Pink Floyd guitarist has never learned Comfortably Numb solo
Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour shared a surprising detail about how he performs one of the band’s biggest songs during an interview with Rick Beato.
David Gilmour Says He Never Plays “Comfortably Numb” the Same Way
Gilmour explained that he has never actually learned the famous guitar solo from “Comfortably Numb.” Instead, he improvises every performance. He noted that while many guitarists can copy the studio version, he prefers to let the solo happen differently each time. This makes every concert unique rather than some over-rehearsed contrived show, like we see too much of these days.
“I’ve never learned it. Yeah, I’ve never learned that guitar solo [in ‘Comfortably Numb’],” Gilmour said. “I mean, there are a lot of guys who can play that. But I don’t play it. It’s different every time.”
Gilmour really prioritizes authenticity and spontaneity. He questioned if audiences really want an exact copy of the album solo, or if they prefer something that feels real in the moment. His instinct is that fans enjoy hearing a unique performance every time, and based on the response to his shows, he appears to be right.
“Why would I want to do it the same? Would it be more popular with the people listening if I did it exactly like the record? Or do they prefer that I just wander off into whatever feels like the right thing at the time? I don’t know. I suspect they prefer it to be real, and to be happening, you know?”
Gilmour said he isn’t focused on what the crowd wants. For him, the opening phrases set the stage, but what follows naturally evolves based on how he’s actually feeling in the moment.
“I’m not thinking about the audience and what they want, to be honest. I just like it starting the way it starts, and the rest of it is so ingrained in me that the various parts of it are going to find their way into what I’m doing,” he added.
By knowing the song’s chords and scales so well, Gilmour can create a solo that feels new each time but still sounds like “Comfortably Numb.”
