song: American Tune
artist: Tommy Emmanuel
writers: Paul Simon (1973) / J. S. Bach, BWV 244-21: “Erkenne mich, mein Hüter”, movement 15 in Part 1 of St. Matthew Passion (1727) / Hans Leo Hassler, “Mein G’müt ist mir verwirret” (circa 1600)

This is a complete transcription of Tommy Emmanuel’s solo guitar arrangement of “American Tune”. This is a beautiful guitar arrangement that captures the gorgeous original harmonies while voicing the melody perfectly for the guitar, making this a smooth joy to play, once you got it down. The key is G Major in standard tuning (as notated here) or F Major when the guitar is tuned down 2 semi-tones, both of which would also suit an alto or soprano singer. (Paul Simon’s key is one fifth below, in C Major.)
My main source for this transcription is the performance from the Guitar Art Festival 2024 (see the video), although Tommy Emmanuel’s core arrangement is remarkably consistent across performances. (In the video, this forms the first part of the medley with “Waltzing Matilda”, which is not included here.) Enjoy!

Also, check out the Rick Beato intervew (8 January 2025) in which Tommy Emmanuel tells the story of how this song entered his repertoire in 2023 by request of Emmylou Harris.