Why Guitar Players HATE Brian May 

Who hates Brian May???

Brian may is the reason I started playing guitar. He took me away from learning the piano and I gravitated towards learning the guitar. The solo from “Play the Game” really was the solo for me.

Steve Vai once said: "I don't think enough is really said about the brilliance of Brian May's guitar playing, inthe sense that it's overshadowed by the music itself. The Queen II album was one of those pivotal moments that just nailed me to the wall. "He's probably one of the top identifiable guitar players, even more so than Beck, Page, and Clapton. They're all so identifiable, but Brian May has such a tone in his head and in his fingers. It speaks volumes. His contribution to orchestrated guitars is unprecedented. There was nothing like it before him. To me, it was like when Edward Van Halen came along and reshaped the sound of electric guitar. That's what I heard in Brian May's playing. It's something that's inherent in the brain of the guitar player. "I remember working with Frank Zappa for the first time. I had just moved out to Los Angeles, and nobody knew me. I was 21. I went out to the Rainbow Bar and Grill, and Brian May was there. I couldn't believe it. I mustered up every little bit of courage and went up to him and said, 'Thank you so much for everything you've done. I play guitar. I'm here in town with Frank Zappa.' He said 'Oh really? Why don't you come down to our rehearsal?' "I went down and he brought me up on the stage, and he let me play the guitar-the guitar that he built with his dad [the "Red Special"]. I couldn't even believe that I was touching this instrument! He was so kind and so warm, and for who? This kid, you know? And I played his guitar, and it sounded like Steve Vai. Then when he played it, it sounded just like Brian May. It was very apparent to me that his tone is in his fingers and his head. "He's a class act from head to toe, and it shows in his playing. I can listen to any player and pantomime their sound, but I can't do Brian May. He's just walking on higher ground."

He’s a phd in astrophysics. Might be the smartest guitar player of all time. Makes total sense why he composes so perfectly

In my opinion, Queen II is the most under-rated album they did. It goes from dramatic to whimsical, simple to so complex it is almost esoteric.

Any one who hates Brian May doesn’t appreciate the art of crafting a guitar solo.

Brian uses harmonies on records and during live shows really well. You can hear this during the live version of White Queen. His rhythm sections are also very unique. They build up the melody so well you sometimes forget they're there. For example listen to The Prophet's Song.

The chord progression on We Are The Champions is unusual and the way Brian May plays the backing on the guitar is incredible.

It was once said that "Queen were the heaviest band you've never heard of." Yes, everyone has heard of Queen, of course but many do not know quite heavy they used to be. May was an essential part of that.

May's melodic sense, construction and phrasing are top notch.

Brian May was definitely an influence in my playing. The solo at the end of "We will rock you" is probably one of the best examples of his work. Short but sweet - sounds like it's so much fun to play.. "Killer queen" and "Fat bottomed girls" also have good guitar work.

There are many fantastic Brian May solos but, in my opinion, the song which epitomizes his genius (and brings tears to my eyes each time I hear it) is "BIJOU" from Queen's beautiful album, "INNUENDO". Freddie Mercury and Brian May wrote this song where the guitar is the main voice; Freddie's vocals are the interlude - where a guitar solo would usually be. They said it was their "inside out" song. It is profoundly beautiful. The emotion that Brian conveys is palpable. You might enjoy listening to it once...and then again and again and again. FYI: This song was written when Queen, which was always known for their huge tours, did not tour for 5 long years because Freddie's illness was beginning to envelop him and Freddie could not tour any longer. Yet, the band stayed together and worked with Freddie in the studio producing what I believe is some of their best work. If anyone ever doubts the deep and abiding friendship this band had for each other or their love and support for Freddie, they only have only to look to this period of time in their career.

Brian would say his favorite solo he's done is Killer Queen, but for me, hands down, it's Last Horizon off of his 1992 album Back to the Light. The album cut is stellar, but the live version is absolutely ethereal.

