Sheer Guitar Attack

QUEEN’S BRIAN MAY is a nimblefingered and technical player with a keen grasp of harmony, but his melodic, singable approach to both riffs and solos means any player can learn from his style. In this lesson, we’ll highlight the key elements of Brian’s signature lead playing voice, which is informed by a diverse mix of musical influences ranging from blues, metal, classical and even traditional Dixieland jazz. The licks presented herein demonstrate a variety of techniques, including the kind of single-string tapping, scalar picking approaches and soulful, melodic lead work that Brian is noted for applying tastefully in such songs as “Bijou” and “Who Wants to Live Forever,” all delivered with singing finger vibrato and string bends. We’ll also take a look at May’s clever use of a delay effect to create harmony leads live.

TAPPING

employs a single-string tapping approach inspired (1986). To perform the repeating bend lick on beats 1 and 2, use alternate picking and your fret hand’s middle finger to bend the B string, supported one fret below by the middle finger (3+2 reinforced bend fingering). Then move your pick hand’s middle finger into position to repeatedly tap and pull-off from the A note on the high E string’s 17th fret as your fret hand continually shifts down the neck to catch each pull-off from a successively lower fret. Be sure to fret each lower note before pulling off to it. And when releasing each tap, flick the string slightly downward (toward the floor), in order to keep the string vibrating and maintain a good, even amount of volume note to note. The descending notes are derived from the E blues scale (E, G, A, Bb, BD), so this lick works well over most E-based rock riffs.