Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" is widely regarded as one of the greatest songs of all time, but it is also one of the hardest to perform live. The six-minute epic features an a cappella opening, an operatic middle section, and extensive multi-tracking, making it a daunting task for any musician.
But there is another element that adds to the difficulty: the guitar solo. In a recent interview with ‘Total Guitar’ magazine, Queen's legendary guitarist Brian May admitted that he still struggles with playing the solo, which was originally composed by the band's late frontman Freddie Mercury.
"It's funny – Freddie was a good riffmeister, really," May said. "He was a devotee of Jimi Hendrix. People think he was just concerned with the lighter stuff but it's not true, he did enjoy the heavy stuff, too."
May explained that the solo was not a natural fit for the guitar, and that he had to adapt to Mercury's vision. "It's not a riff that a guitarist would naturally play, and that's a double-edged sword. It's difficult for the guitar to get a hold of it, it's very unusual. And to be honest, I still don't find it easy!"
May said that playing the solo live was especially challenging, as it required a balance between emotion and precision. "I can play it at home okay, but in the heat of the battle, if you like, when we're paying it live, and there's huge adrenaline, it's the climax of the show and that riff comes along, it's not the easiest thing to play. I'm excited and I've got to keep the passion, but I've got to keep a part of my brain cool just to handle where the fingers have to go because it isn't natural. It's one of the most unnatural riffs to play you could possibly imagine. But that's the joy of it, really, because it's so unusual."
Queen+Adam Lambert wrapped up their Rhapsody Tour of Japan last week in Tokyo.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]