David Gilmour doesn't.....

[daveshel]

Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part 4) introduces a 4-note theme that is repeated and builds to a bit of a crescendo before the vocals start in Part 5. This seems to me to map pretty closely to the description on a riff as "a short, repeated musical phrase, often played on a guitar, that forms a memorable part of a song." Not Smoke On The Water but I'm thinking that's a riff.

 

[krautmaster]

Gilmore's playing invokes an emotional response to the music... you can feel his pain/joy. Billy Gibbons, when he's playing bluesy stuff like "Need You Tonight" etc, does much the same thing, as does some of Jimmy page's playing.

I cannot stand guitar players like Joe Satriani, Zack Wilde, Ingwe Malmsteen, etc... you know, the technical wizards who sure can play fast, but without any emotional connection... they just make noise to my ears.

 

[Nautiker]

'Run Like Hell' might be the closest for David... And it's more of a pattern riff... But Great!
And that Telecaster twang.....

 

[E2]

I admit this might be a somewhat stupid statement: When I hear him play on DSOM, it seems like he's playing the blues.

I love 'psychedelic music' and his playing on DSOM is what helps the album become beautifully separated from the 'real world.'

Love him, love the band, love pretty much all their albums...they remain fresh, to me, which is a great tribute for a 50+ year old album!

Sometimes, I try to imagine what a variety of treats we'd have if Pink Floyd had performed really long form jam band style sets.

Floyd did play long live. It's tough to describe them as jams. Are Felder, and Frey jamming on Hotel California, or playing thematically?

There is some good stuff from the Peel Sessions.....

John Coltrane essentially is jamming on his later material.

A riff could be anything, but it's already been played.

 

[E2]

Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part 4) introduces a 4-note theme that is repeated and builds to a bit of a crescendo before the vocals start in Part 5. This seems to me to map pretty closely to the description on a riff as "a short, repeated musical phrase, often played on a guitar, that forms a memorable part of a song." Not Smoke On The Water but I'm thinking that's a riff.

That's exactly what a riff is.......the original redbook cd of that is great by the way. No way the LP is better.

 

[coonmanx]

Money has a bass riff.

The Who "The Real Me'... Entwistle killing it on the bass...

 

[coonmanx]

 

[coonmanx]

That bass line is the driving power to that song.

 

[Mystic]

Riff

Fair?

I'm driving down the road one day when a recollection of a comment came to me. As I recall, I think it was the INXS live concert and Hutchens says 'Play that riff Timmy.... play that 'effing riff" (forget the song)

It hit me, David Gilmour doesn't riff. Or does he and I'm as stupid as my wife reminds me? Solo on Comfortably Numb or Fat Old Sun.... aren't riffs, they are soliloquies.

Thoughts?

The acoustic intro @ "Wish You Were Here" counts as a riff. And there are others, e.g., "Dirty Woman", "Fat Old Sun", etc. Heck, there are a few riffs in "Dogs".

Gilmour riffs. Not like a, say, Tony Iommi, but Gilmour does riff.

But, how about this: Does Gilmour jam ?

 

[Mystic]

Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part 4) introduces a 4-note theme that is repeated and builds to a bit of a crescendo before the vocals start in Part 5. This seems to me to map pretty closely to the description on a riff as "a short, repeated musical phrase, often played on a guitar, that forms a memorable part of a song." Not Smoke On The Water but I'm thinking that's a riff.

That particular four-note sequence is more of a thematic motif than a riff, but i get what you mean.

ps - and of course that same four-note sequence is intended to reporesent, in sound, the presence of Syd Barrett.

 

[Mystic]

^^^ PS: Did Syd Barrett riff?

 

[Isotonic]

Gilmore's playing invokes an emotional response to the music... you can feel his pain/joy. Billy Gibbons, when he's playing bluesy stuff like "Need You Tonight" etc, does much the same thing, as does some of Jimmy page's playing.

I cannot stand guitar players like Joe Satriani, Zack Wilde, Ingwe Malmsteen, etc... you know, the technical wizards who sure can play fast, but without any emotional connection... they just make noise to my ears.

