David Gilmour - Black Cat - Guitar Lesson

Luck and Strange

2024 1:32

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About Black Cat

At 80 BPM in E minor, "Black Cat" sits in that mid-tempo zone where every note has room to breathe, which means every sloppy bend or hesitant vibrato will show. David Gilmour plays in E Standard here, so no retuning is needed, but the key demands that you really commit to the emotional weight of the minor tonality. The challenge is not speed, it is control: sustain, phrasing, and the subtle timing of when a note blooms versus when it cuts off. This is the kind of Progressive Rock guitar writing where restraint does more work than flash, and learning to sit behind the beat rather than rush it is half the battle. Pick out the signature melodic phrase first and use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down, so you can feel exactly where Gilmour places each note relative to the pulse before bringing it back up to tempo.

• Playing in E Standard at 80 BPM, the moderate tempo gives you space to focus on vibrato width and consistency rather than navigating any fast picking passages.
• The E minor key rewards a pentatonic approach, but listen carefully for any added notes outside the box that give the melody its distinctive colour.
• Use the Practice Toolbar to slow down the main melodic line and isolate how each phrase ends, as the note release and fade are as important as the attack.