David Gilmour

David Jon Gilmour CBE (born March 6, 1946 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire) is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known as a member of the band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has also worked as a record producer for a variety of famous artists. Gilmour has been very active in many charity organisations over the course of his career. In 2003, he was appointed CBE for this work. Gilmour was also voted No. 1 in Fender's Greatest Players of all time poll in the February 2006 issue of Guitarist (UK) magazine.

Musical style

Gilmour has a very precise solo style, rooted in blues and notable for expressive note bends and sustain. His solos are noted for being well-composed, economical, lyrical and emotional. In interviews, Gilmour has explained that what he sees as his lack of technique led him to concentrate on melody over speed and 'virtuosity', and this is borne out by the enduring appeal of his solos.

During many of his solos he would switch the guitar to the rhythm (or neck) pickup. This, switching pickup, produced a fatter, stronger "liquid" sound to a "cut through" sound all in the same solo and is featured in "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and "Echoes". This is part of what gives Gilmour's playing such a distinctive sound and tone.

In his early career with Pink Floyd Gilmour played a multitude of Fender Stratocasters and is one of the brand's most faithful players. He even employs a Fender pedal steel guitar for the re-formed Pink Floyd's rendition of the classic "One of These Days". During both the Momentary Lapse and Division tours he almost exclusively played a Red '57 reissue with a set of EMG active pickups. In his solo career he employs a wide assortment of guitars, favouring none. Indeed, one of his most famous solos ("Another Brick in the Wall Part 2") was played on a Gibson Les Paul.

Although mainly known for his guitar work, Gilmour is also a proficient multi-instrumentalist. He also plays bass guitar (which he did on some Pink Floyd tracks), keyboards, harmonica, drums (as heard on the Syd Barrett solo track "Dominoes", and other songs where he opted to play all the instruments) and lately, the saxophone.

In 1996, Gilmour was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pink Floyd.

In August 2006, Gilmour's solo on "Comfortably Numb" was voted the greatest guitar solo of all time in a poll by viewers of the digital music station Planet Rock.

See David Gilmour guitar solo (The 50th Aniveresary Fender Stratocaster)

Photo from Wikipedia

Read more

David Gilmour website