There are hundreds of brian may solos that are impressive, but I would say that the ones on "millionaire waltz" and "Good Company" (the second being a whole big band simulation using only his red special guitar) are masterpieces and I highly recommend them. P.S.: sorry for the confusion haha

Why did Brian choose to play an AC30? Brian's amplifier of choice remains the Vox AC30, made famous by the Beatles and other “British Invasion “ bands of the 1960s. Brian tells the story of how he saw Irish blues rocker, Rory Gallagher play at the Marquee Club in London in the late 60s. Brian and his friends stayed after the show and managed to talk with Rory who showed Brian his guitar set up. This included the AC30, a thirty watt valve/tube combo with two Celestion speakers and another key component, a Range Master treble booster. This simple unit is where the magic happens. Why does Brian May use a treble booster? Rory Gallagher, who usually played a Fender Stratocaster, was driving the input of his amp using the Range Master treble booster. The story goes that Brian soon managed to buy some used AC30s and a treble booster and plugged in his homemade guitar. Finally Brian had found his signature sound. This combination is what you hear on the early Queen albums along with other guitar effects including phaser, flanger, wah wah and of course a tape delay. Brian's father also built another treble booster as did bassist John Deacon, who also built the small transistor amp that Brian used extensively for guitar overdubs and harmony parts.

Brian May is the guitarrist equivalent of that guy that's really good at a given sport but you wouldn't be able to point out what of his skills makes him stand out. The reality is that May is an extremely gifted composer, an outstanding arranger, and has an amazing taste for tone and layering. It's really difficult to evaluate him "just" as a guitarrist, he was a capable shredder type guy, had good rhythm, recognizable tone, amazing versatility and ability to adventure out of traditional rock music tropes, but his strenght and value as a songwriter, background vocalist, polystrumentist, composer and sound engineer, makes whatever analysis of his guitar playing a bit reductive compared to his overall artistic value.

Mate, Brighton Rock is must listen from the Sheer Heart Attack Album. There's also These Are The Days of Our Lives. Super solos.

You must watch the full concert live at Montreal 1981. All mind blowing all of the band member are amazing

I remember when Queen was enjoying their full flush of success, getting lots and lots of radio play in the 1980s, and not being terribly impressed. It was not until much later, after they had lost Freddy, and after I began studying what they were up to musically, that I gained a full appreciation for their genius. One of the best rock bands ever, and yes, much of it resides in Brian May. He's brilliant.

Great video. Brian May is my favorite guitar player. The things he does with the guitar are amazing. Not only did he build his own guitar, he used to do guitar harmonies before the harmonist pedal was created. He emulated an entire jazz band in the last part of the song Good Company from the A Night At The Opera album. His guitar has so many tonal capabilities that you can pretty much dial in any tone you like, Gibson or fender. He did it all. my favorite solo of his is the Brighton Rock solo from the Sheer Heart Attack album, he showed what guitar playing is all about. Other solos I’d cite are from Stone Cold Crazy, The Invisible Man and Bijou amongst many. Sweet les paul btw, rock on 🤘

For me, one of my favourite Brian May composed Queen tracks is The Prophets Song. It’s from the same album as Bohemian Rhapsody, A Night at the Opera from 1975, and was written about a dream Brian May had one night. It’s a great example of how he likes to layer tracks, and is probably one of the first times he experimented with drop D tuning, which he only uses two or three times across all Queens albums.

Brian may is an world renowned astrophysicist, he built his own legendary guitar (that is capable of playing about any tone ive ever heard from any electric guitar out there), and he is able to put together some of the most powerful songs in history. Whats not to like?!?!

Queen is my favorite band and Brian May is my favorite guitarist. If any of you dislike Queen because they sound too poppy you need to listen to the first three albums they are fantastic. My favorite Queen song is 39 and my favorite of Brian's guitar solos changes from day to day but I just love it all. Gosh the tones he gets out of those pickups.

