Guitartropolis

Going back for more Gilmour... I can never get enough

I think I've said on this blog quite a few times that David Gilmour is one of the top, if not the top, influences on my guitar playing style. Not because I've purposefully sought out to emulate or try and copy what he does, but I think because I both grew up listening to Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here when I was getting deep into rock music, and because his melodic and emotional playing style really connects with me. I loved the keyboards, Alan Parsons engineering, and the entire vibe of the middle period of Pink Floyd's music.

A few times recently I've gotten a comment after playing or doing a solo that my playing sounded very Gilmour-esk. I wish I could say I thought it sounded as good as David but I'll take a compliment like that in a heartbeat. So tonight while I was waiting around for some software to finish installing on my computer, I decided to play along with Shine On Your Crazy Diamond, one of my top favorite Pink Floyd tunes (along with so many others). As I was noodling along, playing Gilmour's tastefully crafted open solo and in-song solo, I realized there are many things about my playing I had forgotten came from Gilmour. (Again, this about Gilmour influencing my playing, not me playing like him, which is a far cry from David's level.)

First, I sometimes enjoy bending a note up one and then two steps (or even another half step), singing the notes up and down and you change pitch, with some suttle virbato occassionally. That's very Gilmour, I don't know how many other players do it with his emotion and style. Another more frequent lick I play is a trill like run between the 2, 3, 1 notes and land on the flat-7 and 5 notes (when in a minor penatonic pattern) resolving back to 8 (1). It's sort of my way (lifted from Gilmour) of not staying boxed in by the minor penatonic pattern and it communicates a really different vibe with great tension for an anticipated resolve. 

I hadn't learned that triplet run that repeats all through the bari sax solo towards the end of the song, so I figured out how that was played. One reason is that one of my signature licks that I build a lot of both comp'ing and soloing around is a triplet pull-off pattern, usually between strings 2 and 3, or 1 and 2. It's actually a riff I learned from some songs by Christian artist guitar player, Lincoln Brewster, who also toured with Journey btw. That riff didn't use the slide up one fret at the start of the riff, like the Floyd one did. Also the line in the Floyd song sounds sort of like this B riff over a Gm to C to F, etc., chord line. Not a way I've ever used that before, so I learned both a variation on a riff I know and a new voicing to play it.

I really enjoyed sitting down and playing along with this song, learning stuff along the way. What a way to spend an hour. In honor of David Gilmour and one of my favorite bands, here's a YouTube video of Shine On You Crazy Diamond from the Echos tour. Sit back and enjoy. Or better yet, play along.

Life is like a guitar...

Life is like a new guitar: You want to play it all the time, and even when you set it down, you just pick it right back up again. Occasional setup and repairs are required.  - Mitchell 

Michael Molenda's reality check

This morning i was captured by an an article written by  Michael Molenda, Editor Guitar Player Magazine, and i think he really hit the hammer on the head with his statements.

SO THE SMUG AIG SUITS FELT THEY deserved bonuses for such “stellar” performance that us taxpayers had to bail there asses out of financial ruin.

thank you Michael.i think a lot of us feel the same, and why wouldn't we? Michael goes on to comparing this behavior to musicians who just can’t get enough of them selves.aig type players as Michael puts it. you know the type .what do you mean it’s about the music? what about me?ok,those players all deserve an Emmy award .ok ? only that's spelled ME award.have we totally forgotten about the bliss of creating art with a community of friends?sharing the stage?or is it all about who wins the prize. ladies and gentlemen, the American dream is exactly what it states…….it’s a dream.play your instruments and thank god for the talent you have to be shared. that's the prize ,and you have it in your hands.

any way ,if you get a chance, do read noise from the editor, Michael Molenda ,Guitar player magazine June 2009.

i found it generously full of wise information . have a great day,your dedicated stringstretcher ,Michael Reese