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Pink Floyd - High Hopes - Guitar Lesson

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Key Eb major
Pink Floyd - High Hopes guitar lesson video
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The Division Bell album cover
The Division Bell
1994 8:31
Listen on Spotify
Pink Floyd Progressive Rock 1994 Eb major
Capo Advisor 0 Eb major · Original key

About High Hopes

Few album closers demand as much patience and control from a guitarist as "High Hopes." The song is built around a recurring, unhurried arpeggio figure that requires a clean, measured right-hand technique, whether you pick or fingerpick. David Gilmour's lead playing here leans on his trademark singing sustain and careful note choice, so the temptation to over-play is a real trap. The key of Eb major shapes the feel of the whole piece, so check the tuning tab on this page before you start. The slower, reflective tempo means every note is exposed, and even small timing inconsistencies will stand out. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the lead passages slowed down until your phrasing feels unhurried rather than hesitant. Pink Floyd recorded the track for The Division Bell in 1994, and the guitar work rewards players who treat space and dynamics as seriously as the notes themselves.

  • The song is built on a repeating arpeggio figure that rewards fingerpicking or a very controlled single-note picking approach.
  • Playing in Eb major means you may need to retune or use a capo depending on how you approach the chord voicings.
  • Gilmour's lead tone relies heavily on sustain and vibrato, so practising slow bends with consistent pitch is essential for this piece.

How to Play High Hopes

Tuning: E Standard · Key: Eb major · Tempo: 74 BPM

Loop each section and focus on clean, even timing rather than speed, with the metronome at 74 BPM.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Gilmour's 1969 Black Strat is his primary instrument, offering glassy neck pickup tones perfect for his singing bends and the warm, rounded character that defines Pink Floyd's melodic solos without harsh brightness.

Fender Telecaster
Guitar

Fender Telecaster

This workhorse guitar provided Gilmour with a brighter, more cutting tone for rhythm work and alternative textures, offering the snap and clarity needed for Pink Floyd's diverse sonic palette across studio and live performances.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Gilmour's 1955 Les Paul Goldtop, fitted with original P-90 pickups, delivers the thick, gritty midrange essential for iconic solos like Comfortably Numb's outro, providing tonal weight and sustain that Strats cannot match.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Though less documented than the Goldtop, this model would offer similar thick, sustained tones with enhanced versatility through multiple pickup switching, supporting Gilmour's need for varied textures within complex Pink Floyd arrangements.

Fender Twin Reverb
Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

Gilmour used Twin Reverbs for their exceptional clean headroom and built-in reverb, creating spacious, shimmering textures that complement his delay-heavy effects chain and define Pink Floyd's atmospheric, three-dimensional soundscapes.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

The Cry Baby opens Gilmour's effects chain, allowing expressive vocal-like phrasing on solos, integral to Pink Floyd's emotional delivery and creating dynamic dynamic tonal sweeps that enhance the band's psychedelic and progressive character.

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