GOOD to see Brian paying True Homage' to The Late, Great Rory Gallagher 👏💚🇮🇪💚🌟🎸🎶 respect to him for doing so. 👏 Also blessings to Brian for highlighting and showcasing Rory's Iconic, Immense Musical Genius plus what A Wonderful, Decent, Genuine Etc' Human Being, Rory Truly Was. 🙏🕊✌️Thank You Brian. 🌟🤟
The thing that I appreciate about Brian May is his down to earth honesty and respect to others. He has nothing to prove to anyone and it shows. His talk about Rory Gallagher hits me deep. Rory had no ego either. He showed many people how he got the sounds that he could squeeze out of his guitar without the use of pedals. That guitar was a part of him. There are lots of guitarists who came later than Rory who are virtuosos and very technically capable of incredible playing but Rory figured his guitar out in the 60s when there was no one follow. He developed his own style of playing and performing. Commercialism was not appealing to Rory so he avoided it and refused to put out any singles. He did sell 30 million albums while sticking to being Rory the performer. He loved his fans and audiences and he played for them, not the record executives. Incredible performer. He done good!
My hero is Brian May. Not for the reasons you think. Yes I love his playing. But it’s how he looks at the world and how he relates to everyone. I think that if you were to look up the word “gentleman “ in the dictionary you would see a picture of Brian May. He has the qualities that are seldom seen anymore. He is a great great man first then a great guitarist second.
“Greatest Guitarist” is a superlative term that should never be applied to an individual. There’s just too many styles and points in innovation to make a call. e.g. where would Segovia place? Let’s just call the “greats” “great”.
I agree. Great yes. Greatest? According to whom? What’s funny most of these guys when they get labeled “ greatest “ immediately deny it and name someone else. When it’s all said and done we’re just guitar players. Some get famous and most of don’t and we’re all just trying to get better.
@@JefferyHagen Jimmy Page has a lot of technique tooIf anyone says someone like Fripp is not dealing with emotions, he/she might know nothing about music, and it took more than 40 years before anyone was able to fully play "Fracture". The technique of people like Holdsworth, Shawn Lane, MacLaughlin, Vai, EVH, etc etc, is gigantic, and actually, none of them care about it, their stuff is absolutely emotional, the only people that set up a barrier between technique and emotion are usually without both !!! Usually, they will push Michelangelo Batio as an example of a technician... Well, none of the people I knew who are/were into shredding were fans of Batio. Practising your scales won't make you less emotional, it will just make you play better.
Brian had enormous respect for Hank Marvin, now there's a guitarist who delivered 'melodious' rather than technical. Ever heard the expression "THAT sound" ?
Ritchie Blackmore is probably the best Rock Guitarist of all time. A complete virtuoso with the songs he has wrote. He is someone who as Brian May has not pushed himself into the spotlight. An absolute genius on the guitar and a maestro at his craft.
Yes Brian is very down to earth, and I think a great guitarist, Queen as a group gelled and all good at what they did, Mercury was a genius the way he involved and connected to a crowd. I think everyone will have their favourites but if we are naming the great guitarist, Gary Moore is another one that should be up there too imo
Brian May a true legend and one of a kind! The world of music and the 70’s would not be the same without him, Brian May is part of the establishment, Brian May is a household name. Nice hearing Brian doing his version of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow- Since you’ve been gone, playing in the background of this video!
What amazes me with Brian may is his own hand built custom guitar and for the fact of what was used to make that guitar and plus the help of his father to help him make that guitar that's just ingenious in it's self and let alone knowing to play the dam thing also it's got it's own features to it and boy it's got some go with the sound of him playing it that's just talent in itself alone so I'll put my hands up for his great achievement in what he's done music wise with his own hand built guitar that's amazing enough alone.😊
A video about Brian May with background music by Ritchie Blackmore/ Rainbow, who isn't mentioned. Also one of Brian's greatest friends and influences is Black Sabbaths Tony Iommi.
Having seen and meet Rory, I understand exactly what Brian means about Rory Gallagher, he was simply extraordinary and for those who love guitar playing, as Brian said literally you looked at him with your jaw dropping in awe.
