The best kept secret in rock history!

[@siongheeleong8078]

Technically, Brian May is an astrophysicist that did a side job as a guitarist in a band. That side job sidetracked him from completing his PhD until later. That same side job earned him more money than he would have earned as an astrophysicist.

[@TheFunkadelicFan]

You mean people don't go into science for the money??!! Oh, I get it. It's for the pussy!

[@bluenotgreen63]

Technically, spending his entire life as a musician makes him a musician.

[@hmwr0h]

Technically, he is a musician in its entirety. He write songs, he makes lyrics, he creates melodies and harmonies (BRILLIANTLY btw).. He is both a musician and an astrophysicist, but the second one is more in an academic way while the first one is more in a practic way.

[@joy1ess]

Technically, most people end up bassists cause no one else wanted to play bass...

[@TokyoXtreme]

Technically he’s a technical technician whether in science or as a musician.

[@pite9]

Apparently Brian was manning the studio while the others arranged Bohemian Rhapsody. Freddie had written down the singing and piano parts beforehand. And the solo came to him while he was listening to them play. So, in this case he was certainly not playing some random scale patterns. He was playing a melody in his head. All of those guys were geniuses.

[@cobowe]

Brian was recording Prophets song in a different part of England

[@bm7760]

True. It's not a solo that, like so many, falls beneath the fingers by following traditional scales and patterns. I've often wondered where it came from but I suppose, ultimately, it came from his imagination.

[@reedsawyer5704]

All four of them were songwriters, all four of them had great hits.

[@AstroSully]

Perfect example of a great composer.

[@ricf9592]

You can write that again.

[@moisheplatinumberg6016]

I am neither a guitar player nor a big Queen fan. But Brian May is one of those special guitarists that you recognize even if you've never heard the song. As soon as I hear one of his solos, i know it's Brian May. Totally unique sound and tone.

[@samgibson684]

Jeff beck is like that... I've seen him a bunch of times and actually got to meet him in SLC Beck is my personal favorite but Warren Haynes is right there.....

[@ppvk2610]

Yes Jeff Beck, but also SRV, David Gilmour, Gary Moore... Yet they are not as much in the collective memory as Brian May, Carlos Santana, Mark Knopfler are.. Not only their sound sets them apart but even more their songs.. Each of them have 5-10 top songs practically everyone will recognise.. Perhaps not by name perse but as a song of theirs for sure.. Which is not the case with SRV, Jeff Beck, not even with David Gilmour and mind Pink Floyd has one of thé best selling albums ever, yet nowadays that (sadly!) doesn't matter that much

[@danielebowman]

I agree. May somehow is just veyr unique. Dave Gilmour too.

[@chappie45]

Yea every guitar solo sounds the same.

[@JimBerryKeyboards]

Absolutely. Well said!

[@SmoltingWassie]

My guitar teacher told me when I was young, "Brian May plays solos like he has to pay for each note he plays", the concept always stuck with me and helped my phrasing a lot. Instinctively I think we all lean towards speed when we want to solo initially but quickly learn the best solos ever are the ones you can sing along/hum to.

[@Wallimann]

That’s good!!

[@wesleyAlan9179]

Very interesting concept

[@grandtheftmanualv945]

Most guitarists use solos as a way of showing off, or perhaps simply demonstrate their capabilities and literally stick to scale based movements and tricks that everybody else uses, as if the guitar is as rigid as some other instruments. Brian is one of some, but not a great number of guitarists who understands the guitar is the most expressive instrument within most band set ups and these guitarists will add colour and texture and melody, even orchestration to the piece.

[@musicsavage707]

Eric Clapton has always struck me in the same way, great analogy!

[@mantrafox]

This is how I craft mine. As melodies!

[@krouac]

Brian May and David Gilmour are definitely guitarists who work outside the traditional boxes. I had a jazz improv teacher who advised me to listen to solos from different instruments as well as vocal solos which really opened up my playing as well as my improv. These two gentleman were very influential on my technique and helped me to free my thinking. Great video!

[@nstrug]

Gilmour almost always sticks to pentatonics though.

[@musiccer7446]

@@nstrug he doesn’t. Have you ever played a solo of his. He usually switches between pentatonic, natural minor (aeolian) and major.

[@Quadr44t]

I was about to say, cuz I never got into Queen, that Pink Floyd does solo's in a similar manner. Maybe that is why to me those solo's come across as something where every note has purpose and meaning, instead of the more common: Guitarist fills bars with arpeggios and whatnot, in the respective key. It feels less meaningful, more like filler. If you catch my meaning.

[@theguitardude5613]

@@musiccer7446 Dorian too.

[@musiccer7446]

@@theguitardude5613 guess you’re right. Didn’t look that much into it. I just read that Gilmour loves playing natural minor.

[@DragmoraProductions]

Brian May plays with his soul. He is a true guitarist. He doesn't think about how he plays he just does it. It's a way many really great pianists play the don't follow the notes they follow their soul.

[@_germanikus_]

He not only has his Guitar but he also has an incredible singing voice.

[@Mister_W.T.F]

STAR FLEET!!! STAR-FLEEEET!!!

[@annemariedusselaar9862]

Too much love will kill you sung by Brian is my favoriete

[@SamanthaGuttesen]

Er no, it's weak, OK for harmonising but never lead

[@areyouavinalaff]

@@SamanthaGuttesen I always thought he had a weak voice, but he's had some great moments singing lead.

