“I can’t play like him”: The one guitarist David Gilmour couldn’t copy

“I Can’t Play Like Him”: The One Guitarist David Gilmour Couldn’t Copy

David Gilmour, the iconic guitarist of Pink Floyd, is renowned for his ethereal tone, emotional phrasing, and unparalleled ability to make a guitar sing. With solos like “Comfortably Numb” and “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” he has carved a place in rock history as a master of expressive, melodic guitar work. But even legends have their idols—and Gilmour has openly admitted that there was one guitarist whose style he simply couldn’t replicate.

“I can’t play like him,” Gilmour once said in an interview, referring to none other than Jimi Hendrix. Despite being a towering figure in his own right, Gilmour has never shied away from acknowledging the groundbreaking brilliance of Hendrix, calling him “untouchable.” While Gilmour admired countless guitarists, from blues greats like B.B. King to British contemporaries like Jeff Beck, it was Hendrix who truly left him awestruck.

According to Gilmour, Hendrix’s approach was so fluid, raw, and instinctive that it defied imitation. “He just came along and rewrote all the rules,” Gilmour explained. “There’s no point in trying to do what he did, because only he could do it.” For Gilmour, Hendrix was more than a guitarist—he was a force of nature, channeling something otherworldly through his fingers, tone, and soul.

What made Hendrix so elusive to copy wasn’t just his technical skill—it was the unpredictability and emotion behind every note. His style fused blues, rock, psychedelia, and pure innovation into a sound that seemed to live outside traditional boundaries. For Gilmour, whose own playing is methodical, soaring, and introspective, Hendrix’s explosive and improvisational chaos was like another language altogether.

That deep respect never came from a place of envy. Gilmour viewed Hendrix as a once-in-a-lifetime artist, and rather than trying to mimic him, he focused on developing his own unique voice—a voice that has become equally iconic in its own right. “You don’t have to be faster or louder,” Gilmour once said. “You just have to sound like you.” And in that philosophy lies perhaps the greatest lesson he took from Hendrix: authenticity is the truest form of greatness.

To this day, Gilmour’s acknowledgment of Hendrix’s genius serves as a reminder that even legends have heroes. And sometimes, the greatest tribute one can give is to simply stand back, listen, and say, “I can’t play like him”—and then go on to inspire the next generation in your own way.