You may not recognize the emotion, or maybe the emotion does not resonate with your emotional palette, but there is emotion in all those players pieces. They are all different though. Malmsteen is conjuring a romantic vintage classical European vibe. It's a fantasy rooted in an ideal. People yearn for their ideals. Satriani's ideals are youthful. To me his guitar playing on Surfing with the Alien, is conjuring the emotional palette of young male exuberance. These are not sad emotions, but they are legitimate expressions of human experience. It may not be possible for a song to appeal to anyone, without an emotional resonance. Even Morton Subotnick's bizarre electronic pieces have it. They put you in a mood that is also a space.

 

[RVT1K]

What I get most from all of this discussion is just how hard it really is to describe and categorize music.

 

[hoodie]

Money has a bass riff.

Actually, Money has a number of "riffs" throughout. Bass and guitar and keyboard plus if you listen closely, Gilmore doubles the bass riff.

 

[Coytee]

Just getting back. Yikes! More commentary than expected. I figured someone would say I'm a jackazz and shut up! (though you still might share the sentiment!)

Hadn't thought of 'Dirty Woman'..... (I'm a musical dunderhead so can't speak to any technical stuff..... I just like it sounding big and real!)

I googled Riff as well.... I suppose I simply had a layman understanding of it. Smoke on the Water would be an example. I would have thought a riff was (specifically) SHORT so not really a constant storyline through some music but coming in/out strategically for impact. Alas, seems I'm wrong.

This goes to show you how random my mind wonders while I'm driving.

 

[Gigantic]

Riff

Fair?

I'm driving down the road one day when a recollection of a comment came to me. As I recall, I think it was the INXS live concert and Hutchens says 'Play that riff Timmy.... play that 'effing riff" (forget the song)

It hit me, David Gilmour doesn't riff. Or does he and I'm as stupid as my wife reminds me? Solo on Comfortably Numb or Fat Old Sun.... aren't riffs, they are soliloquies.

Thoughts?

"young lust" is riff rock. "Money" is riff rock, as is "have a cigar" and many of their other songs.

 

[app4dstn]

The acoustic intro @ "Wish You Were Here" counts as a riff. And there are others, e.g., "Dirty Woman", "Fat Old Sun", etc. Heck, there are a few riffs in "Dogs".

Gilmour riffs. Not like a, say, Tony Iommi, but Gilmour does riff.

But, how about this: Does Gilmour jam ?

(paraphrasing Marcel Marceau in Silent Movie) No!

(in good spirit…I’m the loosest most liberal interpreter of things except subjects like this when I flip into a tight constructionist. )

Their live 70s shows, 5 titles over 2+ hours…yup that’s jam. He jams he riffs etc but I’d never characterize as such.

is gilmour the mold for shoe-gazing?
is gilmour subliminal?

To me, he is an anti-prototype.

 

[spicer]

(paraphrasing Marcel Marceau in Silent Movie) No!

(in good spirit…I’m the loosest most liberal interpreter of things except subjects like this when I flip into a tight constructionist. )

Their live 70s shows, 5 titles over 2+ hours…yup that’s jam. He jams he riffs etc but I’d never characterize as such.

is gilmour the mold for shoe-gazing?
is gilmour subliminal?

To me, he is an anti-prototype.

To me he is a guitar player.

 

[app4dstn]

I admit this might be a somewhat stupid statement: When I hear him play on DSOM, it seems like he's playing the blues.

I love 'psychedelic music' and his playing on DSOM is what helps the album become beautifully separated from the 'real world.'

Love him, love the band, love pretty much all their albums...they remain fresh, to me, which is a great tribute for a 50+ year old album!

Sometimes, I try to imagine what a variety of treats we'd have if Pink Floyd had performed really long form jam band style sets.

Brah! (that’s what my daughters call me nowadays) you have got to get into the boots from the 70s.

Exactly exactly exactly what you are wishing for is there.

Some of this actually made its way onto the immersion box sets, and quite a few have outstanding sound.

 

[Mystic]

(paraphrasing Marcel Marceau in Silent Movie) No!

(in good spirit…I’m the loosest most liberal interpreter of things except subjects like this when I flip into a tight constructionist. )

Their live 70s shows, 5 titles over 2+ hours…yup that’s jam. He jams he riffs etc but I’d never characterize as such.

is gilmour the mold for shoe-gazing?
is gilmour subliminal?

To me, he is an anti-prototype.

maybe Gilmour was a capable jammer @ those salad days.

i wonder how he'd have held up against Garcia?