Article · August 25, 2026

The Gilmour Method: Intermediate

Premise. Beginner level built control inside one box. Intermediate level expands range without losing restraint.

The failure pattern at this stage is predictable — players add notes and speed, and lose phrasing, pitch accuracy, and note-choice discipline. This course prevents that by forcing every added note to earn its place.

Week 1 – 2 — Linking positions (Box 1 → Box 2)

Objective: Expand territory while preserving orientation

Content:
· A minor pentatonic Box 1 and Box 2 connection
· Visualise shared notes between the two positions

Drills:
· Move between G string 7 → 9
· Move between B string 8 → 10
· Ascend in Box 1, descend in Box 2

Figure 1.1 · Boxes 1 + 2 connected (● A (root anchor across both positions)) — the fretboard diagram for this week is in the PDF.

Constraint: No continuous runs longer than six notes. Always resolve to a known anchor — A or D — before starting the next phrase.

Outcome: The neck begins to feel continuous rather than segmented into boxes.

Week 3 — Target-note awareness

Objective: Stop treating all notes as equal

Content:
· Emphasis on root (A), minor third (C), fifth (E)
· Identify these across both positions

Drills:
· Improvise using only target notes for five minutes
· Then add passing tones sparingly — one at a time

Figure 3.1 · Target tones — root, minor third, fifth (● A (root) · ● C (♭3) · ● E (5)) — the fretboard diagram for this week is in the PDF.

Constraint: If every note sounds equal, reset. Phrases must resolve clearly to a target tone, not trail off into passing notes.

Outcome: Lines sound intentional rather than random.

Week 4 — Advanced bending

Objective: Introduce expressive pitch variation

Content:
· Pre-bends and releases
· Double-stop bends (B and G strings together)
· Slight micro-bends for tension

Drills:
· Pre-bend G string 7, pick, release slowly
· Bend B string 8 while holding G string 7

Figure 4.1 · Double-stop bend (bend B string, hold G string stationary) — the fretboard diagram for this week is in the PDF.

Constraint: Pitch accuracy remains absolute. No approximate bends, even inside double stops.

Outcome: More vocal, less mechanical phrasing.

Week 5 — Dynamics and touch

Objective: Create contrast within phrases

Content:
· Pick attack variation
· Volume control via picking hand and guitar volume knob

Drills:
· Play the same phrase softly, then aggressively
· Practise volume-knob swells into sustained notes

Constraint: Dynamics must be deliberate, not accidental. A loud note that was meant to be loud is different from one that escaped.

Outcome: Phrases gain shape without adding complexity.

Week 6 — Time and phrasing control

Objective: Detach from rigid timing

Content:
· Playing behind the beat
· Extending notes across bar lines

Drills:
· Use a slow backing track
· Delay note entry slightly after the beat
· Hold notes longer than expected

Constraint: Do not rush to fill space. The backing track continues whether you play or not.

Outcome: The laid-back feel associated with Gilmour phrasing.

Week 7 — Song study (full sections)

Objective: Internalise structure from real solos

Material:
· Time — solo, major sections
· Comfortably Numb — first solo, complete

Approach:
· Break into phrases
· Identify where phrases start and end
· Note which notes are sustained and where silence occurs

Constraint: Do not memorise mechanically. Identify why each phrase works. Mechanical reproduction teaches very little.

Outcome: Recognition of recurring phrasing logic across different songs.

Week 8 — Composition and variation

Objective: Create original material within constraints

Task:
· Build a 45–60 second solo over an A minor progression
· Introduce a phrase, then vary it later

Rules:
· Box 1 and Box 2 only
· Five or more accurate bends
· Three or more sustained vibrato notes
· Four or more deliberate pauses
· Dynamic variation across the solo

Outcome: Ability to construct extended, coherent solos with internal structure.

The full course, with every fretboard and chord diagram drawn out, is in the PDF: download The Gilmour Method: Intermediate. Free, no email asked.

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