Gilmour Blues

[Michael-GnL-Michael]

I have been focused on the blues lately. I know there are a few David Gilmour fans here. I saw an interview where either DG, Wright or Waters (can't recall which, it wasn't Mason) said Pink Floyd started out doing psychedelic music because they were not good enough musicians to play anything else. Where many career musicians reach a point when they become cliches repeating routine phrases with little inspiration (Santana, Clapton ~sorry), a trait that has made David Gilmour what he is in music history has been his constant reach for something high and beyond in both tone and phrasing. Gilmour did this blues tune with Paul Rodgers on his Muddy Waters tribute album just prior to the final Floyd studio album. I was going to say other than the tone and hints of blues incorporated in his Floydian leads Gilmour is pure blues and as tasteful as ever here but I remembered something Gilmour's gear tech, Phil Taylor, said about a time Mark Knopfler used Gilmour's rig and still sounded like Mark Knopfler. It's mostly the heart, mind and fingers of the player. So to be precise this is pure David Gilmour playing in a blues, as opposed to Floydian, style yet tasteful as ever:

[youtube]6jkyqDmjTNs[/youtube]

BTW, somewhere near the top of the list of great blues songs, T-Bone Walker's Stormy Monday and Fenton Robinson's Lone Me A Dime. Stormy Monday has been done by several people and pretty much all of them sound good to me. Robinson's version of Lone Me A Dime sounds like a typical blues tune. Boz Scagg's vocals and tempo makes his version special. Duane with The Allman Brothers did the best version of Stormy Monday but Duane's guitarwork on Lone Me A Dime did not match well with Scaggs' mood, IMO.

[SouthpawGuy]

Very nice track, thanks for posting. Gilmour somehow manages to play all the cliches without sounding cliched.

[Dr B]

to be honest its everyone else playing Claptons licks.....including me....I think its called influence.

Truth is Gilmour appears to a minor / major pentatonic man - but has a wonderful melodic quality to him. I like all these guitarists now they are older. Better note choices, more feel and more phrasing than when they were younger. I guess once you feel you have nothing to prove anymore - that's when you really start playing.

I just wish the shredders would realise this......

[Dr B]

PS.... you have to see Clapton live to see what all the fuss is / was about....he needs to be live and be pushed by other great musicians (i.e., Stevie Winwood) to get to that place he once inhabited daily....

Clapton has one thing few others have - true feel for the blues....the problem is his fire is not burning as much as it once did - this means he has become a different kind of player - but then, who hasn't? Gilmour has certainly mellowed....

Watch him live and get inspired all over again.

[CGT]

I see your David Gilmour and raise you Steve Rothery of Marillion. Like David, Steve is a melodic strat/prog player known for tasteful emotional playing. Here he is playing The Thrill is Gone with some friends.

[youtube]XIKtPVHczho[/youtube]

[CGT]

@Michael - As for Clichèd stock phrases, Knopfler is perhaps the guiltiest of them all. Especially live.

[Michael-GnL-Michael]

Woohoo for Steve Rothery! Marillion deserves credit for remaining creative. They have made the most of the internet for marketing and a means to stay alive and in touch with their fans pre-selling albums before they go into the studio to record. They have not slowed down. Steve Hogarth has been a huge factor. I love the direction they have taken since he joined the band.

I do not pay as much attention to Knopfler. When I have listened to Knopfler he has struck me as a tasty guitarist though. I have had countless opportunities to observe Clapton. As much as I like the personality of the guy I see from my distant position I just find his guitar playing to be tired, redundant and uninspired. I know there are many people that feel the opposite. He does not speak to me through his guitar playing. I thought he was a terrible choice for Waters's first solo album. On the other hand Jeff Beck was one of the few guitarists that could fill those shoes with a style that suited Waters's music.

I think Clapton plays a series of standard blues riffs over and over out of habit. He is not speaking, as in phrasing, he is just running through a series of riffs. An overlooked distinction of a good stage performer is their voice, perhaps equal to their "acting." Strong acting will be undermined by a limited voice. A dynamic voice can substitute for acting. This is true of film as well yet it is overlooked even more because of the immediacy of a strong visual presentation. You can say the same sentence in unique ways. Just think of William Shatner, Ali G, Jessie Jackson, Mike Tyson, Christopher Walken and Anthony Hopkins saying the same sentence. Clapton is like a regular guy you might know with a common voice. He uses the same riffs (words) with mundane phrasing. As for his success and popularity, I think some of this has to do with being a pioneer and defining a niche that eventually became mediocre as more interesting players came through. Of course Layla is a great song along with quite a few others. There is Clapton, the writer and performer of songs, and there is Clapton, the guitarist playing an extended lead.

[yowhatsshakin]

Here he is playing The Thrill is Gone with some friends.

If you bring up that tune, here's the original artist with 'a friend' who is sorely missed. Chet Atkins bestowed the title of CGP (Certified Guitar Player) on certain individuals. I'm pretty sure Gary passed his CBP (certified Blues Player) exam with flying colors that evening.
[youtube]iUaevnP1LLg[/youtube]

- Jos

[Michael-GnL-Michael]

Here is another great rendition of The Thrill is Gone done by Joe Bonamassa

[youtube]WiyVWyPH7Ls[/youtube]

Also something with better quality sound and video

[youtube]_m1EjRvze9I[/youtube]

[sam]

+1 on Steve Rothery

Huge Marillion fan and Steve is a fantastic player.

