How to Play Guitar Like David Gilmour

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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David Gilmour is most well known as the guitarist of Pink Floyd. Gilmour has also had success in the solo world and collaborating with other artists. His smooth and melodic style plus his precise and sometimes simplistic solos make Gilmour's style and tone one of the most recognizable in rock music. Here are some tips to help you play like David Gilmour.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Step 1

Learn to bend, re-bend and bend some more. One of the things that make David Gilmour's solos so melodic and entrancing is his use of bends. He will often bend into a note, hold it out, and then bend into another note and possibly further. Listen to "Money" to get an idea of Gilmour's bending style.
Step 2

Keep it simple and make every note count. While Gilmour can shred, he's not known for incredibly fast solos. Instead, he chooses notes and rhythms that really accentuate his style and fit well into the song. So instead of trying to play as fast as possible, consider interesting and complex melodies for your solos. Feel and emotion are as important as speed and style. Listen to the solos on "Comfortably Numb" for a quintessential Gilmour solo.
Step 3

Use your tremolo for vibrato. Another characteristic of Gilmour that is hard to emulate is his ability to add vibrato to bent notes. He does this by using his tremolo instead of his left hand for vibrato. It takes some practice to get it sounding right, but once you get it, you will add a new dimension to your guitar playing.
Step 4

Switch your pick-ups to the rhythm setting. Instead of using lead pick-ups, Gilmour often switches over to his neck pick-up for solos. This gives him a fatter sound to his solos, and with the use of some effects, makes his guitar sound huge.
Step 5

Effect your sound. Gilmour uses a wide range of effects, so a good place to start is with some fuzz, distortion and wah pedals. Also make sure to have a good reverb and compressor to pair with those solos. While it is nearly impossible to get all of the same effects that Gilmour uses, since many of them are discontinued, Gilmour said that people can get close to his sound with a wide array of Boss pedals.
Step 6

Play with Gilmour's gear. Gilmour's most recognizable guitar is a black Fender Stratocaster. His guitar is a USA '57 Vintage Reissue Strat, but a general Stratocaster can get you close to what he uses. He also uses Marshall amps and cabs, along with some other amplifiers and speakers.

Comments

pfloyd68 said

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on 4/29/2008 If you really want to hear Gilmour rip it up, listen to "Raise My Rent" off of his first solo album titled "David Gilmour." I love this, its a great instrumental...

on 4/29/2008 You should listen to Gilmour's solo album "David Gilmour." There is a song on there called "Raise My Rent" and it is an all around bad ass song. He cuts it up real nice....

kjammon said

on 4/24/2008 Gilmour primary uses Hi-Watt amps...cranked way up. Also, for effects you may want to check out Pete Cornish...he is the man behind that fat, dripping, killer Gilmour sustain with his P-2/SS-3 pedal and custom pedal boards.