The White Buffalo, aka American singer-songwriter Jake Smith, chose the soundtracks of his life in a recent interview with Louder Sound. The list included many different tracks, from the song he played live for the first time to the song he wanted to be played at his funeral. When the question came to picking a guitar hero, he couldn’t choose a single name, but he had two answers: Mark Knopfler and David Gilmour.
“My favorite guitar players are Mark Knopfler and David Gilmour,” he shared before explaining his reasoning behind it. “I don’t really like flash, just to be able to emote and have melodies that are memorable. Both these guys aren’t flashy, and you know it’s them. That’s got to be the ultimate goal, a signature sound where nobody sounds like you.”
White Buffalo’s answers aren’t all that surprising, considering he doesn’t like flashy musicians. Pink Floyd prog legend David Gilmour is a master in string bending. He masterfully blends electric blues phrases and rock guitar techniques with soulful touches. As a true master of timing and intonation, the guitarist once said that playing the guitar was as natural to him as walking. His precision in strings has become an integral part of Pink Floyd’s sound. Whenever you hear two-step, two-tone bends, you know it is Gilmour.
Mark Knopfler, on the other hand, has error-free precision in finger playing. The guitarist, who does not like to use picks, has contributed to many unforgettable songs with his signature fingers-only style. According to him, immediacy and soul cannot be established while using a pick. So, Knopfler’s tunes, in which people have no choice but to immerse themselves, stem from this approach to the instrument and feeling this sense of melody with his whole body.
The common point between the two guitarists is that they do not look at the guitar as a mechanical instrument but make a piece of organic music woven with soulful phrasings. White Buffalo must also enjoy that feeling on the guitar, as he himself takes a similar soulful approach to tone building.