My favourite solos are from Party, You Don't Fool Me, Killer Queen, Death on Two Legs, Dragon Attack. Also, the licks from March of The Black Queen, Flick of The Wrist, Khashoggi's Ship are just perfect.

Solo to Millionaire Waltz was the one that really hooked me on Brian May. March of the Black Queen is also good. His harmonies are INSANE! NOBODY could match him during the 70s. He is a total original. Yes, Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, Sleeping on the Sidewalk, Someone to Love solos are notable.

Brian May has always been one of my very favorite players. Hey Mike, listen to Somebody to Love. That solo will knock you out!

Man I've been playing for 38 years and have never heard another guitarist ( or any other musician for that matter) say that they didn't like Brian May.

I’ve NEVER heard anyone say they hated Brian May. He’s just amazing. I didn’t like Queen as a kid, yet I was singing along to their songs when I’d hear them on the radio. As a kid I didn’t know they were guys. I thought it was a girl band. That’s why 8 year old me didn’t make adult decisions. Oh & that Queen movie was REALLY inaccurate. You didn’t miss much. The real story about them is much more interesting.

You must listen to "Innuendo" if You wanna listed to what Brian May does and where he takes the song the next level

The simplistic yet majestic solo in Days of Our Lives is simply perfection. One of my favourites. 👍👍👍

Glad you're starting to change your mind! Brian is one of the greats in my opinion, and his work usually gets overshadowed by the rest of the band since he tends to write guitar parts to fit songs rather than to stand out. Some songs to check out if you want some of the best Brian deep cuts: -Great King Rat -Father to Son -Ogre Battle -Brighton Rock -White Man -It's Late -Dead on Time -The Hitman -Bijou Some live performances I absolutely recommend checking out (I can't post links but if you type what I put in the search bar you should find them no problem): -Queen Brighton Rock Oakland 1978 (The quality isn't great but it's WELL worth listening to. They do a jam in the middle of the song and it's one of the greatest things they ever did live) -Queen Hammersmith 1975 White Queen -Queen Spread Your Wings Chicago 1978 -Queen Sleeping on the Sidewalk Live -Queen Liar Rainbow 1974

Man this guy gives me really good vibes. I always learn something new and his videos are always very entertaining Although I have to object that I have never met anyone who hates Brian May

Favorite solo has to be from Crazy Little Thing Called Love. But also his acoustic playing on the live version of Love of My Life was so good!

Looks like you may want to explain the H.A.T.E. acronym at the beginning of these episodes. I know you did in the Hendrix episode, but a lot of people don't watch every video.

Battle Theme actually gets me so pumped that I can really do battle.

I loved his work in Hammer To Fall. It's a lot simpler than a lot of his work, but they overall energy of that song gets me every time.

My favorite Queen song - It's Late from the album News of the World. It has everything that Made Queen great in one 6-minute cut

Last Horizon is one of Brian's most beautiful solos, and it's not even from the Queen years. Magical.

Its hard to pinpoint one song that encompasses Queen because they have such a huge range of styles in their music. From the real gritty rock sound of Keep Yourself Alive, to the sweeping saga sound of Who Wants to Live Forever, or the sharp poppy sound of Killer Queen. Listen to all three, and you will understand what i mean. Listen to the live version of Love of My Life, where It's just Brian and Freddie on stage, really stripped back, both bringing their genius. There's just so much there!

We need a video on why Jimmy page is so good

Growing up, we didn't think Brian was the greatest of all time; but what really stood out to us, was listening to full albums from Queen thru Night at the Opera. These were the days of AOR rock; and intelligence and variety were key. Each band member would contribute to the songwriting, so you wound up with songs with a lot more variety than most other bands. Also, he had this stuff where he would have two notes going at the same time, that sounded, well, regal. Be sure to check out the Flash Gordon movie, too - including the song at the closing credits.