[@ezeee595]

And amazing hair!!

[@KRAZEEIZATION]

He’s an astronomer that changed the way we think about the electric guitar because he was brilliantly inventive. Frank Zappa once said in the 70s that there were few players doing anything new, except for Brian May.

[@paullennon8586]

Pity space isn't real

[@nerdymusicianfangirl7024]

​@@paullennon8586 Uhhhhhhhhh, dude. I hope you're joking.🤣

[@paullennon8586]

@@nerdymusicianfangirl7024 you live in a crater on a bigger earth the moon is a reflection of earth learn gematria 👍

[@SHADOWBEAR82763]

Fall, 1975, Dad and I are in the driveway, changing the oil in his car. Bohemian Rhapsody comes on the radio in the garage. Dad keeps looking towards the music and shaking his head. Finally he asks, "What is that?" I answer "Queen". Dad pauses and says, "Sounds like a whole bunch of 'em." I nearly died laughing. One of my fondest memories.

[@edeledeledel5490]

How terrible for you to have such a dreadfully musically limited father; when was he born, 1930?

[@7thfrettin163]

@@edeledeledel5490 Probably so. Or in the 40s or 50s, my grandpa didn't like that music at all and would poke fun at our taste in music, but that's how it goes sometimes.

[@edeledeledel5490]

@@7thfrettin163 I like music, full stop. I can find some musical merit in nearly everything, but I draw the line at death metal and it's variants, and I find modern jazz not very enjoyable.

[@SimoneSaviolo]

@@edeledeledel5490 The related videos list here on this page is full of "how this DESTROYED modern music", "how that RUINED music", "how this genre is the DOOM of music". I think we're all musically limited (actually "everythingly" limited) when we stick to our tastes and stop exploring with curiosity. That's when we become... old.

[@edeledeledel5490]

@@SimoneSaviolo I agree; but I don't think I'll benefit from listening to death metal... just go deaf. The only real thing to judge musical merit is probably longevity; the longer music is popular, the more worthy it is likely to be. Beethoven wrote some reasonable tunes, I believe. As did Stephen Foster. My current favourites of more modern music are Molly Tuttle and Tommy Emmanuel; but then I have played guitar and other stringed instruments since 1962.

[@alexgrishin8294]

«He [Freddie] said he wanted a solo in there, and I said I would like to effectively sing a verse on the guitar. I would like to take it somewhere else. I would inject a different melody. There was already a lot of colour in there, but I would like to have a free hand. And I could hear something in my head at that point - long before I went in there and played it. ___________________Basically sang it, I regard the guitar in that situation as a voice. I could hear this melody and I had no idea where it came from. That melody isn’t anywhere else in the song, but it’s on a familiar chord sequence, so it dovetails in quite nicely. And of course the job of the guitar solo is to bring that extra voice in, but then it’s a link into what everybody now calls ‘the operatic section’. You know you’re into something very different______________ It came out very easily. I didn’t do many takes. It was one of those occasions where you do a few takes and then you go back and listen to the first one and the first one is almost exactly what you want. You just need to trim it a little bit and polish it up», - Brian May recalls the making of “Bohemian Rhapsody”

[@Wallimann]

That is so cool man!!

[@jeffro.]

Duh. Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I've NEVER considered playing the guitar as a "series of positions" (or boxes). It's ALWAYS been about singing with the guitar. And as far as learning someone else's solo, I do it best by ear--trying to play the same notes in the same way. So, again, no "positions" or boxes. (Except when simultaneously playing a bass line, and to get the left hand fingering correct, sometimes it helps to play it in a specific position on the neck, in order to reach all the notes with one hand, esp in Classical Guitar.) And what you're talking about, the "big secret" has nothing to do with positions or boxes anyway! It's called "phrasing" and most music, especially solos are that way anyway. You could've learned the notes and when you played them, they wouldn't sound right because if you weren't playing them with the correct timing and meter it would've just sounded like playing a scale or something. Again, phrasing has absolutely NOTHING to do with boxes, positions, chords, scales, or any of that. It's the timing of the individual notes, how long each one lasts, where there's silence, and so forth. I'm sorry that it "took you so long" to figure those things out, but they seem kinda obvious! This entire video was it REALLY about nothing at all, except maybe your personal "ah-ha" moment where you realized that "red" is a color and "wet" is a skin sensation. Thanks for wasting my time, dude! No, I won't be subscribing.

[@jasonandersen5975]

@@jeffro. I’m sure we’re all heartbroken.

[@nicko8580]

@@jeffro. sad

[@zaccllewellyn8950]

Drugs and alcohol cause the mind to expand like that

[@fransvanhelvoort1083]

A good friend told me once, do not make a solo only on your guitar but make a solo and sing along with it. The timing become much better by that. An other thing he always mentioned was to listen to Saxophone solo's. The sax is a replacement for a singing person. So much to learn. Great lesson from you.

[@mccormyke]

I've long wondered what brought electric guitar into the lead position which been dominated by the sax in early rock bands. Distortion was a big part. More important?? Sax players can't sing & play...at the same time

[@kchuk1965]

@@mccormyke amplification. Makes it easy to get the sound out front. Not near as many acoustic guitar solos.

[@Allan-et5ig]

Your friend is correct. If you can sing it, you can play it - is generally true.

