“David Gilmour is my favorite,” producer Bob Ezrin asserts. “That’s the truth. I love his work. What makes David my favorite is the unique blend of beauty, dignity, power, and memorability he brings every time he picks up a guitar.” Ezrin, known for his work with Pink Floyd, adds, “If you gave that guy a ukulele and a Pignose amp, he’d make it sound like the solo in ‘Comfortably Numb.’ He has an incredible ability to extract sound from the guitar.”
Ezrin’s expertise comes from his extensive experience, having produced three Pink Floyd albums: The Wall, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, and The Division Bell. Among all the iconic moments he captured with the band, his favorite is the first solo in “Comfortably Numb,” featured in the 1980 album The Wall. This particular solo is often cited by guitarists as one of Gilmour’s best.
“The soaring melodic tone inspires me to seek out the right notes and truly play from the heart,” Steve Morse shared in a tribute to Gilmour in the November 2024 issue. “I’ve had the privilege of working with Bob Ezrin on various projects, and he often jokes with me when I’m struggling to find a solo he approves of, saying, ‘You know, Gilmour played the solo on ‘Learning to Fly’ in one take on a little practice amp,’ which always prompts a downbeat response from me about how none of us can be David Gilmour!”
Joe Perry also admires Gilmour’s first solo in “Comfortably Numb,” attributing its brilliance to both Gilmour’s tone and note selection. “He has probably the best Strat tone I can think of,” Perry remarked in the same November issue. “He relies very little on distortion, and his sound is incredibly sweet. It’s almost what he doesn’t play that matters most; he’s a very tasteful player. It’s not about speed; it’s about telling a story. He’s one of those few who truly understands that.”
Ezrin shares this sentiment, emphasizing Gilmour’s exceptional qualities: “It’s a unique combination of musicality, sound, and power that I don’t see in anyone else, at least not in such a perfectly combined way.”
“There are two sides to David Gilmour,” Ezrin elaborates. “He creates amazing rhythm parts and riffs that drive songs. They’re simple, musical, and memorable, standing up to repetition without becoming boring. Each note serves a purpose, contributing to the overall idea of the riff. I find his playing to be cinematic.”
At the core of Gilmour’s style is his ability to connect with listeners through his guitar, conveying emotions as clearly as words. “David tells stories with his guitar parts,” Ezrin says. “His playing has a very narrative style, with a clear beginning, middle, and end—especially in his solos.”
Ezrin breaks down Gilmour’s formula: “It starts with a declaration of emotion, followed by a melodic structure that feels almost classical. It evolves through various movements, referring back to itself several times along the way. It’s an incredible talent. Gilmour doesn’t focus on flash; he’s the first to admit he’s not the flashiest or fastest player. His focus is on melodic and sonic structure, and he is very aware of his sound.”
The foundation of Gilmour’s sound begins with his gear selection. “It’s all about the instrument he chooses, combined with whatever pedals and amplifiers he uses,” Ezrin explains. “He is very precise and deliberate about this process.”
However, once he begins to perform, Gilmour tends to immerse himself in the moment. “Most of the time, he doesn’t predetermine his parts,” Ezrin clarifies. “He gets into a zone and reacts to the music. When soloing, he finds the sound he wants, experiments a bit, and then the music flows as he discovers the story he wants to convey. This isn’t aimless searching; he knows exactly what he’s expressing. If he can hear it, he can play it. That’s a remarkable talent.”
Part of Gilmour’s unique approach stems from his individual style. Ezrin notes that much of Gilmour’s lyrical soloing technique is rooted in his tendency to vocalize the notes he plays. “Most of the time, he’s singing along with what he’s playing,” Ezrin explains. “It might be audible in the room, but even if it’s not, you can see it in his facial expressions as he plays.”
All these elements came together during the iconic first solo in “Comfortably Numb.” Ezrin explains that the two solos were recorded at different times and with different producers. “The solo at the end of the song was done when Roger Waters and I were in another studio, and David recorded that with James Guthrie,” he reveals. “However, the solo in the middle of ‘Comfortably Numb’ is the one I consider the classic solo.”
Gilmour reflected on the process, saying, “I banged out five or six solos. From there, I followed my usual procedure: listen back to each solo, make a chart noting the good parts, and then create one great composite solo by adjusting the faders, jumping from phrase to phrase until it all flows together. That’s how we did it on ‘Comfortably Numb.’”
Ezrin recalls that the first solo was actually a complete take and likely the very first one recorded. “That was essentially a first take,” he states. “He played that part on the record during his initial session, improvising on top of the guide track. He later spent a lot of time trying to improve it, but both he and I remember that we returned to the original take—or at least one of the very early ones.”
Ezrin emphasizes the melody’s power: “That unbelievable, uplifting, memorable melody came from him all at once. We had the sound and a guide track we were working with, but the song wasn’t even finished yet. We didn’t have all the elements that would eventually appear on the record.”
Despite his success, Gilmour reportedly remained somewhat indifferent to his own creation. “David is one of the most understated and even-tempered people you’ll ever meet,” Ezrin observes. “He doesn’t show extreme displeasure or joy over his playing. He might say, ‘That wasn’t bad,’ but he’s a master of understatement, like many British people.”
Conversely, Ezrin was ecstatic about what he heard. “I fell on the floor when I first heard that solo,” he admits. “For me, it’s the most memorable solo I’ve ever heard. It’s the emotional high point of the song. While I love the lyrics, which I think are among the most brilliant ever written, that solo transcends everything else. It represents a moment of pure musical joy.”
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