Like other musicians, David Gilmour began his career when still a youngster. Interestingly, though, he never returned a borrowed guitar to its neighbor, which is how he first came into contact with the instrument. With the help of a book and a record set by American folk singer and banjo/guitarist Peter Seeger, he learnt how to play on his own. After Gilmour joined Pink Floyd in 1967, the band’s trajectory completely shifted as they went on to become one of the all-time greatest-selling acts, with over 250 million recordings sold globally. He is regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, and he has discussed his colleagues frequently throughout the years. He even modified rock music by pointing out a guitarist who he claimed he couldn’t play like. The guitarist who transformed rock music and whom David Gilmour claimed he couldn’t actually play Even though Gilmour is a phenomenal vocalist, he is most remembered as a great guitarist due to his distinctive tone and soulful playing, which were difficult for other guitarists to emulate and made it difficult for Pink Floyd cover bands to perform like him.
Despite the impression that the guitar is a restricted instrument with a finite number of compositional combinations, there are actually a million ways to play. As a result, there have been many incredible guitarists over the years, many of whom are truly unique. Gilmour claimed he couldn’t truly play like the late, great Dutch-American guitarist Eddie Van Halen. When Van Halen was touring with new singer Sammy Hagar in 1985, the musician made this claim in an interview with Guitar Classics magazine. When questioned if he had been a Blues fan from the beginning, he said that he actually had a wide taste in music, bringing up Van Halen. “Although I loved all kinds of music, I was a blues enthusiast. Leadbelly via B.B. King was the first for me, followed by Eric Clapton, Roy Buchanan, Jeff Beck, and Eddie Van Halen. Then, he was asked if there were any specific songs that inspired him to mimic a different player. He mentioned Van Halen again. Naturally, there were a lot. I was attempting to learn Leadbelly’s 12-string acoustic guitar technique. I attempted to study lead guitar at the same time, emulating Clapton and Hank Marvin.
“Everything that was distinctive had its moments and came through in my education. I don’t listen to other people now days in an attempt to pick their brains. However, if it sounds like a good idea to take them, I have no issues with it. David Gilmour stated, “I’m positive that Mark Knopfler and Eddie Van Halen continue to have an impact on me. After bringing up Van Halen numerous times during the discussion, Gilmour was questioned about whether he ever attempted to emulate any of his methods. In response, the musician said he hoped he could play like him. “I wish I could play like Eddie Van Halen, but I can’t. I attempted a few of those ideas when I sat down, but I was unsuccessful. I’m not sure if I could ever figure any of that out, though. I sometimes feel like I should practice my guitar more. David Gilmour stated, “I play every day, but I don’t intentionally practice scales or anything in particular. Eddie Van Halen passed away nine years ago, and the guitarist and singer of Pink Floyd is nine years older. Gilmour and Pink Floyd had previously collaborated on five studio albums when the American band was founded in 1972. The British group was also working on the record that would transform their career, “Dark Side of the Moon.” In 1978, Van Halen’s breakthrough debut album was released, shocking the whole rock and roll community.
Eddie demonstrated that playing the guitar has new possibilities. As a result, a massive wave of Van Halen copycats emerged in the decade that followed. In 1988, Gilmour stated to Guitar World magazine that he had not actually heard any of them. He said in the interview that although he was a fan of Eddie, he had not yet heard of Swedish virtuoso guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen. “I really enjoy Eddie Van Halen’s playing,” I obviously cannot accomplish that in the slightest. I lack the necessary number of fingers. They had the chance to meet a few times over the years, and he claimed that Van Halen transformed rock music in a 2009 interview with Guitar Player magazine. “I’ve had a few encounters with him. He appeared like a really lovely guy all the time. Although I must admit that I don’t listen to Van Halen all that much, Eddie is amazing. His moments of pure, unrestrained, joyous playing—like he did on the Michael Jackson song—make you want to stomp all over the dance floor. Wasn’t he a big effect on a lot of people? He revolutionized rock music. Many mediocre players were led to believe they were far better than they actually were by Eddie! Said David Gilmour.