[@strummercash5601]

@Frans van Helvoort I always have loved when George Benson sings his guitar solos while playing them. (Well, I really love any singer/guitarist who can nail that.) This video and the smart comments are making me better understand why. Thanks for adding to my insight! Peace.

[@Karmakatt6]

Years ago, I was awestruck when I found out May sang the intro to Who wants to live Forever.. I had no idea he was such a FANTASTIC singer.

[@leftyguitarist8989]

Brian May's a great guitarist who understand what a song needs. On tracks like Bohemian Rhapsody and Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy, he creates these very articulate solos that serve as an essential part of the song whereas on other tracks like Tie Your Mother Down and Now I'm Here, he sticks to standard rock solos because they best suit the song and on other tracks like Get Down, Make Love and Another One Bites The Dust, Brian May effectively does an anti-solo, completely abandoning traditional guitar playing and instead using his guitar to make sound effects.

[@carn9507]

an 'anti-solo'. I've never heard that before and it does describe those distinctive sounds in Another One Bites the Dust nicely. Cheers. :D

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

I like the way his playing for super eclectic in the 80s, it’s almost like he was trying sometimes to not sound like Brian May and completely failing haha

[@flyingelephantom]

Killer Queen needs to be added to that first list!

[@someoneno-one7672]

Watching recently a TV programme about Deep Purple it came as a revelation that in the Space Trucking Jon Lord plays the main riff on a monstrously distorted Hammond organ while Ritchie Blackmore, Great and Terrible, in fact deliberately backs down to play the rhythm on verses. I’d have never paid attention just listening to the song 🤔

[@szaki95]

@@someoneno-one7672 Ritchie didn't like rhythm playing at all, that's why Jon had to back him up.

[@StockportJambo]

When Brian talks about when he built his guitar with his Dad back in the late 60s, he always says that he wanted it to "sing". His guitar is his "voice". All the revisions and changes he made (from finding the Burns pickups, to the tremolo design, to running a treble booster into an AC30) were about that, and nothing else. He's actually an OK singer in his own right (nowhere on the level of Freddie though), but his voice is really his guitar... that's where he feels most comfortable. And he's also always the first to admit he's not a great technical guitar player. For him, that doesn't matter.

[@watsonstudios]

Don't forget the semi-hollow nature of his guitar is one of the main design elements he put in for it to "sing." and creatively feedback.

[@galadballcrusher8182]

I would add the very personal style of BB King because Lucille's sound was very specific but he could sound like this on any guitar he would use, personal sound. Try find and watch a vid of him jamming with Garry Moore on "The Thrill is Gone". Moore is mimicking him at some parts to his delight allthough he mostly keeps it more verbose.

[@anmolt3840051]

To be fair, Freddie Mercury is probably one of the top 5 best singers of all time. Perhaps even the best

[@khaledakbar2125]

Every guitarist had their own styles Brian is one of those virtuosos 🔥😁

[@kirbythecomputerguy7610]

At 14 years old , when I first started to play a much older an accomplished musician told me something that I've never forgotten ...he said " no matter what it is that you're trying to play , if you can hum it , then you can play it ."

[@grog5564]

Brian May is an extremely intelligent man. Not many Rock Guitarists have PhD's in Astrophysics and a chair at Oxford, I think.

[@petercarroll3977]

@Andy Butler he leaves his chair in Oxford until he gets the complete matching set of chairs and table

[@grandtheftmanualv945]

Most of what Brian played was actually very vocal. Us long term Queen fans have always instinctively known that his solos are actually 'words' added to the song, just not sung by a voice, but sung by Brian's fingers! I have debated with people for years about why Brian is different, while most casual listeners just think that because he never 'wanks' the guitar, that makes him less capable than their favourite boring metal guitarist! Brian's tone is as important as his expressive capabilities, and that is never accidental either! Great video! 👌

[@liammalone9263]

I've seen him play live, if he wanted to shred wank, he'd be the best at it too

[@ccrider77]

"Growing up in the ninties..." And you're a huge fan of Queen - I love it! I remember when their first album was brand new in the record stores...

[@DexterDexter123]

I saw an interview with him and he said that he puts the guitar down when he’s writing because having it in his hands makes him default to the usual guitar shapes/ruts. I have found that is a much better way to write solos. Do it in your head then learn it on the guitar. Great video, cheers from the uk.

[@kevinlangley9644]

Brian May is my favorite guitar player. I have been inspired by his guitar playing. Its not very often that someone can make the hair on arms stand up. The Rah remix of Under Pressure is a grest example of that. Those were the days of our lives solo is another one. The first time i heard that one I actually cried a little bit during the solo. The whole song is great as is the rest of the band but but that solo was just fantastic. I've always said there was never a band like Queen and there will NEVER be one like Queen. Freddie was the stage master. I always refer people to their Live Aid performance. The 20 or so minutes that blew everyone watching away. Other bands there even said Queen ruled that concert. I agree. Just watch the crowd on Radio Gaga. EVERYONE was in step with them. There were alot of great performances but Queen ruled the day. R.I.P. Freddie. Everyone misses you.

[@chadw537]

Met Mr.May at club med in st.lucia back in 93 or 94(not sure on the year)..absolute class that man..

[@Basim_Daoud]

Brian Mays playing is very melodic and beautiful

[@tubermind]

Brian May is someone I just discovered recently (not ever being a Queen listener). I'm blown away at how wonderful of a player he is.

