Mark Knopfler revealed his favourite guitarist of all time
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Credit: Paul Carless
The two 1980s guitarists that inspired David Gilmour of Pink Floyd the most
The greatest guitarist of all time lists can often be misleading or unfairly weighted to one particular style. Most top ten lists will have Jimi Hendrix at number one and the likes of Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and so on thereafter. These lists are often thrown disproportionately in favour of fast-fingered electric rock guitarists and channel the limelight unfairly away from jazz and acoustic virtuosos. That said, one name that appears on top ten lists repeatedly is David Gilmour of Pink Floyd.
Indeed, Gilmour is yet another legendary rock guitarist, but what sets him apart from Hendrix, Page and Clapton is his embrace of silence. Undoubtedly, it takes years of practice, good genes and a good ear to get to where Hendrix got, but thankfully, Gilmour is recognised for his unique knack for using fewer notes but playing them with perfect tone, modulation and cadence.
While watching Hendrix shred out overdriven lead and rhythm sections almost simultaneously, jaws should be just as slackened to behold some of Gilmour’s epic solo excursions. He is a master of compositional perfection and a true trailblazer of the ethereal “space rock” style.
So, how did Gilmour get so good? While he picked up the fundamental guitar skills from a Pete Seeger guitar tutoring book in his teen years, Gilmour sharpened his virtuosity by listening to his favourite guitarists and emulating their style and tone.
Gilmour’s early inspiration, as it was for most 1960s and ’70s rockstars, was rooted in the rhythm and blues acts of the 1950s.
In an interview with Guitar Classics in 1985, Gilmour was asked if he started out as a fan of the blues. “I was a blues fan, but I was an all-around music fan,” he answered. “For me, it was Leadbelly through B.B. King and later Eric Clapton, Roy Buchanan, Jeff Beck, Eddie Van Halen and anyone you care to mention. Mark Knopfler has a lovely, refreshing guitar style. He brought back something that seemed to have gone astray in guitar playing.”
The interviewer then asked whether Gilmour tried to imitate other players during his illustrious career. “Of course, there were many,” he said. “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.”
“I can’t play like Eddie Van Halen,” Gilmour admitted later in the conversation. “I wish I could. I sat down to try some of those ideas, and I can’t do it. I don’t know if I could ever get any of that stuff together. Sometimes I think I should work at the guitar more. I play every day, but I don’t consciously practice scales or anything in particular.”
