Musicians of all levels have turned to their online audiences while the live side of the industry remains on hiatus across the country and around the world. Some, like Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio, are using their newfound free and isolated time to debut new music, while others like Andy Frasco have edited together hilarious video submission mashups to keep fans’ spirits up.
Brian May, who is in no shortage of fans both old and young around the world thanks to the recent global success of his band’s 2018’s biopic film, took to his own Instagram over the weekend to help guide beginner guitarists through a full tutorial on how to play the iconic solo from Queen’s 1975 single–and the most-streamed song of the 20th century–”Bohemian Rhapsody”.
Related: Watch Freddie Mercury Lead Queen In A Timeless “Bohemian Rhapsody” At Wembley [Pro-Shot]
The 8:41 minute video opens with May putting the current global pandemic into perspective by detailing his grandfather’s own national call to duty 100 years ago when he fought in WWI. He then quickly transitions into the music portion of the video by performing what he calls “the normal” way of playing the “Bohemian Rhapsody” solo.
“I don’t do anything difficult, I’m not the world’s greatest expert technical guitar player, I just play how I feel,” May admits after running through the solo the first time through. He then repositions his phone camera so viewers have a wonderful angle to see what May is doing with his left hand on the fretboard while playing the solo lines.
Following the tutorial, May shifts to discussing the home gear he’s been using on these playing videos, while encouraging others to take the self-quarantine rules seriously.
Watch the entire tutorial for the “Bohemian Rhapsody” solo below, and make sure to practice those scales so you’ll have a whole new skillset to show off to friends, family, and first dates when this is all over.
[H/T Guitar Player]
