| Brangwen Rocker 11.11.2008 10:18 |
A little thread prompted by my 19 year old son, when he asked me "how I rated Brian May as a guitarist?" Now my son... shall we say... tolerates Queen, though he does acknowledge the curly haired one as a good guitarist, which coming from someone who is into SlipKnot, Metallica, Children of Bodom, Machine Head etc, etc, and various Finish metal bands, I think is saying something! Anyhow, as for me, a difficult one to answer with a definity as BM has his own disitinctive style and is clearly respected by his peers. He is up there in my opinion with your Blackmore's, Page's, Satriani's and Iommi's of this world, but cannot say with any certainty whether he is in fact better (whatever that means) or a lesser accomplished artizan of his craft. Just wondered what everyone in Queenzoneland thought on the subject? |
| Micrówave 11.11.2008 12:29 |
I think he's pretty good. They should keep him. |
| Markman38 11.11.2008 12:57 |
Well the most pleasant surprise of the last album was voodoo because the style of guitar playing was not Brian but he did a good job on it. Off course he is a great guitar player but more important he can build a orchestra with only his guitar. But comparing is something completely different. You can''t compare Jimmy Hendrikx with David Gilmour but both are outstanding in their own league. Eric Clapton and George Harrison did admire each other but where completely different. Brian May is a big fan of Hank Marvin for instance. The only thing you can say about Brian May is that he unique, just as unique as Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, Yngwie Malmsteen and so on and so on |
| beautifulsoup 11.11.2008 15:35 |
Micrówave wrote: I think he's pretty good. They should keep him. [img=/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif][/img] |
| masterstroke_84 11.11.2008 20:22 |
Of course Page is on his own league... nobody play so awfully sloppy like him!!!!!! my god... |
| doxonrox 11.11.2008 20:24 |
Markman38 wrote: Well the most pleasant surprise of the last album was voodoo because the style of guitar playing was not Brian but he did a good job on it. Nah - white bread blues. Sounded just like a Bad Company record, and Mick Ralphs is very limited as a guitar player. Don't get me wrong, I love BM, but he is not a blues player. |
| Crazy LittleThing 11.11.2008 21:35 |
Micrówave wrote: I think he's pretty good. They should keep him. I agree. Plus, he's always got the PhD to fall back on if this whole music thing doesn't take off for him. |
| Adolfo and the spiders from Mercury 11.11.2008 22:15 |
Brian is a guitar hero and genius, maybe his guitar playing is not as fast as Vai or Malmsteen, but the way he constructs his solos, the soul impregnated in every note that he plays and the sound that comes from him is simply amazing, absulotely out of this world, two examples of his greatness would be the solo of good company and the solo/last horizon of return of the champions - so much feeling in each and everyone of those notes! watching that made me realize brian is the greatest ever |
| Adolfo and the spiders from Mercury 11.11.2008 22:17 |
Brangwen Rocker wrote: SlipKnot, Metallica, Children of Bodom, Machine Head etc, etc, and various Finish metal bands, I think is saying something! I can assure you all of those guitarists would say Brian is awesome, if not an inspiration of them |
| teleman 12.11.2008 00:14 |
Brian is a better musician than he is a guitarist.(which is a good thing) |
| The Real Wizard 12.11.2008 00:26 |
The mainstream will always be the mainstream... But in the business, Brian is one of the most respected guitarists in the industry. And his tone is definitely one of the most coveted tones ever. |
| ana_libra 12.11.2008 01:25 |
Crazy LittleThing wrote:Micrówave wrote: I think he's pretty good. They should keep him.I agree. Plus, he's always got the PhD to fall back on if this whole music thing doesn't take off for him. true. |
| mike hunt 12.11.2008 03:21 |
teleman wrote: Brian is a better musician than he is a guitarist.(which is a good thing) what are you trying to sound like sebastion?....think for yourself young man!....Brian is in the same league as the other greats. top 10 or 15 best in rock history?....sounds about right. |
| Brangwen Rocker 12.11.2008 03:44 |
Thanks for all your responses! Perhaps not the most thought provoking of threads, as topics such as these are so subjective, when it comes to comparing whether one individual is better or worse than someone else in a similar field. It's always nice to hear other peoples opinions nonetheless. Thanks again. |
