David Gilmour Admits He Never Learned One of Pink Floyd’s Most Famous Guitar Solos

David Gilmour created some of the most recognizable guitar moments in rock history, yet there is one legendary Pink Floyd solo he says he never actually learned to play note for note.

The surprising admission concerns the climactic second guitar solo in “Comfortably Numb,” the classic track from Pink Floyd’s 1979 album The Wall. Although generations of guitarists have studied the recording in painstaking detail, Gilmour approaches the famous solo very differently when performing it live. Rather than recreating every note from the studio version, he prefers to improvise.

Gilmour Says He Has ‘Never Learned’ the Solo

During a conversation with musician and producer Rick Beato, Gilmour explained that he does not think about reproducing exactly what listeners heard on the original recording.

“I’ve never learned that guitar solo,” Gilmour said.

He acknowledged that plenty of other guitarists can reproduce it, but that has never been his approach.

“To me, it’s just different every time,” he explained.

Gilmour said certain recognizable elements naturally find their way into his live performances because they have become so deeply ingrained in his playing. Beyond those familiar moments, however, he allows the solo to develop according to what feels appropriate onstage.

Why He Doesn’t Recreate the Recording Note for Note

For Gilmour, improvisation helps make each performance feel genuine.

He wondered during the Beato interview whether audiences would actually prefer hearing the solo played exactly as it appears on the record or whether they appreciate watching something develop spontaneously.

“I suspect they prefer it to be real, and to be happening,” he said.

That does not mean every live performance is completely unpredictable.

Gilmour explained that he uses particular musical cues to communicate with his band, including signals that indicate when they are approaching the end of the solo or preparing for another transition.

Those structural elements remain relatively consistent, while much of the playing between them can change from performance to performance.

The Studio Solo Was Built From Multiple Performances

There is another reason reproducing the original solo exactly might be less natural than listeners assume.

Gilmour has previously explained that the finished second solo was assembled using sections selected from several different takes. He reportedly recorded multiple versions before the strongest passages were combined into the performance heard on The Wall.

That process helped produce a solo that feels spontaneous while maintaining a strong sense of musical development.

The performance gradually intensifies through bends, recurring phrases and changes in register before reaching its famous conclusion.

Both Solos Used Gilmour’s Black Strat

“Comfortably Numb” actually contains two major Gilmour solos.

Producer Bob Ezrin discussed their creation with Guitar Player in 2024, explaining that they were recorded under different circumstances.

According to Ezrin, Gilmour recorded the extended outro solo while working with producer and engineer James Guthrie, while Ezrin and Roger Waters were elsewhere.

Both solos were reportedly recorded using Gilmour’s famous black Fender Stratocaster, commonly known as the Black Strat, alongside Hiwatt amplification and a Yamaha rotary speaker cabinet.

Interestingly, Ezrin has said that the shorter first solo is his personal favorite.

Other Guitarists Have Praised the Performance

Gilmour’s work on “Comfortably Numb” has attracted admiration from prominent guitarists for decades.

Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick singled out the second solo while speaking with Guitar Player, describing it as a remarkable example of emotional guitar playing.

Skolnick praised its use of space, bending, melodic development, tone and blues-influenced phrasing.

The solo’s reputation demonstrates an interesting contrast: guitarists around the world have devoted countless hours to learning something its creator himself does not attempt to reproduce exactly.

Pink Floyd Still Paid Extraordinary Attention to Detail

Gilmour’s improvisational approach shouldn’t be mistaken for a lack of precision in Pink Floyd’s recordings.

He told Beato that the band regularly discussed extremely small details involving virtually every instrument.

Gilmour even remembered asking drummer Nick Mason to leave out a particular bass-drum hit during “Comfortably Numb” because he specifically wanted silence in that moment.

“I wanted that gap,” he recalled.

It is a small example of the attention to detail that helped define Pink Floyd’s studio work.

Another Pink Floyd Solo Is Gilmour’s Personal Favorite

Despite the enormous popularity of “Comfortably Numb,” Gilmour has pointed elsewhere when discussing his favorite guitar work.

He has identified a solo from “Dogs,” the sprawling track from Pink Floyd’s 1977 album Animals, as a personal favorite, although the song contains several major guitar passages.

Gilmour has also revealed that one solo recorded for “Dogs” was accidentally erased during production, forcing him to record another version.

Decades later, his approach remains remarkably consistent: the recording captures one moment, but it doesn’t have to dictate every performance that follows.

That may explain why Gilmour never felt compelled to formally learn the “Comfortably Numb” outro that countless other guitarists have spent years trying to master.

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