I think it's fare to say that Brian is a very humble man and a great guitarist. He speaks his true feelings about other greats with almost a teenage reverence, especially Rory Gallagher. Respect 😀
Brian May is unique among guitar greats in having built and even designed his own guitar. He alone combines his unique playing style with an instrument with a one-of-a-kind sound.
That's quite a story about Brian and Rory Gallagher. Rory didn't want to be Mr. Big Time and yet Brian became that with Queen. Of course it was Freddie's front man schtick that did it as well as the bands playing. But Brian hanging around to get to talk w/Rory and he gave him tips on equipment that would shape his sound is an amazing tale. I thought I heard everything. Until the mid-80's one could pretty much learn everything about guitarists who had some form of fame. And then there were millions of them. But back then there were only so many. And because he turned down offers to change and adjust for the big time Rory's name was one you only heard of from a few. Queens Bohemian Rhapsody. when it broke on FM was a CRY for us in our late teens working at some crappy job all restless and wild. Brians guitar it is said was made by him and his dad and he used a pence coin? Instead of a pic. So he did have his own sound. But cool to hear Rory influenced and helped him.
IDK if you know much about Frank Zappa, it would make a great video as well. Zappa's music, tone, solos, are just none like other. He has one of the best guitar tones that just make me sweat lol
Brian May has said a million times Ritchie Blackmore is one of his favorites and he is one of the greatest guitarist ever but in this video he is not even mentioned. I wonder why?
Metal Castle The Top 5 Guitarists That Brian May Named His Favorites Ever In his list, Brian May also named Jimi Hendrix one of his favorite guitar players of all time. As you remember, Jimi Hendrix was voted after Brian May when Total Guitar asked its readers who was the greatest guitarist of all time. After he learned he nudged Jimi Hendrix to top the list, Brian May expressed his surprise. He praised his guitar god. “Oh my god! Well, it is very humbling. Jimi is, of course, my number one,” Brian says. “And I’ve always said that. To me, he’s still something superhuman. It’s like he really did come from an alien planet, and I will never know quite how he did what he did. “And every time I go back to Hendrix, I’m thrilled and stunned, and I get that feeling all over again, like either I’m going to give up playing guitar because I can’t face up to this, or I’m gonna really have to get into it in a big way and try and do what is in my own body and soul. I never stop learning from Jimi.”
Excellent presentation! Please get round to Steve Howe, voted best overall guitarist for 5 consecutive years by his peers in Guitar Player mag. Still touring today thanks again!
I came to see a video that seemed to promise May telling us in his own words about his favourites and why he thought so, instead I get a hackneyed narration featuring all the usual tropes and rhetorical topics.
Brian May’s own style is pretty much his own anyway. A genius in more fields than most and incredibly modest at the same time! The sign of true genius!
For me it’s all about the serving the song. Great guitarists have a level of ability that lets them concentrate on the song without worrying about the difficult technique and it gives them a toolbox.
The idea of playing guitar (or any musical instrument) is to communicate using the guitar through composition. A parallel example? The idea of running with a football is to gain as many yards as possible, a touchdown most preferably. Just like most of the "shredders" not being highly regarded as songwriters, a lot of blazing receivers or running backs do not even play in an all star or all pro game, nonetheless join the NFL HOF. In other words, there is a lot more to each discipline than one specific talent.
I haven't watched this yet, but someone needs to name Phil Keaggy. He's good enough to be named "The Author of Music." Or just to be clear, "The one who innately embodies the origins of music." At least compared to anyone I have ever extensively listened to.
In the 90s Brian's wife Angie was doing a part on the British comedy Red Dwarf. They wanted a very good guitarist to do a scene in the show. When asked if he would do it he suggested Phil Manzanera from Roxy Music would do a better job of the scene. Dudes just humble.
I'm a little shocked. Nobody embodies "feel" more than Pagey. I have read interviews in the past where Brian said Zeppelin were a direct influence on Queen's music. He also has been extremely complimentary toward Pete Townshend. Brian is a humble man and a genuine student of life itself, not just the guitar.
