Queen’s famous guitarist Brian May recently talked about what makes guitar playing great. He said that how you play is more important than adjusting the guitar’s controls. The electric guitar is very expressive—it can make different sounds based on how you play and what equipment you use. Even a small change in how you play can change the sound a lot. Brian May even stated that a new band is the next Queen.
In a Q&A, someone asked Brian if he planned all the special features on his Red Special guitar or if they happened by accident. He said his guitar has a lot of sound options, but he mostly focuses on using it in ways that fit each song. “The guitar is always about making the song better, not just showing off,” he said.
“The Fundamental sound of my guitar doesn’t change that much, I would say. I suppose I use it in slightly different ways. Now, the whole spectrum of the guitar was there pretty much to begin with.”
Over time, Brian started using his fingers more than a pick because it adds more feeling to his playing. But for energetic songs like Tie Your Mother Down, he sometimes still uses a pick, which he joked fits the song’s energy.
In the end, Brian believes the secret to great guitar playing is in how you play and express yourself, not just the features of the guitar.
“I’m not very aware of that, to be honest,” he continued. “I think the guitar, to me, is always secondary to the song. It’s not an excuse to go in and show off. It’s a way of enhancing whatever material you’re using. So I’m always trying to coax different textures out of it — different sounds, different moves.”
“But the guitar is very flexible. That’s what I like about my guitar. Not just in the way the switches work, but in the way it responds to how you hit it.”
“I suppose, if there’s an evolution, that I went more into fingers and less into picks — that’s probably the major change that took place over the years. I’ve got a lot more fingers on the right hand than I used to, just because it seems to get more expression.”
