Marco G. Di Marco (Queenshow): Brian May? A Talent Like da Vinci

First off, I would like to ask you how Brian May first encountered music and guitar?

May started with piano lessons when he was a kid (which he hates), then moved on to the strings. He began first with his father's ukulele, a four-string instrument with chords that could be transferred in a similar way to the guitar; then, he played the acoustic guitar until he ended up with the most famous and everlasting "Red Special".

What makes his famous "Red" unique?

It is the guitar which has accompanied Brian May along his musical journey from the beginning up to today. It was built with his father in 1963-64. It eventually suffered some restorations and changes, but it’s the same. It’s a unique thing because it has a switching system of six little buttons; in short, unlike a normal Stratocaster, you can choose one of the three pick-ups or combine them. You have approximately sixteen possibilities of combination. The guitar itself allows you a great variety of sounds, and when composing, it helps you experiment with those sounds, as you feel that you have in your hands an instrument that gives you infinite possibilities. Some other features make it quite different from other electric guitars; I mean its shape, neck size (it’s huge), pickup configuration and hardware. Also, the woods used are uncommon since they’re not usual luthier woods. So, the RS is a big part of Queen’s musical identity, of their voice.

What unique features did Brian May develop or popularise with his RS that are integral to Queen’s distinctive sound?

May has an old-school approach – a pure sixties approach to instrumentation, so even when he has a modern sound because he flew back to the studio over the years with different harmonies, it is a very raw sound, like that used in the sixties when distortion hadn't been invented yet. So, to make the distorted sound of the guitar, he would turn the amplifier up to the maximum and with the saturation of the valves, he would get that distortion. However, he builds guitar harmonies and can create guitar solos that are not only a way to show his abilities but also part of the song, like an alternative vocal line, not just to show off.

That's quite distant from other musicians of his era…

Back then he was not just rock and roll, but taste, royalty in sound and research of details. The guitarists of his era tended to be quite aggressive with the instrument, that's how they brought out the rock sound; he instead went for a more classical approach. He worked with harmonies on the guitar, trying to resemble, in some cases, the trumpet or the clarinet, which were a bit strange for that time. Also, his tapping is more like a different kind of strumming; really, he’s not like Van Halen. He uses his right finger to add some notes or just to smoothen some other ones instead of using a sixpence coin as a pick.

A very unusual expedient! Why a sixpence coin?

Because the sixpence is a coin with a serrated edge, so if inclined on the string, it scrapes – on the other hand, if it is placed in a parallel way, it becomes a little softer. He had tried different plectrums as a boy, thinner ones, softer ones and more rigid ones, and he realised that he preferred a more rigid approach because he had more control between his fingers. So, rather than tilting and bending on the strings with a plectrum, he said ok, I'll hold the sixpence in a weaker way, and then I can decide with my fingers how much intensity to give to the coin. Plus, the sixpence was the currency in circulation at the time, cheaper than a plectrum, and therefore also saved some money. Today, it is a little more difficult to find it because it went out of circulation in the seventies.

And what does he use to accompany his RS? Which effects?

Treble Booster, Chorus and Delay. The Treble Booster is a pedal that May always leaves on; in addition, he pushes the gain level on the amplifier to give more signal on the medium highs, so once it's brought to the maximum, it distorts. So, it's a very simple approach. The changes between a clean sound and distortion are simply controlled by lowering the volume of the guitar – it's no longer a volume but a distortion control. It's how it was used back in the sixties.

What are some of the most notable solos played by Brian May that exemplify his technical skill and melodic sensibilities?

"Good Company" or "God Save The Queen" if you want to understand what guitar is in terms of harmonies and multiple layers of sounds. If you want a pure hard rock song, go for "I Want It All". If you want an epic and kind of voice solo, you have "Bohemian Rhapsody".

One of May’s most impressive features, in my opinion, is his creation of harmonies and use of chorus. I would start with his approach to harmony, a distinctive Queen’s characteristic…

It’s like composing for an orchestra but playing every part with the guitar and trying to make classical instrument sounds with it. In the studio, you record each part separately and overdub the first parts. Usually, he did this using the Deacy Amp, a small transistor amp built by John Deacon that, with a Treble Booster in front, produces a very warm and compressed tone, which is ideal for creating harmonies. And adding the vibrato, finally, he sounds very classical and expressive, like a violinist.

And the chorus?

The chorus in a Brian May setup is different. Usually, guitarists use that effect to add a sort of spacey vibe, like a phase effect. In May's context, it simply helps to spread the sound over two (or more) amps. To create that wide and deep sound, something like a 3D effect.

Did his approach change over the years?

Let's say that the basic concept is the same, but digital instruments are implemented, so he uses rack effects that process the sound digitally and wireless systems that send the guitar signal so as not to have the cable on stage. So, let's say that it's modernised a little, but the amplifiers are always Vox AC30. However, they are modified by a technician to make them a little aggressive. Various components have been updated, and therefore, the sound is a bit different today.

From what you say, it sounds as if Brian May is more of a music wizard. Does May's background in astrophysics influence his approach to music and guitar playing?

He’s not just a guitarist… but an artist like Da Vinci, where art and science combine together to make a single concept. So yes, he has a different approach and does a lot of research, even when composing or creating technical stuff. It’s like during the Renaissance, when the border between scientists and artists was thin, and the people who were scientists eventually also brought out works of art.

How does May's collaboration with Freddie Mercury, specifically in terms of vocal harmonies and melodic interplay, impact the band's signature sound?

Surely, when Brian May composed a song, he composed it on a vocal level for Freddie Mercury – this is beyond any doubt. There are some takes where he composed a song and hummed it over it, but you could hear that it was not in his vocal range because it was already in his head that Freddy would sing it. On a compositional level, certainly, there has always been an interaction between Freddie Mercury and Brian May. They were the main exponents of the Queen sound, and they were influenced by each other: Freddie Mercury left space for the guitar solos because he knew that May would put a guitar solo that was not simply to show his virtuosities but was a response to the vocal line. Brian always composed songs thinking of Freddie's vocals and Freddie composed songs leaving space for Brian’s unique way of playing.

I have a couple more questions. First, I would be curious to know if there is a piece that Brian May loves and did not perform live.

"The Miracle", even if they've never done it live, according to him, it's an exceptional song. It could be that it's his favourite song, probably on a compositional level to play; however, they did it in the studio, and they've never brought it live. But I've often heard him talk about the song "The Miracle", which, according to him, is a beautiful composition made in a particular period because it was in the final moments of Freddie Mercury's life. A song with a lot of positivity and rather strange arrangements because the tempo changes as if they were two or three songs fused.

And which guitarist might be nowadays compared to Brian May? Is there a worthy successor?

No one. Queen was made up of four minds, there wasn't just one musician who composed. They're even in the subconscious of many musicians – you know, even if we turn on the radio today for just a quarter of an hour, a piece by Queen comes up – we may or may not like it, but we all have a song by Queen inside us. They were four exceptional minds who influenced and challenged each other. Four strong characters that, in my opinion, made the artistic vein blossom in each of them and therefore, they created unrivalled sounds.