David Gilmour didn’t just take the blues and transform it into epic psychedelic prog – he changed the way we play guitar solos

Few players have taken the blues vocabulary and incorporated it into progressive and psychedelic rock with such eloquence. David Gilmour’s tone, note choice and sense of rhythm elevated Pink Floyd – and solos in general – to a different level when he joined the band in 1967. 

As the era of the epic guitar solo dawned, David established himself as a soloist few could match, with a strong sense of melody and a knack for creating memorable parts – even in some of the more ‘out there’ freeform jams that were so characteristic of the early Floyd.

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