[@pedrozo-]

Interesting you said Brian played like the guitar is singing, because one of the most awesome moments I had while listening to Queen is when I first heard the studio version of "Love of my Life" and when the choir sings "I still love youuuuuuuuuu" that "uuuuuu" blends with the incoming guitar almost seamlessly. For me that was a statement of how different Brian handles his position as a guitar player. It is like he wants his guitar to sing, not to play.

[@richardbusson5903]

Davis Wallimann, I hear you. Brian May is a great soloist that happens to play guitar!. Phrasing, phrasing, and phrasing! David Gilmour, George Harrison, BB King and Santana are other examples of the melodic style that is guided by the voice.

[@johnnhoj6749]

Absolutely agree. I would note that the very melodic and expressive Hank Marvin of The Shadows was a huge influence on British guitarists of the 1960s and 70s including, as he has acknowledged many times, Brian May.

[@justinscott2500]

You picked really good examples but do you know if any great examples from bass players who fall into this category of playing

[@miguelgateira4070]

In my first contact as member of a band i remember asking to the guitar player if he could follow my voice and translate to chords...nice to know this story

[@VoxMax1200]

George Harrison for sure!

[@midgeburleigh5694]

@@VoxMax1200 For sure. 🎶Thumbs up for mentioning Him. The one thing about George Harrison solos ..? You can whistle them and everyone knows the song.👍 (My Sweet Lord being the classic of course).

[@paso193]

Brilliant critique on the genius of Brian 'Guitar Singer' May!! 👍👏🤘🏽

[@jbrice2010]

Your story about Brian May reminded me of Pat Metheny. Pat grew up listening to jazz, which doesn’t normally feature guitar players but rather horn players in the solo spot. So Pat tried to make his guitar sound like a horn. In part this was done with his tone, but also in his phrasing. He leaves a space for taking a breath where appropriate. And he’s probably the gnarliest jazz guitarist living today.

[@robertbaker3174]

Got to see them in Dallas years ago. It was awesome.

[@jbrice2010]

@@robertbaker3174 I got to see Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays in Cleveland on the As Falls Wichita tour. That was F&$king Incredible!

[@robertbaker3174]

@@jbrice2010 I can imagine! When I saw them at SMU they came from the back of the auditorium carring instruments playing what I remember sounding like circus music.

[@stuartanderson6785]

Not really unusual. My background is in jazz and that's exactly how I was taught to formulate a solo -- either singing or scatting. My guitar naturally follows my breaths because my guitar is following my voice. Most jazz players internalize that voice after awhile but some still vocalize. Just take a listen to George Benson to see how he's doing it. That's actually pretty typical. Do this and your ear will be trained to your vocal pitch and if you're a decent singer (i.e., able to hear the pitch and harmonies -- not necessarily a dynamic lead vocalist) your fingers will begin to naturally go to what you're singing. It's actually kind of eerie.

[@paihobbes8680]

I agree with this and can relate, as that's how I was taught also - it makes transcribing music by ear pretty easy too. Perfect pitch becomes natural also.

[@mattdeller2525]

George Benson's Masquerade is a perfect example of this.

[@cwize]

I had the occasion to meet the late Herb Ellis many years ago. He and my guitar teacher were old friends. Several of us piled in a Suburban and drove from St Petersburg to Orlando to hear Herb play at Lake Buenavista resort. Afterwards we all went out to Denny’s or IHOP for food. During conversation someone brought up the “humming what you play” thing, and with no small amount of snark, Herb said “we all do it, he was just the first one to think to stick a mic in front of his face.”

[@stuartanderson6785]

i wrote this awhile back and on re-reading it it sounds dismissive of Brian. Not my intention. He is hands down my favorite guitar player. What he does is something I would describe as playing "across" a chord, NOT playing "along" a chord. There are some, but quite infrequent, moments in Brian's solos where he runs a scale riff -- and when he does it's almost always a tail to something bigger. He literally plays like a Jazz guitarist but with a rock sensibility. He truly is one of a kind.

[@aziziabdrahman7756]

Brian May is the first guitarist I’ve looked up to since I was 6. Truly an extraordinary guitarist!

[@bennyvanderven]

brian may is and always! will! be my number one favo. guitarist. that guy..quite simply....ROCKS!!

[@maryseflore7028]

So, Brian May is a "guitar singer". He sings through his guitar. Or, he makes his guitar sing. I'm totally grateful for this bit of info! Thank you for sharing this! 😊

[@hopkinsdesign4027]

Spot on man. You know BR is not a particularly hard solo to play, to play it like Brian does, to sound like Brian is damn near impossible. He's that unique.

[@thorstenriedel3152]

This is great to explain this......what you have discovered about Brian......very cool......you have found his secret......this makes him one of the greatest

[@jwandhistools]

Yes, the quickest way to write a solo, is to hum it, them find the notes. Vocalize it. Space is important. Nothing scares guitar players more than space.

[@harryballs7029]

ha well said ...

[@ricardojmestre]

And that's how you find that the guy playing bass is a guitarist. The absence of space.

[@sebastianwei7721]

The final frontier

[@lucasoheyze4597]

Insane sweeping generalisation, there 👎

[@direnova6284]

I do have to check myself sometimes from just noodling and pull it back to a melody which needs that space. Also I find that the most emotional playing often doesn't require that many notes and it's so tempting to overcomplicate things just cos you can.