When I was getting into Queen back in 2004/2005, I already recognized that I liked Brian May’s guitar playing, but couldn’t quite place why. However, There’s a song on A Night at the Opera called “Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon” that ends with a ridiculous solo that made me fall in love with Brian’s playing. It’s not a complicated solo, but he comes in gun blazing with a HUGE sounding harmony part, a single track melodic part, then another huge harmony part. And it just encapsulates everything you want in a Brian May solo in less than 20 seconds. The harmonies, the melodic choices he makes and his phrasing are top notch.

Great video! I love how In depth you went with the guitar structures, I never knew it went that deep lmao. You’re a great guitarist with some great takes!

I think Brian May is a hugely underrated guitar genius. Whenever most people think of Queen, they think of Freddie Mercury's dynamic vocal range, but I always thought of the intricate classical solos that May created on a guitar he and his father built with their bare hands. In particular, the solos on Killer Queen and Somebody to Love have always floored me with how May masterfully blended Bach with Rock! Oh yeah, did you know he's also an astrophysicist? Like I said, the man is a true genius.

What he played in "All Dead, All Dead" is amazing. Those harmonies are incredible.

Just learned ‘don’t stop me now’ solo. Love it

son't dance around with deep cuts, just put on the albums and listen to it the way its meant. Queen like Zeppelin were about the ALBUM not the single. The amazing thing about Sir Brian is his ability to put tasty solos in nearly every song he recorded. I really don't recall a single bad solo. Not one. That's not even taking into consideration his rhythm playing. Remember, Queen is fundamentally a power trio with a singer in front that sometimes adds piano. Until The Game, that guitar provides 90 percent of the instrumental melody in their music.

Hey Mike, your videos have gotten really good man. Keep it up 👍🏽

Brian is such a pioneer for the guitar. You can get sucked into a black hole with his gear and his approach to guitar tone. By itself, his guitar tone is unconventional and wouldn't sound good by itself, but in the context of the music, it's absolutely brilliant. He uses an English six-pence as a pick which contributes to his tone. Then his use of a treble booster is integral to his sound, not to mention his guitar that he built with his Dad from 100 year old firewood and random parts (some from a motorcycle and knitting needle). The switching on his guitar is pretty unique with the 6 switches (3 for series/parrallel). Also Vox AC30 are integral, always using 3 at a time, some used for the harmony delay effect that was innovative for the time (listen to Brighton Rock, especially the live version). He also used a small battery amp made by the bassist called the Deacy which was used heavily for recording. He's also not secretive about his tone as he releases his own brand of replicas (and pretty reasonably priced for an artist series). He also released a special version of the AC30, which only featured a volume knob. And of course the treble boosters which has different settings for different eras. And of course, as everyone has mentioned, his use of guitar harmonies is legendary. Queen pave the way for the highly produced records (ie Boston, Smashing Pumpkins etc). For me the best eras to really delve into his playing is from the albums Sheer Heart Attack, A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, and News of the World Songs to listen to: Brighton Rock, Killer Quees, Now I'm Here, Prophet's Song, Tie Your Mother Down, Millionaire's Waltz, and It's Late. So much to uncover

I don't know if this would be considered a "deep cut", but Stone Cold Crazy is one of Queen's best guitar songs in my opinion (so good that Metallica covered it)

Deep cuts solo : great long rat from the first album : Queen. Listen to it . This Guy ruled

Ask someone from the U.K. this question and they will gift you an entirely different universe of perspective(s). Brian May's best riff, if you ask me, of course, is Keep Yourself Alive. I'd like to hear you play and dissect that song. Also, LIVE AID occurred during the summer between my 8th- and 9th-grade years in school, the summer just before high school (secondary school in the U.K.). I will never ever forget sitting on the couch and watching Queen take the stage, it was early afternoon in Florida I believe, maybe late morning. While Queen played its set We fuckin knew while it was happening it was legendary (DAAAAAAAAAAAY-o) because we all were sitting by our rotary phones and the phones everywhere blew up in the U.S. at that moment. I wish I had data on that. Then, about 2008 or 09, Queen's Live Aid set popped up on RU-vid again and everyone remembered the fireworks of their memory and everybody went, "Yeah, oh Yeah, that's right. GREATEST PERFORMANCE EVER."

