“A class of his own”: The iconic guitar solo Brian May considered perfection
Ever since the dawn of rock and roll back in the 1950s, the guitar has been its weapon of choice. Countless different musicians have come and gone over the years, each leaving their own distinctive mark on the landscape of guitar playing, but certain names stick out among all the rest, Brian May being one such name. Lending his incredible skills to some of the most iconic rock songs of all time alongside Queen, May repeatedly reaffirmed himself as the master of guitar music’s most elusive craft: the solo.
Guitar solos, as a musical medium, have a history dating back hundreds of years to classical music of the Renaissance era, but guitar solos in the way that we understand them in the modern age have their roots in early 20th-century blues and jazz music. Given that the blues, in particular, formed the basis of the rock and roll revolution, it only seemed natural that guitar solos became an integral part of rock music, too.
Over the years, guitarists have composed an unimaginable wealth of wailing, awe-inspiring, and often over-indulgent guitar solos. Brian May is certainly no exception, but his work with Queen was always adept at toeing the line between captivating six-stringed genius and complex over-indulgence. The result was a range of riffs which were compositionally complex while also resonating with audiences all across the world.
Skills like May’s do not form overnight; the musician began his guitar journey during childhood, forming a range of groups during his high school years, while worshipping the revolutionary sounds of 1960s guitar rock. That decade was particularly awash with musical innovators, with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, and countless other artists completely redefining expectations of the guitar. It is no surprise, therefore, that May owes a great deal of his early inspiration to those pioneering figures.
In fact, the guitarist managed to carry those influences over into the days of Queen, during the 1970s. Capturing the spirit of glam and hard rock scenes which had blossomed throughout the decade, Queen were largely in a league of their own, and May’s guitar stylings were a key aspect of that individuality. Yet, his tones, set-up, and solos were always indebted to the pioneering sounds of those guitarists who had come before him.
During a 2020 interview with Guitar World, May admitted as much. “I was inspired by certain moments of guitar playing,” he shared, harking back to his heyday at the heart of Queen. “A lot of Jimi Hendrix, a lot of Eric Clapton,” the guitarist continued. However, May held a particularly rich appreciation for the groundbreaking work of Jeff Beck, who helped to carve out many of the conventions of 1960s guitar rock.
“The ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’ solo from Jeff Beck,” May highlighted. “Who, to me is still – I don’t know where he is in your poll – but to me he is a sort of unattainable perfection.” Adding, “He’s in a class of his own.” It is certainly difficult to disagree with May on that point. After all, Beck played a colossal role in the development of blues rock and even psychedelia, through his work on tracks like ‘Heart Full of Soul’ by The Yardbirds.
‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’, which he recorded as a solo artist in 1967, remains Beck’s defining work, which is not all that surprising given its incredible legacy in the world of rock and roll guitar. The track’s solo, in particular, has been the wonderment of guitar players for decades, achieving so much with an apparently simple riff. Its legacy can undoubtedly be heard within the extensive repertoire of players like Brian May.