[@thomvogan3397]

Learning guitar in the 70's there was no internet, never heard of tabs and would have found them ridiculous, like painting by numbers. All we had was the album and our ears and a lot of great players learned the same way.

[@danarcotta1283]

And lifting the needle on the record a million times while learning the lead to Bohisattfa by Steely Dan😎

[@ohayoumike6845]

@@danarcotta1283 This is great ear training though.

[@terryharrison5185]

My mate from Hartlepool learned the guitar solo on highway star the same way... Lifting the needle on the Made in Japan record... He's in Iron Maiden now...

[@danarcotta1283]

@@ohayoumike6845 yes it is and always be aware of everything going on around you

[@javiermoretti1825]

As someone who was listening to and playing Queen in the 1970s and 1980s, I'm here to tell you're full of it. Brian May is a masterful guitarist who is simply very expressive in his playing.

[@wildbillfirehands]

Many of us were in awe of Queen from the start. Radio music. Amazing harmonies and song design.

[@abinoelcruz1484]

First time I heard Save me, it was like the guitar is crying. Pure expression. Since then have the feeling tha that guitar talks, claims, cries, and that,s real state of art.

[@tsgodman4409]

Imagine if you had Freddie as your lead singing in the early 70's, there was no internet/research, there was only ideas, an energy, great artists feed off each other and compliment the musical vibe they create. Perhaps we should stop looking back and create a new era of original ways to present our musical ideas......Brilliant video old chum.

[@TheCountofToulouse]

I've been playing since I was 15. I've had moments where I made quantum leaps on the instrument, usually followed by extended periods of stagnant frustration. May was someone I was astonished by early on. His playing was SO different, I mean, he didn't really rip off anyone unlike all the metal and rock guys that were morphed clones of each others, he was just not doing anything normal. I read his book "Queen and I" and after reading it, I understood why. He's a really smart guy, he COULD have done what others were doing and it was never his intention to 'form' his own sound...it just came out that way. He grew up on piano and small stringed instruments, playing and singing and had a strong orchestra influence. For him, it was all about melody and as long as you get that, you get everything with him. Guitar players are sometimes TOO impressed with themselves and have a tendency to WANT to show off, making everything about themselves instead of what music is SUPPOSED to be...for the LISTENER. The builder doesn't build the house for himself, his skills are put to the test in service for others to admire to appreciate. May seem to get that from the start.

[@craigrheberling]

it's a beautiful interpretation of the melody- instead of a collection of "cool licks", that a player can't wait to show off that they know how to play.

[@lebe220]

Not so smart: He spoke out for C.-vaccination. Clapton and Van Morrison, in the end, are smarter.

[@julietrenaud2001]

@@lebe220 Do they have PhDs??? No? Be quiet.

[@lebe220]

@@julietrenaud2001 Most of the PhDs are vaxxed. Not so smart afterall...

[@eilrach299]

Brian May has always said that his soloing is a time to let his guitar sing. Everything is melodic as he wants it to be his voice. When you have one of the most beautiful voices in rock music singing in your band, you have to compete at that level so making your guitar sing at that same level is only natural.

[@keitmo]

In an interview with Brian May I read years ago he said he generally composed his solos with pencil and paper. When he improvised solos on the guitar his fingers tended to "fall back to old familiar patterns". This seems consistent with your analysis.

[@jorgemiro1613]

Heavy analysis. Having seen Queen live in concert. I would be hypnotized as Brian played lead and the sounds that would emerg from his home made guitar 🎸 and the effects pedals he pioneered. Truly a fascinating time in history. I survived the 60s and 70s, probably the most creative years in rock history. Every weekend we would attend concerts not realizing we were watching the most talented and creative musicians in our times

[@jorgemiro1613]

What do you need. Phone number?

[@jeffro.]

I would certainly agree with that! Well said. 👍 The 60s & 70s were a time that so much awesome music was created, there has never been a time like that, and likely never will be!

[@dennisgunn468]

Nice observations and a great video. As a guy who loves his playing and was learning to play guitar at the exact time Queen were breaking out, I have another take on why his guitar is the way it is. To me May just play's like a 60's, 70's guitarist and that means that he was very focused on the 60's/70's prime directive i.e. coming up with his own mind blowing signature sound rather than blowing your mind with licks and technique. Not that blowing your mind with technique would be incompatible with that prime directive, it was simply that it had to serve the prime directive rather than infringe on it. Originality first. Technique second. Queen's multi tracking and orchestrating genius are stunning but they were not without precedent at that time. Les Paul and Mary Ford had been doing that since the 50s. The rock opera and concept album thing was also well established. Queen were fantastic but maybe not as out of the blue as it may seem to people who were not there at the time. They were just doing what bands did back then and they were doing it very well so they caught on. IMO that prime directive based approach was dying out in main stream pop through the 80's and 90's and was pretty much gone by the 2000s. In the 60's and 70's that prime directive was something the industry looked for and rewarded. Gradually through the 80's and 90's that mentality got turned on its head, more and more the oldies started to dominate the market and instead of rewarding artists who were trying to create the next signature sound the industry started to insist on only promoting artists whose sound kind bore some identifiable relations ship to the general genres that had already been carved out and punished anyone who did not fit into a definable bin with willful indifference. It is not the fault of the musicians there are more great and original musicians than ever out there. That they are not the ones that are celebrated and rewarded s the fault of the industry and its top down X factor, American Idol, talent show mentality. IMO the industry has become toxic.