| scottmax 12.11.2008 04:20 |
I think Brians sound is very distinctive. As soon as you hear his tone, you know who it is, which in my book makes him a good player? Thats my opinion anyway...... |
| GreatKingSam 12.11.2008 04:35 |
Adolfo wrote:Brangwen Rocker wrote: SlipKnot, Metallica, Children of Bodom, Machine Head etc, etc, and various Finish metal bands, I think is saying something!I can assure you all of those guitarists would say Brian is awesome, if not an inspiration of them Not really a fan of Children of Bodom or Machine Head, but I like Slipknot and am a big Metallica fan... does that mean fans of the above bands have a lesser musical opinion in some way? :o) ...but, Jim Root is a top guitar player, James Hetfield can right one hell of a riff, and Kirk Hammett is a pretty damn fine player too (check out the solo on The Unforgiven III on Death Magnetic, awesome). I know for fact that all three of them respect Brian highly, and Hetfield has mentioned previously how [during the recordings of Load and Reload etc] how he was looking to get in some Brian May orchestrations to his playing etc. |
| Brangwen Rocker 12.11.2008 05:25 |
GreatKingSam wrote:Adolfo wrote:Not really a fan of Children of Bodom or Machine Head, but I like Slipknot and am a big Metallica fan... does that mean fans of the above bands have a lesser musical opinion in some way? :o) ...but, Jim Root is a top guitar player, James Hetfield can right one hell of a riff, and Kirk Hammett is a pretty damn fine player too (check out the solo on The Unforgiven III on Death Magnetic, awesome). I know for fact that all three of them respect Brian highly, and Hetfield has mentioned previously how [during the recordings of Load and Reload etc] how he was looking to get in some Brian May orchestrations to his playing etc.Brangwen Rocker wrote: SlipKnot, Metallica, Children of Bodom, Machine Head etc, etc, and various Finish metal bands, I think is saying something!I can assure you all of those guitarists would say Brian is awesome, if not an inspiration of them I too am a fan of Metallica, and echo your comments re Hetfield/Hammett. I think fans of the heavier genres of "metal" perhaps favour the rich power chord/thrash style of playing, and to a degree I include myself in that thought process. Indeed, if you "ignore" (for the want of a better word) the growling vocal so prevelent with some of todays metal bands, the guitar work is at times brilliant. As a kid, I was listening to Deep Purple, Sabbath, Floyd etc, and brought up with Blackmore, Gilmore et al, including of course Tony Iommi, who perhaps "invented" the heavy power chord riff. When I discovered Queen in 1970, and first listened to QI & QII was blown away by BM's fantastic new sound. In many ways I suppose he is in a league of his own, because whereas the likes of Hetfield/Hammett etc have taken the Iommi power chord style to a different level, nobody has been able to better the distinctive BM sound, which perhaps is a contributory factor as to why he is so respected? |
| Bo Rhap 12.11.2008 10:23 |
Brian is the thinking man's guitar god.Ok he's not as fast as EVH or Vai or the like.His solos are more thoughful,melodic and tuneful.And in the past he had more orchestrations than you could twang a power chord at. |
| Holly2003 12.11.2008 14:22 |
Here's where I make an ass of myself. What attracted me to Brian May is that his guitar solos are almost little songs in themselves. They exist seperately from the main body of the song. For example, compare the Killer Queen solo to the solo from (say) Nirvana's Nevermind. In the latter, the solo is basically the same rhythm and melody as the song itself. It just follows the chord progression. Not very difficult and i.m.o. the mark of a guitarist with limited imagination. However, the Killer Queen solo is like a seperate creation from the rest of the song. It's much more interesting creating solos that way. Also, as mentioned by everyone else, Brian's orchestration is unique -- you always know it's him. And when he gets it right, which is more often than not, it sounds amazing. Finally, brian was never a speed merchant. Sometimes those guitarists who are really fast rely on that attribute as a kind of end in itself. While Brian can play fast at times, he never seems that comfortable with it. He therefore takes the time to think about the structure of his solos instead of just shredding. Lastly, in the studio he can make even a simple chord progression sound like something handed down from Olympus. |
