Ten Telecaster Tales

“Eloquent, erudite, entertaining, and enlightening, this is a thoughtful meditation on art, creativity, and the human species.” — Terry Fallis, two-time winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour.


Ten Telecaster Tales remakes the idea of the “concept album.” This book about guitar music is arguably the most comprehensive attempt at liner notes in the history of electric instrumental fingerstyle guitar albums.

In his latest offering, Rik Emmett delves into the creative process — the roots, influences, philosophy, and spirituality involved in writing and recording. Even the story behind these stories explores creativity: Emmett dreamed of, then commissioned, a one-of-a-kind Telecaster-style guitar — wrote for it, then recorded with it.

Playfully, beautifully, Ten Telecaster Tales goes on a journey of artistic revelation: The storytelling inherent in solid musical composition translates into an entertaining narrative about the process behind the songs, and how compositions turn into recordings. A generous amount of fairytale mythology is sprinkled throughout — despite the whole project’s assimilation by digital technology. The notion of a “telecaster tale” implies something “vintage” at its heart. Humanity glues the layers together.

Ten Telecaster Tales became the next logical step for Emmett after publishing his memoir, Lay It On The Line. It represents the evolution of his life story into a combination of musical composition, guitar playing, and prose. After all, writing has always been the solid backbone and lifeline of his multifaceted journey.