[@willicat44]

So it's the prime directives fault.......just kidding, enjoyed your dissertation. Familiarity and banal commonness have replaced inventiveness, all for money.

[@aldito7586]

Very well said !!! Jaco Pastorious said "MELODY". "That is the key".

[@fredschmitt456]

Fascinating observation, dude!

[@myoriginalname]

Brian has the voice of an angel and it shows in many songs like Too much love will you.

[@fruitchewx127]

'39, All Dead, the list goes on

[@1224bsg]

I always have loved players that you can sing the leads, the melodic playing is the best. Brian is my guitar hero..another great melodic player who is very underrated is Jeff Carlisi from 38 special.

[@LadyMelmo.]

He plays and understands guitar so incredibly well he designed and built a guitar in his teens, the Red Special with specific pickup configuration. If he wasn't any good, he wouldn't be the 8th top selling band of all time.

[@The1queencollector]

Brian does not consider him self one of the great guitarists, millions would disagree, he is not the fastest player but crikey his solos are Godly, "White Queen" live at the Rainbow or Apollo are great examples. The Red special is the 5th member of Queen

[@Traumglanz]

That is impressive that it tool you so many years to figure that out. Not only did Brain and Freddy keep saying both that Brain May often played the guitar as another voice to go along with Freddies in a duet, as part that is basically singing with the guiar, but also .... it sounds actually like singing with the phrasing, the bends, vibrato and all. You are still correct. It just odd that you didn't hear it already as a kid. Maybe because you were a guitar player already as a kid?

[@meself349]

Congratulations. You figured it out before he did. So what?

[@Wallimann]

Not everything g on KZbin is true. ;)

[@grene1955]

As a singer who also plays guitar, I salute you! I think (most) of the best guitar solos follow a melodic line like a vocalist. Not always, but very often...

[@withershin]

Hey David. Thank you. I think you shaved 5-10 years off my later-in-life musical learning with this video. If I had started with chords like they al wanted me to start with chords it would have taken me many moons to hear what you so eloquently described here. Let the music breathe is my simplified take-away.

[@darkh2o716]

Interesting to hear of how you approach Brian Mays solos. Great insight. Damn Brian is amazing and what an amazing band to boot.

[@andreaseufinger4422]

Maybe you should mention that Brian May is in fact an excellent singer, one of the best in rock business. He just happened to be in a band with the greatest singer in rock music, so he mostly played instruments.

[@astra8308]

Are there any videos of him singing?

[@bilkywaygalaxy]

@@astra8308 Plenty. Just look up the Brian May band. He sings backing vocals in almost every Queen song 💀. He sings solo in Sleeping On the Sidewalk and All Dead, All Dead

[@lynnhoffmann247]

@@bilkywaygalaxy Also “Too Much Love Will Kill You”…”39”…”Some Day One Day”…”She Makes Me”…”Sail Away Sweet Sister”…”Long Away”

[@bilkywaygalaxy]

@@lynnhoffmann247 Wonderful songs. I love ‘39

[@reedsawyer5704]

Usually, in a band, you will have one songwriter, sometimes two. In Queen, you have four songwriters that have each written multiple #1 hits. Freddie as the greatest singer in rock history, but each of the bandmates brought immense talent to the table.

[@jasmaart]

That's why Brian is my favorite, he is unique, and some of his solos are definitely something the most beautiful I've ever heard ( solo from "You don't fool me" is great example, simply amazing).

[@saintchuck1515]

Spot on with your citation of "You Don't Fool Me!"

[@grandtheftmanualv945]

That middle section is among the greatest couple of minutes of music, let alone Queen music! I know Queen have always been readily able to inject masses of adrenaline into you, but that solo is top of the pile!

[@davidcollins2648]

May's playing is more like how a classical composer would approach music. His long fingers also enhance his vibrato beyond what most guitarists can do (his "sauce" along with his Red Special). I had long hoped he would write and record symphonic albums utilizing his orchestration skills. Alas, that was only for special parts and few God Save the Queen or Procession songs. He's not very good at "jamming" with strangers but hey, who can do everything? He's a great writer and singer in addition to his guitar skills.

[@davidmacfarlane1763]

The Red Special has always been the 5th Member of QUeen and She (the Old Lady) has sung duets with Freddie from the start.

[@flyingelephantom]

You are exactly right. Phrased a bit differently, Brian writes to fit the song, and in the case of Queen, that is never to showcase guitar technique. This is what makes Brian in my opinion one of the most underrated guitar players of his generation. Contrast, for instance, with Eddie Van Halen, who structured songs to create hits but also to showcase his abilities on the guitar. Great video and thanks for posting!

[@ZiddersRooFurry]

Eddie never wrote to showcase his leads. He knew people were expecting leads but he even said himself that the music came first, and if he could have gotten away with it he would have left the guitar off a lot of songs entirely. He knew people expected solos so that's what he did but it wasn't his only instrument. He was a piano player first.

