In a recent conversation with Rick Beato, David Gilmour reacted to fans ranking him as the best guitarist.
“I’ve coined a term which I call the Gilmore effect and the Gilmore effect is not a guitar thing. It’s not a pedal,” Beato told the guitarist. “It’s when I make a video with any guitar player and interview, no matter who it is, there’s always hundreds of comments about how people prefer your playing to whoever it is, no matter who it is. ‘Well, I prefer David Gilmore’s playing’ and I call that the Gilmore effect.”
Gilmour replied, “Maybe they should keep it to themselves on those occasions [laughs]. I mean, it’s lovely. Thank you.”
After Beato said, “What they’re talking about is the lyrical playing,” the rocker continued, “I wasn’t gifted with enormous speed on the guitar and there were years when I was younger when I thought I could get that if I practiced enough but just wasn’t ever really going to happen.”
“Some of the influences on me like even the Shadows back in the 60s, just yeah playing a tune. And I think I come from there. I just want to play a nice tune obviously. When you’re racked up to 150 DB and you’re leaning against that wall of sound on stage, it’s the tunes change a bit,” Gilmour added about his playing style.
Those who praise Gilmour are not only fans but also his counterparts. “It’s hard to find just one specific track to key in on with a player as talented as David Gilmour,” The Allman Brothers Band’s Derek Trucks told Total Guitar in 2022. “When you go back to those early Pink Floyd records now, you can hear there has obviously been an evolution.”
He continued, “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.”
Gilmour played the last date of his ‘Luck and Strange’ tour on November 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
