderful! Pure joy and incredibly inspirational for guitar players of limited skill like me. Thank you, Tommy!

[@jeff12877]

This makes me smile.

[@flicky2461]

same

[@jonathanklass9768]

Tommy is the greatest fingerstyle player in the world. At 66 years and playing since the age of 12 and as a pro too I never fail to be amazed at his unique abilities. Also a riveting performer to watch. Thank you for sharing Tommy!!!

[@Hawkswill]

Thanks, Tommy! Wayne Henderson and Clay Lunsford do a SUPER job together on that song here in Wilkesboro, NC......believe you have been here for Merlefest, no? My Hippie Man from the mountains of West Virginia could knock it out! Was my most favorite thing we played together......I just played rhythm, LOL....BUT....I am thumb and finger pickin' now, so LOOK OUT.....maybe at 70...I will become a star! Thanks again for the free lesson!

[@joe-la-guit]

Yeah Tommy! I love what you’re doing. So good, so fun !

[@kristoffaninkama1393]

A great Aussie guitar legend. Thank you for sharing.

[@EugenioFranklin]

I'm a trash metal guitar player and I'm here because Satriani said Mr. Emmanuel is his favorite guitar player. This gentlemen is a monster and such a great teacher.

[@DavidDyte1969]

This is like magic. Wow. There goes my weekend.

[@coolcool4833]

Thanks for teaching ❤ 🙏 🇺🇸

[@justinstevens3050]

I can play hundreds of songs in various styles... My grandfather showed me Chet Atkins and his style threw my mind for a loop. As Tommy says at the end of the video, I have rewound this hundreds of times, not joking at all. I am finally getting the feel of the thumb moving on its own without thinking. Thank you Tommy, my family is going to love this one at our camp out this summer. Took me around six months but its getting comfortable. The Ted Greene book that you mentioned in another video is working wonders with my understanding of the fret board.. more thanks 🙇‍♂😁

[@rogerhoman8442]

the best of the best... ain't no words to describe the feeling of taking this in... esp. the part where he goes up to E key... and says the trebles sound great against the deep basses... that's an understatement...

[@rickrodrigues2219]

Thanks for sharing Tommy...not sure it could be made any simpler! It's a matter of dedication & tireless practice...the only way to success!

[@PianoGuitarVocal]

Yep... Tommy is the best. Great man.

[@cromley1]

Rocking barr, frailing banjo sound, Chet lick, -a guitarist's world! I am inspired to attempt to play this fun melody today!

[@harrylazard805]

beautiful arrangement

[@erdogan330]

Tommy you are the best guitarist thank you so much for the lessons maybe one day I play like you to.

[@truthseeker7849]

TOTALY LOVE IT!Thank you sir!

[@dajbes58]

Wow ! is all I can say ive been playing a long time , and now I feel like smashing my guitars, Tommy is truly an amazing guitarist , thank you for letting me know i will never play that effortlessly , and beautifully, I just don't have enough years left

[@christianlucas646]

I've been waiting for this video for so long!

[@AlazPesen]

thanks for being such a great musician and sharing all these with us🙏

[@chirilas5217]

Great lesson Tommy. You make it easy. I wish I could play that way.👏👍👏

[@garyhull6689]

Amazing. What a player!

[@eliotttownsend3828]

One of the greats showing us how to play a song that Elizabeth Cotton wrote playing her guitar upside down shows that playing guitar is all about the person playing and nothing to do with anything other then playing for our own shelf enjoyment.

[@bobbymannersmusic2374]

Thank you so much for this, love your playing and the humour you bring to these lessons, very engaging….😊

[@mr.vonruby.2195]

Thanks for the best classes and tips. Better go practice or i`ll never play like you. You are always welcome to visit Denmark , Skandinavia.

[@waxbell]

Dear Mr Emmanuel, thank you for keeping me humble. I was getting a bit cocky because I have made great progress when it comes to picking a baseline with my thumb (using a thumb pick) and playing a melody with my other digits. To be honest, it feels like a major achievement. However, after watching you play I realize that I have quite a long way to go. I will write another message for you here the day I surpass you. I advice you not to hold your breath...

[@bryonlynn3724]

You make me smile every time I hear you preform

[@dennisgibbs7772]

Thank You Tommy !

[@philipphofheinz9099]

Tommy is the best! Good fortune to you! :-)

[@danrohde9591]

I've played this song for almost 50 years, but you just show me a bunch of new stuff to try. Slightly different melody, where to play it on the neck, key change from G to E and back, a couple patterns and styles (Atkins, trailing,,,) to play. awesome :-)

[@tomtownsend5009]

wonderful, thanks!

[@batman59]

Awesome guitarist teaches awesome advices.

[@vanlifethetravelinfranksho5611]

Man, I just love watching you play! ❤️

[@sergiupalco9636]

I swear I love him is the way he plays the guitar

[@PaulYatesphotographer]

What a great talent and superb guy.... this is a pleasure... thanks Tommy