The one guitarist David Gilmour said “changed rock music” forever: “Moments of sheer, unbridled, joyful playing”
As one of the finest guitarists of his generation, David Gilmour has seen many zeitgeists and axemen come to the fore.
From the emergence of psychedelia to punk and grunge, Gilmour has witnessed an array of legends assert their dominance and, like the true greats, has always kept his finger on the pulse, taking from these fresh sounds when he could.
This open-minded nature has always made Gilmour one of the more agreeable men in rock music, offering a series of interesting analyses of the great players who came after him. One man he has praised on numerous occasions is the late Eddie Van Halen, who burst onto the scene in the 1970s, fusing attitude with blistering technique and revitalising the six-string for the modern era.
Although his music certainly isn’t for everyone, no one can doubt Eddie Van Halen’s talent. Taking the double-handed string-tapping technique and making it his own, as well as drawing heavily on the viscous dive bombs of Ritchie Blackmore, Van Halen was so effective that he established the blueprint for modern rock and metal players. He also pierced the mainstream thanks to his hits with ‘Van Halen’ and the solo on Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’.
It says all about the gravity of Van Halen’s work that David Gilmour has been effusive about it despite the pair representing two largely distinct approaches to the guitar. Famously, the Pink Floyd legend said he wished he could play like the ‘Eruption’ star. He told Guitar Classics in 1985: “I can’t play like Eddie Van Halen, I wish I could. I sat down to try some of those ideas and I can’t do it. (But) I don’t know if I could ever get any of that stuff together.”
Years later, Gilmour would once again find himself praising the work of Eddie Van Halen. Here, he outlined just how impactful the shredding hero had been on the world. Speaking to Guitar Player in 2009, he asserted that Van Halen was so important as “he changed rock music”.
“I’ve met him a couple of times. He always seemed to be a very nice guy. I have to confess I don’t listen to an awful lot of Van Halen, but Eddie is fantastic,” he said. “His moments of sheer, unbridled, joyful playing- as he did on the Michael Jackson track – can’t help but make you want to jump around on a dance floor. He was a major influence on a lot of people, wasn’t he? He changed rock music. (Eddie) made a lot of very average players think they were a lot better than they actually were!”
That sense of admiration speaks volumes coming from a player like Gilmour. He has never measured greatness by speed or technical bravado alone, but by how effectively a guitarist expands the emotional and sonic vocabulary of the instrument. In recognising Van Halen’s impact, Gilmour was acknowledging a musician who altered the direction of rock guitar in a way that could not be ignored, even by those operating in an entirely different lane.
Ultimately, the respect between the two highlights how innovation transcends style. Whether through Gilmour’s patient, atmospheric phrasing or Van Halen’s explosive athleticism, both players reshaped what the guitar could communicate. Their approaches may have differed, but the result was the same, a lasting influence that continues to define how rock music sounds and feels decades later.
