Many people consider David Gilmour to be one of all-greatest time’s guitarists. Many performers all around the world have been influenced by his distinct playing style, which combines lyrical phrasing, emotional bends, and soaring vibrato.
His work with Pink Floyd, both as a band member and a solo performer, is proof of his extraordinary talent.
Gilmour’s usage of effects like delay and distortion helped to define the sound of contemporary rock music. He is a master of his craft, and his influence on the guitar world is undeniable.
Over his long career, Gilmour has talked about a lot of guitarists. One of them was Eric Clapton.
David Gilmour is renowned for the emotion he infuses into each note he plays on the guitar, and many Blues players, especially Eric Clapton, served as influences for his style of playing.
Eric Clapton was a significant influence on David Gilmour’s guitar-playing style. Gilmour has cited Clapton’s work with the Yardbirds and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers as particularly inspirational.
Gilmour has also spoken about how he was impressed by the way Clapton blended blues and rock, and how he incorporated different techniques into his playing.
When he was younger, the Pink Floyd musician recalled to Guitar World magazine in 1988, he used to sit down and memorize numerous legendary Blues solos by Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. He added that he had researched vintage Howlin’ Wolf recordings.
During his interview with Relix in 2015, he praised the Yardbirds and Eric Clapton. He said, “All of those guys were incredible. I spent time trying to learn how to play their licks perfectly. I would suggest any young player should try to sit down and do that. You will wind up knowing how to play their stuff quite well. But eventually you will find your own style form that. It forces its way out of the copying.”
When learning to play the guitar when a person is young, David Gilmour frequently advised against worrying about developing a particular playing style.
Therefore they ought to start by copying what currently exists. He said to UNCUT in 2017 that Clapton was one of the guitarists he emulated.
“When you start out, you copy. Trying to be too original when you’re too young is possibly not the best thing. But I learned copying Pete Seeger, Lead Belly, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix. All sorts of people.”
In 1985, he made a similar statement to Guitar Classics magazine. He also mentioned that younger musicians like Mark Knopfler and Eddie Van Halen had an influence on him during that meeting. David said,
“Of course, there were many. I was trying to learn 12-string acoustic guitar like Leadbelly. At the same time I was trying to learn lead guitar like Hank Marvin and later Clapton.”
“All of those different things had their moments and filtered through my learning process. These days I don’t listen to other people with the objective of trying to steal their licks. Although I’ve got no objections to stealing them if that seems like a good idea. I’m sure that I’m still influenced by Mark Knopfler and Eddie Van Halen as well.”
7 Comments
“All Greatest Times” should read; “All Time Greatest”
Clapton and Gilmour are both in my top 5 favorites!
Gilmour and Clapton has each a different tone but same capacity to make music very much alive and put energy into allmost anything they lay hands on. That is among other things why they are still the guiding torch for all of us Music Lovers and hopefull guitarists that everyday are struck by their unbelievable approach to make Music.
Music with six strings are really nice but I am sad to say that I miss Jeff Beck as well
All time greats
Says nothing about Clapton only his playing 40 and more years ago. Not the racebaiting bigot and conspiracy spreading bigot 70-something. Waste of reading.
Waste of reading allright, much like your comment is. Do you actually enjoy reading others (or about others) negative (according to you) political views, stances and such? Being aware of them, and ovbiously dis-liking them, you crave for more about them? What an odd thing to enjoy. Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour opinion on Eric Clapton as a “GUITARIST”…. sadly (for you I guess?), not Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour opinion on Eric Clapton,S CURRENT POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND RACEBAITING views at the age of 70 “something”. You might enjoy Rolling Stone more mate, plenty of personal politcs and race baiting there.Waste of reading, (and yet you did read it) , hoping for some bashing having nothing to do with the focus of the article. Dave is a class guy.
Well said Scott.