Some of my favorite Brian Solos are like Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy, You Take My Breathe Away, Good Company (its all guitars, not a jazz band), White Queen, there are loads and loads of amazing Queen tracks and amazing guitar parts, basically in every song with a few exceptions were guitar wasnt in the song. But Brian is the whole reason i started playing guitar, and I am in love with his orchestral style, like obssessed with it

Don't Stop Me Now solo, definitely. It's a good solo for learners. It was the first one I could play.

Maybe one measure of a great solo is the quantity of notes. Bohemian Rhapsody is actually a pretty economical solo. Not too many notes. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" shows he understood the vibe of the 50s. "Play the Game" is a great exercise in rhythm, and "Fat Bottom Girls" could be speaking just as much about tone as bottoms. 😁

He's a brilliant guitar player, he designed and constructed one of the most emblematic instruments in rock music, he has a PhD in astrophysics, and on top of that, he's one of the nicest, most humble musicians you'll ever see. Anyone who hates Brian May has issues.

I grew up listening to Queen through my dad...and while I am not the biggest Queen fan out there, their song 'bicycle race' still takes me right back to those days of growing up. and of course seeing the Muppets performing 'Bohemian Rapsody'. Such a 'bigger than life' kind of band. I also confess to being a drummer, not a guitar player. ;-)

The solo from killer queen is a personal favorite for me. Wierd and different in all the write ways. I had to learn the 'Crazy little thing called love' solo for a gig, and that's one of my absolute favorite solos to play. Also, check out Brian May's Resurrection! Not really a deep cut, but i didn't know it till about a year ago. Great composition. Great video!

Not super-deep cuts or anything, but the solos to ‘Invisible Man’, ‘Breakthru’, and ‘I Want it All’ blow me away every time I hear them…and I’ve heard them plenty! 🙂 Another small, but FIRM favourite of mine is the solo to ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’ - based on where you’re coming from in this video, I think that you’ll dig it too.

May has literally the most identifiable guitar tone and playing style. For me it's the killer queen solo. Crazy that he's not really seen as a guitar hero but that's more a statement about Mercury's presence rather than anyone else being not as remembered.

The solo for killer queen is so good.

First, I gotta say, he was a pioneer of guitar harmonies, before Boston or Toto or those bands did it. I got turned on to Queen as a little kid in the mid 70s through a friend's older brother, and Night At the Opera was their latest release. Really a fantastic album, almost start to finish. It wasn't Bohemain Rhapsody for me then (Kiss Destroyer defined my musical world @ that point), it was tracks like Death On Two Legs, Prophet's Song, Year of '39, and Best Friend that I loved most. Iirc, there was really only one track on the album I didn't like, I'll let you figure it out. I don't know which had the hot solos (DO2L, probably), but all great guitar songs.

The solo on “Somebody to Love” always puts me on the floor. The emotional content in that solo is incredible.

Mike- I really appreciate your take on Brian May- never really thought about most of your points here, but all really well said and researched! God bless you, Brother! Bob from Spokane Valley, WA USA

Two songs you defiantly need to hear, Was it All worth it and the show must go on

I am in complete disbelief that you had not even heard Don't Stop Me Now before.