All others are proving that they are way beyond the scope of what most people think of their playing. Thanks for the Gilmour clip, him with Paul Rodgers now that is sweet.

[Lefty]

+1 on Joe Bonamassa. Looking forward to seeing him in concert in December.

[Dr B]

Woohoo for Steve Rothery! Marillion deserves credit for remaining creative. They have made the most of the internet for marketing and a means to stay alive and in touch with their fans pre-selling albums before they go into the studio to record. They have not slowed down. Steve Hogarth has been a huge factor. I love the direction they have taken since he joined the band.

I do not pay as much attention to Knopfler. When I have listened to Knopfler he has struck me as a tasty guitarist though. I have had countless opportunities to observe Clapton. As much as I like the personality of the guy I see from my distant position I just find his guitar playing to be tired, redundant and uninspired. I know there are many people that feel the opposite. He does not speak to me through his guitar playing. I thought he was a terrible choice for Waters's first solo album. On the other hand Jeff Beck was one of the few guitarists that could fill those shoes with a style that suited Waters's music.

I think Clapton plays a series of standard blues riffs over and over out of habit. He is not speaking, as in phrasing, he is just running through a series of riffs. An overlooked distinction of a good stage performer is their voice, perhaps equal to their "acting." Strong acting will be undermined by a limited voice. A dynamic voice can substitute for acting. This is true of film as well yet it is overlooked even more because of the immediacy of a strong visual presentation. You can say the same sentence in unique ways. Just think of William Shatner, Ali G, Jessie Jackson, Mike Tyson, Christopher Walken and Anthony Hopkins saying the same sentence. Clapton is like a regular guy you might know with a common voice. He uses the same riffs (words) with mundane phrasing. As for his success and popularity, I think some of this has to do with being a pioneer and defining a niche that eventually became mediocre as more interesting players came through. Of course Layla is a great song along with quite a few others. There is Clapton, the writer and performer of songs, and there is Clapton, the guitarist playing an extended lead.

I disagree - but hey.....I think all guitarists use stock phrases if you look closely enough. Clapton is good at making them sound different though - remember, as a guitarist you know the notes and shapes being played - but dont let that dominate your hearing....I've heard some people criticise other guitarists because they 'simply use pentatonics' - since when has that been a crime???

Nice call on Glimour - love his tasteful playing.

I never really did get "Jeff Beck" - does not do it for me - but hey, to each there own.

Bonamassa is amzing - but I've heard mixed reviews of him live...cant wait to see him myself the next time he is round my way.

Gary Moore never got the icon fame he deserved - truly inspirational.

[Michael-GnL-Michael]

I disagree - but hey.....I think all guitarists use stock phrases if you look closely enough. Clapton is good at making them sound different though - remember, as a guitarist you know the notes and shapes being played - but dont let that dominate your hearing....I've heard some people criticise other guitarists because they 'simply use pentatonics' - since when has that been a crime???

Nice call on Glimour - love his tasteful playing.

I never really did get "Jeff Beck" - does not do it for me - but hey, to each there own.

Bonamassa is amzing - but I've heard mixed reviews of him live...cant wait to see him myself the next time he is round my way.

Gary Moore never got the icon fame he deserved - truly inspirational.

Stock phrases are akin to common words and sentences. Most people speak with stock phrases. The rhythm** and context makes an important difference in voice dialog and guitar playing.

When Gary Moore released his first two blues albums I was really into his music. The Loner and Empty Rooms are also great non-blues songs. To me The Story of the Blues is to blues/rock what Rock Candy is to rock. Yet I have always thought of Moore as a rock guitarist when he played blues. Someone like Keith Richards is a blues guitarist at heart. Moore slipped away from blues scales and threw in rock riffs so often he did not strike me as an authentic blues guitarist. I enjoyed his approach regardless.

Moore (the solo blues era) and Bonamassa are surprisingly popular especially with young guitarists considering they have had to cultivate their careers while the Classic Rock format shut out new material from rock veterans. Bonamassa entered as a solo blues musician but he still faced the restrictions that Classic Rock imposed on everyone who needed a rock station to air their material.

I think I understand what you are referring to with Jeff Beck. He can go way off into progressive jazz experimental territory.....even heavy funk. Sometimes he seems to be going after noises and riff effects rather than playing melodic music. But I did like what he came up with when he performed on the Waters album with the chimp.


** not only musical rhythm, the way I see it the key to doing anything well is in the rhythm of your approach........another whole topic for discussion.

[Michael-GnL-Michael]

Boz Scaggs: Lone Me A Dime

[youtube]-RTh5t8yEqI[/youtube]


A version I think is better but it is from the audience with background noise

Part 1

[youtube]FzU3mWkt3QU[/youtube]

Part 2

[youtube]TeYvhWY8Tts[/youtube]


Warren Haynes of Govt. Mule: Since I've Been Lovin' You

[youtube]0PtdFkYZvQc[/youtube]


Paul McCartney and David Gilmour: Lord Have Mercy I Saw Her Standing There

[youtube]P8107BPj0-Y[/youtube]