Creator Area
Sign in Creator Area

Practice Studio

Pink Floyd - The Final Cut - Guitar Lesson

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

Not in tune?

Select a Loop

Start of your loop
End of your loop

Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key D minor
Pink Floyd - The Final Cut guitar lesson video
Guitar 365
Guitar 365 Top Contributor
YouTube: 1.6Msubs 25Kviews
Creator Page →
PLAY WITH BACKING TRACK
·
–50¢ 0 +50¢
· Tap to start

Your browser will ask for microphone permission.

Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
The Final Cut album cover
The Final Cut
1983 4:47
Listen on Spotify
Pink Floyd Progressive Rock 1983 D minor
Capo Advisor 0 D minor · Original key

About The Final Cut

Few Pink Floyd tracks are as guitar-sparse and emotionally demanding as "The Final Cut." Written and sung by Roger Waters, the song sits at 96 BPM in D minor, and the guitar work from David Gilmour is restrained almost to the point of austerity, which is itself the challenge: every note has to carry weight, and there is nowhere to hide behind busy playing. The clean, carefully placed chords and subtle fingerpicked passages require a steady, unhurried right hand. Getting the tone right matters here too, since the dry, intimate sound of E Standard tuning leaves every articulation exposed. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the quieter fingerpicking sections at a reduced speed so your dynamics stay controlled when you bring the tempo back up. Pink Floyd built this track around atmosphere rather than flash, and that is exactly what you need to internalize before the whole piece lands the way it should. For more context on the style, explore the Progressive Rock genre.

  • The song is in D minor in E Standard tuning, so no retuning is needed, but the key demands careful attention to minor chord voicings and subtle melodic phrasing.
  • Guitar parts here are sparse and dynamic, meaning clean technique and controlled picking attack matter far more than speed or complexity.
  • The fingerpicked and arpeggiated sections are the sections most worth looping slowed down, as even small timing inconsistencies break the fragile mood of the piece.

How to Play The Final Cut

Tuning: E Standard · Key: D minor · Tempo: 96 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 96 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.

Recommended for You

Play with Backing Track

Play with Backing Track

Solo (Backing Track)

Solo (Backing Track)