7 Reasons Why Queen’s Brian May is One of the World’s Greatest (and Coolest) Guitarists

Jul 19, 2016

Photo by Eddie Mallin/ Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY 2.0

 

Sixty-nine years ago today, a legend was born.

Hailing from Hampton, London, Brian Harold May, or Brian May, is best known as the lead guitarist of the iconic music group Queen. He, along with Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, produced some of the most celebrated songs in the music scene such as “We Will Rock You,” “We are the Champions,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Well, apart from being a musician and songwriter, did you know that he has a doctorate degree in Astrophysics and is a staunch animal welfare advocate?

Check out these 7 reasons why he is one of the greatest guitarists to have ever lived:

1. He uses a home-built electric guitar called “Red Special”

When Brian was a teenager in the early 60’s, he could not afford to buy a guitar. But this didn’t stop him from chasing after his passion as he made his own — an electric one — with his father, Harold.

Sometimes referred to as the “Fireplace” or the “Old Lady,” he previously revealed that “the materials [they] used were old things that were just lying about.”

“The oak panel [on the back] is from an old table top, the neck is from a fireplace which was 100 years old at the time. The dot markers were from my mom’s button box…I think this was also the first guitar in the world to have a tremolo with almost zero friction,” he shared.

2. He strums guitar with coins instead of picks

Finding plastic picks too flexible, Brian has opted to use coins in strumming guitars. Some claim that this might be the reason why his guitar-playing produces a unique sound.

Not until the 1940’s when coins with silver were still in circulation, he would use an old British currency sixpence with such material as his pick. It was also reported that when he had his first solo tour, he actually had some sixpence sized coins and sold them afterwards.

3. He creates solo in his mind before playing it on guitar

Proving that he is indeed a musical genius, Brian once revealed that he has a habit of composing his guitar solos on his mind even before playing it down on his guitar. He shared that “the fingers tend to be predictable unless being led by the brain.”

One of the guitar solo compositions he crafted with this technique was that of Bohemian Rhapsody’s.

4. He has a doctorate degree in Astrophysics

Even though it was nearly forty years after he first pursued a doctorate degree in Astrophysics passed, he went back to academics in 2007 and finished his studies after he was invited back to the Imperial College London. This makes him one of the most highly-educated musicians.

Last year, he has teamed up with other astrophysicists to work for NASA and analyze data from the Pluto New Horizons Probe. How cool is that?

5. He is an active animal welfare advocate

Apart from his musical and academic stint, he is also very much active in the animal welfare scene. He is the founder of the organization “Save Me,” whose prime advocacy is to prevent fox hunting and badger culling.

He even mashed-up the smash hit “Badger, Badger, Badger” and Queen’s “Flash” as a promotion of his advocacy.

6. He was named “Commander of the Order of the British Empire”

For his well-acclaimed services in the music industry, he was named “Commander of the Order of the British Empire” in 2005. However, it did not only recognize his feat in the music scene but his significant charitable works as well. This is quite an honor for any London-born boy!

7. He dabbled into theater production

Did you know that you may also add theater production in Brian’s impeccable resume? Besides his illustrious rock n’ roll career, he has also composed and performed for the London Riverside Studios production of “Macbeth” in 1987 and 1990.

While with Queen, he also showcased his film scoring chops when he worked for the movie soundtracks of “Mission Impossible II” and “Spiderman II.”

With all these, won’t you agree that Brian May deserves a wishful birthday greeting from us?

Related Articles