The Genius of Gilmour In 20 Songs

"He has this perfect guitar tone, whether it's acoustic or electric”

- By Tim Tucker, Ellie Rogers, Amit Sharma, Grant Moon

From the late 60s all the way through to 2022, the music of Pink Floyd has been lit up by the brilliance of David Gilmour’s guitar playing.

Here, TG profiles the 20 Floyd songs in which Gilmour’s genius is defined – from 1969’s The Nile Song to this year’s surprise comeback Hey Hey Rise Up - with in-depth analysis from guitarists influenced by Gilmour’s work: Matt Bellamy of Muse, Kirk Hammett of Metallica, Stu Mackenzie of King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, Steve Rothery of Marillion, Geordie Greep of Black Midi, Sophie Lloyd, Jon Gomm and Derek Trucks.

The Nile Song

By Derek Trucks From the album: More (1969)

It's hard to find just one specific track to key in on with a player as talented as David Gilmour. When you go back to those early Pink Floyd records now, you can hear there has obviously been an evolution. But other things about Pink Floyd remained absolutely unchanged. There are certain things you can't run from if that's who you are!

That whole idea of having your own musical identity is very beautiful. That's why we do it, to express who we are. David Gilmour is one of those characters who has this holistic thing going on. I feel like he's created his own universe on guitar through his tone and approach. And you can hear it in his earliest recordings with Floyd - on things like The Nile Song.