As lead guitarist for the progressive-rock juggernaut Pink Floyd, David Gilmour developed a musical legacy that transcends classification. His heartfelt, atmospheric six-string excursions - on “Comfortably Numb,” “Time,” “Money” and many other Floyd classics -- should be at the top of the required listening list for any guitarist who aspires to solo with great feeling.
In this lesson, we’ll take a look at the rhythmic devices, melodic approaches and guitar techniques of this brilliant emotive soloist.
THE ESSENCE
FIGURE 1 represents just a few of the stellar moments from Gilmour’s solo in “Money,” from The Dark Side of the Moon. Drawn exclusively from the B minor pentatonic scale (B D E F# A), it features an assortment of whole-step bends, vibrato-drenched sustained notes, backward grace-note slides and cool rhythmic combinations. Beware of the wicked 22nd-fret bend on the high E string - bend with your 3rd finger, and place your 2nd finger behind it to help push the string to pitch. For proper tone, use a Strat-style guitar set to the bridge/middle pickup position through an overdriven amp or overdrive pedal, with plenty of reverb and a long delay setting (approximately 450ms).
FIGURE 1
FIGURES 2A–B demonstrate the melodic soloing tactics used in such ballads as “Comfortably Numb” (The Wall), “Time” (The Dark Side of the Moon), “Echoes” (Meddle) and “Learning to Fly” (A Momentary Lapse of Reason). FIGURE 2A is made from an Aadd4 arpeggio (A–C#–D#–E). Use your 4th finger for the bend, pull off to your 3rd, and roll your 2nd finger over to hit both the G and D strings at the 14th fret. Slide with your 1st finger and end the phrase with your 2nd.
Heart-tugging half-step bends