For me. As a singer, & a listener. He can fit into any style they choose. He is not drawing attention to himself, necessarily. He composes specifically for the individual song. Creating something unique. ( of course he can write a song, & compose a blistering solo to go with it.) He writes a large portion of their songs. He built that guitar from scratch. With his dad's help. When he was 15 or 16. Listen to a Studio track called Good Company. ( which he also sings ) He not only plays his guitar ( which mimics all kinds of other instruments ) He plays the Banjolele on it. In general he plays piano, & keyboards as well. He composed a large portion of The Flash Gordon movie soundtrack. including the electronic music score played throughout. To advance the story. Along with Guitar of course. For another Movie soundtrack gem written by him. Try Gimme The Prize. From The Highlander movie. A blistering rocker. Some others are... Ogre Battle, Liar, Mustapha, Flick of the wrist, Death on two Legs, & The Millionaire Waltz / Stone Cold Crazy. To give you a sense of his range.

You need to hear: -Sail away sweet sister -Put out the fire -Dragon attack These three hit you in the middle of the song, so intense and emotionally aligned with song really!

Everyone that loves Brian May should check out Rory Gallagher he was a big inspiration for Brian and the one who told him to get an Vox Ac30 and Rangemaster which he still plays today

Check out the BBC Radio documentaries Guitar Greats, Brian is one of those documented and interviewed. Featured earlier in the same series is one of Brian's early heroes, a very melodic, known throughout most of the worlds (apart from the US) Hank Marvin. Check out his playing. He and the band he was in were pre-Beatles UK rock and roll. The sound was (is) unique very clean with a brilliant rhythm team and Hank's very clean, very melodic single note lead. Brian was also a big fan of Rory Gallagher, also worth checking out.

Tie Your Mother Down is really strong and bluesy, but the solo in Innuendo is really clever in an odd scale and key, brilliant.

The thing about brain May's guitar.... He built that with his dad using thier kitchen table and fireplace mantel. They couldn't afford a decent guitar at that time so they built it and he's never stopped playing it. Also you need to check out more queen stuff. My favorite queen song is spread your wings. The bass player wrote it but nevertheless it's amazing.

I believe Bohmenian Rhapsody is one of his best, my personal favorite Queen song is One Vision. It gets at least one play per dcs flight 🤣

Brian May is a genius. His playing is similar to Tom Sholts of Boston (they should do an album together). May changed the game.

Underrated solo: "You And I" (on A Day At the Races.) I really think his strength as a writer and arranger surpasses even his excellent guitar playing, though. "'39", "All Dead, All Dead", "Teo Torriate", "Hammer to Fall", "Long Away"- the multifaceted poetry in these songs and the way they interplay with the melody are incredible. He and Paul McCartney are two who act like anyone could do this if they had the time and the desire- without seemingly realizing that they are uniquely gifted in manipulating language.

Pleased to see you’ve finally woken up!!

Killer Queen is the prime example for me of what makes Brian May such a killer guitar player, his sense of harmony is absolutely top-notch

I think that brian may has written some of queens best songs. I would recommend 39 and long away. fantastic songs for more reasons then just the stella guitar playing.

good stuff Mike. Having a fantastic day and you as well.

Brian is the reason that I picked up a guitar! To see Brian's guitar mastery you have to listen to his guitar work in Brighton Rock. The three part harmonies are simply breath-taking. As a guitar player, I will never hold a candle to Brian May but was my first guitar inspiration.

For me that song was " I want it all" ...this song talked to me !

Definitely “Prophet’s Song.”

I seen in a interview brian said he quit jamming his solos he hums them or sings them first. Brian said if he tried to jam his solos he was repeating the same things and not going outside of the boxes. I thought this was interesting

he uses the guitar, especially in the first albums, as an orchesta, he emulates a violin, a fanfare (don't know if that's the correct word, i'm spanish, i mean an old wind instrument), etc., and uses it as an orchestra in another, creating loads of textures. to me, he uses the solo moments to tell stories -with a beggining and an end-, it's his way of somehow singing in every song, i've never heard a guitarrist as narrative as him. songs i would listen to: bijou, delilah (the solo, in relation with the lyrics), princes of the universe, gimme the prize, let me entertain you (live), dead on time, the night comes down, '39, now i'm here, brighton rock solo, keep yourself alive (live), staying power (live), white queen (raimbow '74), the prophet's song, to name some. enjoy them, to me they are to music what spierberg is to cinema, gold standard entertainment.

