Something I just noticed about Gilmour's guitar playing

Cirrus

He starts basically every lead part with a full-tone bend. Or, a single held note then a full tone bend. Now I've noticed it, it's driving me mad. Just going through his epic solos in my head...

Echoes - Full tone bend on the intro and the big fuzz solo

Breathe - Slide part - E minor triad then a full tone slide

Time - F# then a FULL TONE BEND

Shine on - starts with a FTB

Have a Cigar - Solo starts with a FTB

Dogs - Harmony solo - FTB. Middle solo - E then FTB

Comfortably Numb - FTB. There's a note before it, but it's ducked down so the solo doesn't come to the front of the mix until the FULL TONE BEND.

Another Brick in the Wall - This has six notes before the first FTB, but DG plays them as quickly as he can then does an epic double full tone bend with an extra stretch three semi-tones up, almost as if he can't believe his oversight.

What Do You Want from Me - Starts with an epic FTB.

Marooned - Great instrumental. Starts with the trademark single note/ FTB.

Wearing the Inside Out - Single note/FTB

Coming Back to Life - Single note/FTB on all the lead breaks.

Keep Talking - FTB

I don't have an axe to grind, I fucking love the man's playing. I wonder if he ever noticed, I suspect he'd laugh it off.

mike_l

I doubt it's deliberate, probably something he does by "practised habit", or he's played so many in practise, when he comes to record it just happens.

Another exampe is every solo I try to play I mess right up.......

Danny1969

It's a classic blues trick, the FTB up to the fifth to start a solo, like Claptop and all the previous guys he copp'ed it off

I do the same thing now you mention it, always start on a bend and it's always a FTB 

randomhandclaps

It's in the contract he signed with the Devil that he has to do that.

richardhomer

No offense intended but I really don't care!

He is the master of 'note choice'. I wish I had a fraction of his melodic invention. Apart from Mark Knopfler, I cannot think of any player who is so expressive from such a limited harmonic palatte.

An all time hero of mine.

Cirrus

richardhomer said:

No offense intended but I really don't care!

Since I can't imagine why what you said might cause me offense, I've decided to treat your post with suspicion and feel grievously offended. )

ICBM

Other criticisms I've read of him are that he very often ends a solo on the root, and that he doesn't play vibrato on bends with his fingers, he always uses the bar.

So what?

sweepy

The Whole tone bend and then a second half tone bend on top of that has always been a trademark of his, bless his lil cotton socks

Cirrus

ICBM;237602" said:

...he doesn't play vibrato on bends with his fingers...

This was brought up here recently wasn't it? It made me wonder what I do, it turns out I get my vibrato by closing my eyes, scrunching up my face, sticking my tongue out and wiggling it every time I do a bend.

richardhomer

Cirrus;237596" said:

Since I can't imagine why what you said might cause me offense, I've decided to treat your post with suspicion and feel grievously offended. )

I do apologise.

frankus

I heard he uses £20 notes instead of carpet underlay.

Cirrus

richardhomer said:

I do apologise.

HAVE SOME BACKBONE!

EricTheWeary

Cirrus said:

ICBM;237602" said:

...he doesn't play vibrato on bends with his fingers...

This was brought up here recently wasn't it? 

...and fairly convincingly disproved IIRC.

ICBM

EricTheWeary said:

...and fairly convincingly disproved IIRC.

Quite likely. I don't listen for that sort of stuff, or care how he does it. I just listen to the music .

EricTheWeary

ICBM said:

EricTheWeary said:

...and fairly convincingly disproved IIRC.

Quite likely. I don't listen for that sort of stuff, or care how he does it. I just listen to the music .

I don't like Pink Floyd ( I get that Gilmour is a tasteful guitarist, I really don't like the other stuff before and after the solos though, but we've been down that avenue before...) but adding vibrato to a bend is a common technique issue so I guess it was an ah, perhaps I don't have to bother after all moment and then someone posted a clip of him clearly using finger vibrato on a bend.
(

Danny1969

He use's both finger vibrato and the bar, 

mike_l

EricTheWeary said:

I don't like Pink Floyd 

  

Go stand in the "Wrong'un Corner". On your own. >:)

EricTheWeary

mike_l said:

EricTheWeary said:

I don't like Pink Floyd 

  

Go stand in the "Wrong'un Corner". On your own. >:)

I'll go stand there, but I'm fairly sure I wouldn't be on my own...
|)

mike_l

EricTheWeary said:

mike_l said:

EricTheWeary said:

I don't like Pink Floyd 

  

Go stand in the "Wrong'un Corner". On your own. >:)

I'll go stand there, but I'm fairly sure I wouldn't be on my own...
|)

The others will all be under 17..........

keep your hands where we can see them at all times.....

[-X

Cirrus

mike_l said:

The others will all be under 17..........

Or terrible punks selling butter.

ICBM

EricTheWeary said:

adding vibrato to a bend is a common technique issue

Why? You don't have to, and if you do there is more than one way of doing it.