The “beautiful” guitarist Brian May thinks is out of his league: “So way out of what I could ever do”
While Brian May is one of the most accomplished guitar players on the planet and has sold millions of records worldwide with Queen, he doesn’t believe himself to be the most technically proficient at his instrument.
It is perhaps because of this sentiment that so often he is forgotten by the rock and roll set when endlessly discussing who might be the best guitarist of all time. Because the sad truth is, as well as being an art, playing the guitar can feel like a bloodsport at times. For the main part, May just doesn’t fit that mould.
Rather than seemingly sit atop a mantle and refuse to drop off his perch, May sees himself as a student. The ever-humble musician is always trying to learn and improve at his craft, but accepts there are plenty of things he’ll never be equipped to do with a guitar.
Despite being idolised by countless artists, May is far too self-deprecating to allow his achievements to inflate his ego and make him believe he walks on water. For somebody with such a high standing in the music industry, May is as regular as one could possibly be, and his brutally honest assessment of his own skill level is proof of his grounded personality.
For a guitarist, May was born at the perfect time. During the 1960s, he was a spectator as innovative musicians continued to rip up the rulebook. “When I look back on it, I don’t think I could have been born at a better time,” he told Guitar World. “As kids we were so lucky to have grown up in that period when things were bursting through and all the boundaries were being broken”.
Although many of his primary influences come from that golden era of rock music, May has kept his ear to the ground and continues to take inspiration from younger artists than himself. This positive trait is rare in musicians of his era and has helped him keep in tune with the evolution of the guitar, which continues to advance.
During an interview with Guitar World, May admitted: “I’m not in the first million guitarists in the world; I know that. There’s people I listen to every day that do things that I could never do.”
The Queen guitarist then singled out Nuno Bettencourt, best known for being the lead guitarist in Boston rock group Extreme but also plays live with Rihanna. Remarking on his talent, May said: “I listen to Nuno Bettencourt and I just smile because it’s so beautiful and it’s so way out of what I could ever do. It doesn’t bother me, ’cause I don’t feel in competition. I just love the guy and I love what he does.”
There’s a good chance that May is being his humble self here. Surely a man who has both a few number one records and a doctorate in astro-physics could study the level-up i guitar playing needed. But that’s just his way, and certainly it has struck a chord with Bettencourt himself.
Without May, there’d be no Bettencourt. Taking to his Instagram page in 2020, the Portuguese-born guitarist wrote: “There are not enough characters allowed on IG to talk about how Brian’s guitar playing, tone, taste, composition, writing, singing, and intellect has impacted my Guitar Playing… impacted my EVERYTHING. Yes he can play like a beast.”
Bettencourt also said: “His tone was ahead of its time. But the most important element I learned from the King of Queen was his ultimate respect for THE SONG. As guitarists, we cannot wait for our leashes to be taken off and go attack the song. But trust me, if it weren’t for Brian, one of the chosen few, who taught us that it’s quality over quantity. That a guitarist can single handidly elevate a song into the stratosphere or selfishly burst it into flames.”
Listen to Bettencourt at his best on Extreme’s ‘Get The Funk Out’ below.
