Who taught Dave how to play?

Simple question. Did he teach himself? Did someone take him under his wing and teach him?

I assume most of you will say that "he is a natural prodigy". I would have loved to have been there at the instant he plucked his first string. Man, that'd be awesome.


~Fletch

Well Fletch....i'm glad you asked because most people don't know this...It wasn't one person who taught him how to play, it was actually 2 people. He was taught by Matthew Gill and TBone!

I taught him. And I learned by strapping stripes of rubber on to the side of a barn

Fletch, this is a amasing good question. This should be the answer many people here should try to find out, maybe send a letter to some magazine which can contact him. I dont know, but i really like the question.

I'd be suprised if some of the veterns around here don't know what the answer is.

If not, it should be a priority to find out!


~Fletch

Well, actually my first instructor was named Brian Wallis. Then I had a taecher in school named Mr. Childs. Those two taught me the basics and Mr.Childs got me into music theory.

Then my bandmates and I learned a lot off each other. And I have had the opportunity to jam with a few "Biggies" : always a good learnng experience........

Oh wait.... You mean Dave GILMOUR.......

nevermind.

Syd introduced Dave to PF, so they were mates before that, probably they taught each other, but I'm supposing.

We should ask DG

Also it might be a homework for everybody, and the first in answering will deserve the community respect

I believe Dave was self taught. Seems like I remember reading that he had a "Learn to play guitar" book by Pete Seeger . I remember reading that one of his influences was Peter Green. I'll see if I can find that article. It is in some guitar magazine laying around here.

Also, I think Dave taught Syd.

I'm sure that I remember reading something about Syd teaching dave some stuff, guitar-wise

I think you're right, fixx.

Here's a 1993 quote from Dave in Guitar World Mag:

GW: Long before PF you and Syd Barrett hung out together in College, in Cambridge, playing guitars. Can you recall what you played or how you influenced each other?

Dave: "We were friends first, then we picked up guitars later on. I was playing professionally in groups before Syd. So technically speaking, I was a little better than Syd while we were at college. We sat around learning Beatles songs, Rolling Stones songs, R&B, blues songs... I can recall spending some time working on "Come On" the first Stones B-side or whatever it was, working all that out, playing harmonicas and stuff. He'd know something, I'd know something and we'd just swap, as people do in back rooms everywhere. He then left that college and moved up to an art college in London, which is when Pink Floyd got formed."

Well, its not totaly what we want to know. They probably had some sort of teatcher. I dont this this case is closed yet.

True, but I'm thinking if he had had a teacher, it would be mentioned somewhere. The search will go on....

In the meantime, another snippet about his early days...
(from Dec 96 Guitar Shop)

"...Gilmour began playing at age 14 on a nylon-stringed acoustic. Eventually the teenager moved on to a Burns Sonnet and Hofner Club 60 electrics before getting his first Fender at age 21......"

I think i read somewhere that he only learned some stuff from a chord book, or something... And the rest is self taught.

he probably taught himself like most good players

From what I heard he learned from a Pete Seeger book and record course.

Like all great guitarists I'm sure he had a relative or friend that helped him in the parts of his playing that he couldn't have gotten to by himself.