[@flyingelephantom]

@@ZiddersRooFurry I found it fascinating that he claimed that he wish he stuck with the piano instead of going with the guitar. It is difficult to envision what he would have done with the piano and if he would have risen to the same level of influence. Eddie aside, Brian May played in a band where every member wrote songs, and I feel that he is a master of using the guitar to embellish and complement ageless songs. By the way, I love Freddie for the same reasons as I love Eddie.

[@thebiggerbyte5991]

100% agree. Two things I remember reading/hearing in interviews is that Brian considers the guitar like a voice or an extension of a voice and that he usually tries to have a melody in his solos that is complementary to the song but can also stand up by itself.

[@killergrooves2438]

One of my favorite bands is Band-Maid and their lead guitarist and principal songwriter is a classically trained piano player that picked up the guitar in high school or college. When she writes the songs, she starts on the piano to lay the groundwork and then moves to the guitar. So her guitar parts end up sounding very different from other hard rock guitarists. When I learned how she writes her songs and her background, I realized she’s basically playing piano on guitar. And she’s very good at giving each piece of the band a chance to shine in a way that serves the song. Their song composition is just insane in a way you don’t really understand until you listen over and over. It’s simply outstanding songwriting.

[@Triple3hot]

Excellent work thanks for that insight It’s so nice hearing a melodic solo rather than a collection of notes

[@dsgb]

Thanks for highlighting what Brian himself has said frequently in documentaries and interviews for decades. This is why technical guitar players such as Steve Vai idolize Brian.

[@gabrielmyre]

I can listen to any player and pantomime their sound, but I can't do Brian May. He's just walking on higher ground. -Steve Vai.

[@Mindsi]

Richie Haves @ Woodstock?

[@koshersalaami]

This is fascinating, not so much that he’s approaching it from a purely melodic standpoint not relying on his fingers but that he’s really singing this stuff to the point where he leaves breaths.

[@kevystead]

Being schooled is paramount. Gotta know the ABC's of your instrument. But what you can't teach is Feel, Passion and Melody. Brian is all that.

[@marctheriault]

Back in the day, if you were coming in to play with a big band (jazz/swing), you were expected to be able to sing your part before you were considered qualified to sit down and play your part. Best jazz/blues guitar player I know, if you’re close enough to him when he solos, you realize that he’s actually singing exactly what he’s playing as he is playing it.

[@LoNeWoLf_3.16]

Brian may said himself when recording the solo for bohemian rhapsody that he wanted to effectively sing a verse with his guitar and heard it in his head before he even went into the studio to record it

[@TheBlazeFangirl]

Interesting observation. I have always sung along with all of Brian’s solos!

[@PacoElMapache]

this singing idea really resembles what flamenco guitarists do. Lots of the "falsetas" that people like tomatito, or paco de lucia play, are based on traditional singing. You can really feel the breathing of the songs

[@cathalsurfs]

What a brilliant observation of May's playing.

[@chrisgriffiths8454]

Brian May is partly brains and partly talent. He plays with a combination of heart and intellect.

[@ryangain9970]

Very interesting, I never looked at Brian May's playing that way. Just subscribed and looking forward to more content. Cheers from up north in Cheyenne!

[@johnnymoraes23]

Definitly... Brian is a singer in disguise... but he also has that incredible tone, amazing and unique tone.

[@ViralPhoenix]

In my head I was like "Brian Singer is a director" and giggled at my dumb joke to myself.

[@IanSlothieRolfe]

A lot of rock guitarists who formed bands in the 70's had to find their own way of learning to play, there was no internet, there were few teachers who would even know how to play rock, nor books on the subject. You just had "pick up your guitar and play". Most ended up adapting blues and jazz techniques and bending them to the shape needed for their bands, Some, like Brian, found a different way to guide that learning, so its been really interesting to hear your view on this because it makes sense when explained as you did here. I always saw Brians guitar as "singing" from the fist time I heard A Night At The Opera when I was a kid in the 70's but didn't know enough to understand what I was hearing or why it was so different..

[@ibji]

Speaking with Total Guitar, the Queen legend (May) said of the recording session: “Yeah I basically sang it. “I regard the guitar in that situation as a voice. I could hear this melody and I had no idea where it came from. “That melody isn’t anywhere else in the song, but it’s on a familiar chord sequence, so it dovetails in quite nicely.”

[@rutgerdekok1324]

In a recent interview with Rick Beato Brian also mentions that he thinks of solos as extensions of the vocal parts.

[@AlineDo]

He does play like a singer. And doesn’t sing and write badly either. My hero. So inspired by Freddie and vice versa. They were magic together. 🦔🎶💜🎸

[@alansturgess1324]

REALLY insightful and very well explained. Excellent.

[@AndrewKennedyMusicOfficial]

Boom! You hit the nail on the head. I'm not a guitarsit, I'm a saxophonist but when people ask me "How do you play along to songs like that?" I just say "Well it's like whistling a tune. Forget theory, just play what you hear."

[@scottall71]

Excellent discussion on one of the most iconic guitarists in our era! I have traveled down this same guitar path, asking the same questions you bring out! We guitar players I'm sure have all blasted this music in our cars and sang to Brian's guitar notes, even more than the vocal lines. You provided some great explanations as to how these solos work and understanding this mysterious and unique style. Info like this was much harder to find in the 90's and prior!! lol It's amazing how a simple movie piece [ie Wayne's World] would bring such a resurgence in the songs and interest in the group as a whole.