Brian May is such a precise player.

Ogre Battle

That LP Tribute is so nice, I have a honeyburst one and i've played it so much the finish is wearing away were my arm rests, which is something i love

The thing I always notice about May is his tone. Whatever processing they do on his lead guitar, they do it every time and it cuts right through the mix in a unique way.

Who WAS Brian May as a guitar player?!? He is still around and playing!!!

Killer queen

Brian May has always been one of the most underrated guitarists. Wheyer it be his VOX amps and heads, along with his custom engineered Red Special, or the fact the man started creating his spund by draping a tea towel over his amp and uses a freaking coin as a pick. Hes basically a rat rod builder of musical sound and equipment. I will always respect him. Actually hoing to see queen in Nashville TN this upcoming October 25. Its been a bucket list dream for me to see them, and were actually getting to go.

I came to queen later in life. As you get older revisiting music will grow with you.

Love the color grade. Also immediately said in my head, have you heard “Don’t stop me now”?

I wasn't a Queen fan when I was younger, and wasn't interested in May's guitar work. But later I really appreciated them and grew to like them very much for the unique band that they were, and for how truly amazing of a vocalist Mercury was. I think May is fine, even though I've never been interested in playing his stuff. But yeah big thumbs up for Queen from me now.

I was 12 y.o. (now I'm 13) when I really got into Queen. The guitar solo that made me like Queen which is also Brian May's favourite guitar solo, and that is their first big hit, Killer Queen, the whole song made me listen to Queen a lot more than I did before. My favourite Queen song by Brian May is The Prophet's Song. If you don't know it, go listen to it, it's worth the 8 minutes :). My favourite Brian May song is Resurrection from the Back To The Light album, released in 1992. On this album there are a lot of great songs, like Too Much Love Will Kill You, Driven By You, Last Horizon etc. Brian May is a genius, not only in music, but he's also a doctor in astrophysics. In conclusion, Sir Dr. Brian May is one of kind :)

This is a fairly deep cut i suppose, although there is definitely some appreciation of this - All Dead, All Dead, from their magnum opus News Of The World, is my favourite song, and the guitar solo right before the final verse is my favourite piece of music in existence. It just seeps in and envelops you, and you cant help but stop what youre doing and let it flow into every part of your being as it ascends to heaven. He uses the guitar to find resolution in mortality, to find meaning in a life that inevitably ends in death, to find a reason to continue in a futile world.

Just came across your video and I have a story I have been a Queen fan most of my life. It was one of my mom's favorite bands and I consider the band my first love when it comes to music. I went to school for radio broadcasting near Seattle and a legend in the business named Bob Rivers was one of the teachers for the program and taught basic and advanced production. In the basic production class, our final project was taking the stems from Killer Queen and put them together to make it sound like the finished product we all know and love today Long story short (too late), it took me quite a while to listen to that song again after that project lol.

I'm a guitar player, and I never hated Brian's playing. He was one of the guys I (subconsciously) sought to emulate. I nearly bought a Brian May model, but a colleague of mine talked me out of it. I recommend you go album by album. That's a killer exploration. You can choose for yourself what you like.

The solo in We Will Rock you seems pretty simple at first glance--and it is, for the most part--but there are actually a couple of tricky little bends in there that take a lot of practice to get just right. Every once in a while I'll play it just for fun, only to discover that it still takes me a few tries.

Check out Face it Alone. The way that Brian uses subtly uses various tones and effects to help bring our Freddie’s voice even more shows how good of a composer he really is. Those subtle tones then progress flawlessly into an emotional solo that pulls you back into the song hard before letting you go and letting Freddy take over again. It’s amazing! You have to check it out. You won’t regret it. Edit: typo