Brian May Offers Tips on Playing His “Bohemian Rhapsody” Solo at Home

How are you spending your time in self-isolation? The New York Times, among others, has a list of recommended activities for those who are spending a lot more time at home than expected. These range from brushing up on Westerns to getting really into weaving. But some of you might be eyeing a guitar in the corner of the room. Maybe you’ve had it for a while; maybe you’ve always held dreams of playing a genuinely amazing solo on stage somewhere.

Social isolation might not help with the “stage” part of that, but the solo is a different story. Guitar World has the details: Queen’s Brian May has offered his tips on playing the iconic solo from “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Since his period in social isolation began, May has been offering “micro-concerts” on Instagram. And he’s taking requests.

Not surprisingly, May’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” solo was among the most-requested compositions there. And so May performed it, followed by a breakdown of how exactly the solo came together — and how enterprising guitarists can try it on their own.

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This spontaneously turned into a ‘Star Licks’ type tutorial … as an experiment, really. I don’t think I’ll Ever try to do it this way again, though – because it was ridiculously time-consuming trying to put it all up on IG ‘Stories’. Here’s a very rough potted version for posterity. Tell me how useful (or not!) it was. OK ? Bri

A post shared by Brian Harold May (@brianmayforreal) on Mar 21, 2020 at 5:10am PDT

It’s a fascinating breakdown of an excellent solo, guided along by the steady presence and candid commentary of May. One could say that it’s an almost scientific examination of the song — and given that May himself holds a doctorate in astrophysics, that doesn’t feel like too much of a stretch.

So maybe it’s time to plug your guitar into your amp, get your picks at the ready and give it a go. Practice makes perfect, after all.

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