[@johnvrabec9747]

Fantastic video! I am a hack bass player, and this will most definitely help me. When I play along with backing tracks to improvise, I'm too technical in my ideas. From now on, I will try to find a melody or counterpoint in the music and sing it, then make my fingers find the notes. An old friend was a Queen freak, and her influence allowed me to enjoy the band even more. Saw them with her in 1977 during the News of the World tour and then some years ago with Paul Rogers. Iconic band and music.

[@evilblumonkee959]

He also makes his beautiful red special sing. I mean really sing. The solo on Love Of My Life is beautiful. And check Bijou out on Innuendo. The emotion he projects is chilling quite frankly & his guitar is just weeping on that. A vey unique talent is Dr Bri - just like the band!!

[@alexandermossel6466]

Hi David, I recently came across your channel. I think you fill a niche that your colleagues left open. Well done! So far you haven't bored the crap out of me. I really do appreciate your frankness. You come across as a genuine person. I appreciate that a lot.

[@Wallimann]

Thank you so much my friend, I really appreciate it!

[@AngelicusImmortus]

He is a superb guitarist - for a number of tracks Freddie played what he wanted on the piano and Brian made a tab from it. Happened all the time with Queen. It’s what happens when the members all have degrees, masters, a PhD… Of course, Brian uses his own home made guitar but also plays with a coin not a pick.

[@demej00]

Yeah, I play the same old lick boxes but it is still kind of meditative for me. I love the mechanical precision of the fingers as they do their thing without thinking. It's still fun for me.

[@noahkabele4963]

Not going to lie, as a massive Queen and Brian May fan, I was not really loving the thumbnail. I suppose I thought this video would try and tear him down or something. But, I’m so glad I watched this because you have payed a high compliment to Brian May and you’ve managed to convince me as well. While I didn’t think it possible, but you’ve given me a deeper appreciation for his playing with a new way of looking at it that I knew but never really delved into. That’s really cool. Thanks.

[@Wallimann]

Thank you so much for getting past the clickbait thumbnail!!

[@niman00]

You want to know how my God, Dr Sir Brian May CBE, is playing his Red Special so well?? because he plays from inside, from his gut and his heart, and that's why you can feel every note he is playing or singing. he is super talented. that's why he is the #1 guitar player in the world.

[@paullennon8586]

He is a mason

[@gigisavadori]

Absolutely right,David !

[@rstanding]

what you don't play is as important as what you play. leave space and play the silences (let the band play in response to what you played). phrasing is paramount you can't have a conversation if you are talking all the time.

[@MarcelFerreiraNet]

That’s a interesting perspective. Great video, thanks!

[@prog1962]

I grew up in the seventies and Bohemian Rhapsody was the reason to buy a guitar. I totally agree he´s a singer and i wish technical players should do this as well and try to bring the guitar back to the popaudience . Tom Scholz of Boston did this as well,solo´s which you can sing along

[@edsnotgod]

Rah rah oom-pah-pah, rah-rah-oom-pah More than a feeling Rah rah oom-pah-pah

[@masonpucci4710]

Done that same exact drive multiple times miles of endless plains great video

[@stratman9449]

Brian really is a Astrophysician, who got sidetracked in his younger years to play in a band for a while......really....🙂 thank god for us all......

[@kenkeast8519]

@Timothy Martin close.....mebbe Astrophysicist?

[@stratman9449]

@Timothy Martin ok...i'm not a nuclear medical scientist either.....🙂...but unlike Brian....i am a "guitarist"...or better "player"....haha...

[@speedsovereign]

imagine being so good at guitar you can play what you're singing in your head live

[@norkiboi3506]

Einstein said you wouldn't enjoy listening to music if you listen to it mathematically. He also said imagination is more important than knowledge. In that sense, Brian May is a guitarist you would love to listen to.

[@jamesdaviddupre99]

Good point. I play saxes & flutes, plus some other instruments. My sax is like a vocal, what I might sing, not utilizing the typical sax riffs. People are more moved that way. I get more compliments & thanks than money, but that is quite satisfying.

[@greenatom]

I read somewhere that Freddie had a clear conception of how the solo in this song should go. I imagine he sang it to Brian to communicate what he wanted.

[@eyeonit469]

Not the solo...the head banger part

[@user-rw6gx7dq9g]

I heard that too, in a documentary not too long ago and hesitated about whether to say it or not. So maybe it was the “headbanger part.”

[@Diggsblues]

I did some work with a Classical Guitarist at the Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University. He took a breath for every phrase.

[@Dreyno]

It’s no coincidence that Slash was a big fan of Queen. That’s what set him apart from other guitarists of his era as well. Melody and phrasing. Yes, he can rip through pentatonic licks, but the stuff people remember is the incredible melodies that you can sing along with. They’re composers who’s solos take the song somewhere special.

[@alanmumby8265]

I enjoyed your discovery, it makes complete sense. There's a guitarist called Bill Nelson he fronted a band in the 70's called Be-Bop Delux. Went to watch them a couple of times. Check out the track "Adventures In a Yorkshire Landscape" off their album " Live! in the Air Age" in his guitar solo you hear the guitar take two 'deep breaths' in the middle of a solo. Never massive in the UK, but Bill Nelson was one of few musicians that I know who could sing and play lead brilliantly at the same time. All the best Alan from Wales, just across the sea from Ireland, well south of Scotland, north west of France.....and next door to england