| joe90 13.11.2008 07:24 |
Bugger it! I can say it with certainty. In my books he's the best! |
| Oberon 14.11.2008 17:25 |
teleman wrote: Brian is a better musician than he is a guitarist.(which is a good thing) Yes, and he's a bloody good guitarist!!! |
| April 14.11.2008 17:42 |
One of the best and a survivor and a scholar! |
| MercuryArts 14.11.2008 17:48 |
Holly2003 wrote: Here's where I make an ass of myself. What attracted me to Brian May is that his guitar solos are almost little songs in themselves. They exist seperately from the main body of the song. For example, compare the Killer Queen solo to the solo from (say) Nirvana's Nevermind. In the latter, the solo is basically the same rhythm and melody as the song itself. It just follows the chord progression. Not very difficult and i.m.o. the mark of a guitarist with limited imagination. However, the Killer Queen solo is like a seperate creation from the rest of the song. It's much more interesting creating solos that way. Also, as mentioned by everyone else, Brian's orchestration is unique -- you always know it's him. And when he gets it right, which is more often than not, it sounds amazing. Finally, brian was never a speed merchant. Sometimes those guitarists who are really fast rely on that attribute as a kind of end in itself. While Brian can play fast at times, he never seems that comfortable with it. He therefore takes the time to think about the structure of his solos instead of just shredding. Lastly, in the studio he can make even a simple chord progression sound like something handed down from Olympus. I agree, Brian is not a speed merchant as you put it. I like that by the way. But he can shred w/ the best of them. My friend Art & I refer to him as the Master of the Understatement. He can squeeze more emotion & attitude out of one bent note held for several measures then most can get in a flurry of notes rattled off in a matter of seconds. And then there is his tone. Unmatched, completely unique & instantly recognizable. |
| Brangwen Rocker 15.11.2008 06:30 |
MercuryArts wrote:Holly2003 wrote: Here's where I make an ass of myself. What attracted me to Brian May is that his guitar solos are almost little songs in themselves. They exist seperately from the main body of the song. For example, compare the Killer Queen solo to the solo from (say) Nirvana's Nevermind. In the latter, the solo is basically the same rhythm and melody as the song itself. It just follows the chord progression. Not very difficult and i.m.o. the mark of a guitarist with limited imagination. However, the Killer Queen solo is like a seperate creation from the rest of the song. It's much more interesting creating solos that way. Also, as mentioned by everyone else, Brian's orchestration is unique -- you always know it's him. And when he gets it right, which is more often than not, it sounds amazing. Finally, brian was never a speed merchant. Sometimes those guitarists who are really fast rely on that attribute as a kind of end in itself. While Brian can play fast at times, he never seems that comfortable with it. He therefore takes the time to think about the structure of his solos instead of just shredding. Lastly, in the studio he can make even a simple chord progression sound like something handed down from Olympus.I agree, Brian is not a speed merchant as you put it. I like that by the way. But he can shred w/ the best of them. My friend Art & I refer to him as the Master of the Understatement. He can squeeze more emotion & attitude out of one bent note held for several measures then most can get in a flurry of notes rattled off in a matter of seconds. And then there is his tone. Unmatched, completely unique & instantly recognizable. Hi MercuryArts, I happen to agree with you thoughts, however.....I would like to throw in a curve ball, and mention a guitarist that I had completely overlooked and that is Boston's Tom Scholz. Boston like Queen have a very distinct sound, which owes so much to Scholzs' guitar sound. Unlike BM however, Scholz experimented extensively to create his distinct and Bostons signature sound. I believe he created or developed a device called a Rockman in this regard.Though I stand to be corrected on that point. There are similarities here with BM, Scholz is in his own way unmatched, completely unique, instantly recognisable and also a fantastic musician, however whereas his sound was "manufactured" the Queen sound is very much attributed to a direct byproduct of BM's natural guitar tone. Have a great day. |