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Pink Floyd - In The Flesh? - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Pink Floyd - In The Flesh? guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
The Wall album cover
The Wall
1979 3:19
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Pink Floyd Progressive Rock 1979 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About In The Flesh?

Few album openers set the scene as deliberately as "In The Flesh?" and the guitar work is a big part of why. The song is built around a driving, march-like feel in E minor, and keeping the rhythm locked in tight while projecting that militaristic energy is the real challenge for the rhythm guitarist. The main riff is not technically complex, but precision and dynamics matter enormously here: the difference between the quiet, almost hesitant opening and the full-band crash demands careful attention to your picking weight and timing. Pink Floyd layer the arrangement so that what sounds simple on record is actually quite easy to underplay or overplay. Pay particular attention to how the chord hits land against the pulse, and use the Practice Toolbar to loop the transition between the soft intro and the loud entry slowed down until the dynamic shift feels natural under your hands. Clean picking control and a steady right hand will take you further on this one than any flashy technique.

  • The song is in E minor, so open-position and first-position power chords are your foundation throughout the rhythm part.
  • The hardest thing to nail is the sudden dynamic shift from near-silence to a full, aggressive strum, which requires deliberate picking control rather than speed.
  • Tone-wise, the guitars sit in a thick, mid-forward crunch that works well with a slightly overdriven amp kept clean enough to stay articulate.

How to Play In The Flesh?

Key: E minor · Tempo: 94 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 94 BPM to build it up to tempo.

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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