I really enjoy knowing who inspires those who inspire me, it's humbling. Zakk Wylde does this very well, much respect to Father Wylde. That being said, I have a hard time fighting the urge to crank the volume whenever Fat Bottom Girls comes on the radio (followed by a Ric Flair hoot).
Nothing new, strange talking about EVh, Beck and Gallagher while playing Rb in the background. Brian May was always about his own tone and sound, setting himself apart from the pack. He was great in Queen, not so much on his own, I often wonder how much of his playing was inspired or directed by Freddie,
Best? What is the best based on? Most popular? Technical ability? Fastest? Popular songs with guitar solos? Number one chat songs featuring a guitar solo? Technical ability I would say Tommy Emanuel. Guitar solo to bring on years would be David Gilmour.
Isn’t it so lovely for a great guitarist like Brian may respected Rory Gallagher so much, ye Brian like u I believe like u he was the greatest, 🇮🇪🇮🇪☘️☘️👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
He also has a Ph.D. in astrophysics. His thesis paper is on interstellar dust. He never needed to make it as a musician, he has real brains that he could have put to use in almost any field.
@@josue_kay Read what I wrote again. If I didn't spell it out good enough, I'll go deeper. Many musicians stress over getting the next hit. May never had any worries. If the music gig didn't work out, he had brains enough to do almost anything else, including astrophysics.
Brian is a truly superb Guitarist, Created his own sound, which all guitarist would love to do. Best guitarist, Ridiculous title, Rock Guitarist, Most of them couldn't live with some Jazz players, Then you've Got Paul Gilbert, Buckethead and then up to the top, Shawn Lane. Never got Jeff though, Love listening to him talk but honestly, his playing does nothing for me. All seriously Talented Guys.
The GREAT guitar players are Page May Schon Scholz Hendrix Summers Rodgers The Edge Gilmour Hackett Van Halen Lukather and all those that gives us emotions and not USELESS BORING technique like Malmsteen...Vai....Petrucci etc.....do.
Because it was covered by Brian May in his album "live at Brixton Academy". By the say Since you been gone is by Russ Ballard, not by Rainbow that just made a succesful cover.
He said he wasn't "the greatest" because he know better!! Rory was a fantastic player and I've seen Brian singing his praises in the past. There are so many truly great players both now and in the past that this subjective rubbish should be shelved forever. If you don't know and want to check some absolute genius go watch Jeff Beck at Ronnie Scott's, check out Alan Holdsworth, have a listen to Mario Mancuso and if these three don't blow you away then it it really is just a my favourite BS competition. I love Brian May both for his playing and his brains.
Its the music you play with the guitar that makes a great guitarist,not just how good you are at shredding twenty thousand notes on a fretboard..Van Halen could play superfast riffs doesnt make him the greatest guitarist.
So many phenomenal guitar players (in many genre's). In no particular order for me: Tommy Emmanuel, Guthrie Govan, Steve Howe, Eddie Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Alex Lifeson, David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, Andy Summers, Robin Trower, Allan Holdsworth, Al Di Meola, Steve Stevens, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Nile Rodgers & Tony Iommi . . . (however) There is No Best / There is No Greatest = it's who moves and inspires you.
GOAT is subjective but the fact that he is the only rock or pop artist in history who has a PhD in the sciences (Astrophysics) is what makes him really standout.
@@Brummie666 playing guitar very well and being a great writer which many famous artists aren't known for like Elvis, is one thing, but my point was that May is an incredibly gifted person in general, not just in music, although I can take or leave Queen's music.
Don't waste your time watching this waiting for Brian to tell you who his seix favourite guitarists are, he doesn't. The usual rehashed footage and voice over telling us nothing. CLICKBAIT!
With my playing ability, the kid down the street is the greatest guitarist of all time. All these players mentioned and many that were not, are virtuoso class players. To call one the greatest of all time is a misnomer.
I always thought Brian was the greatest guitarist until I went to see him in concert at our local theatre. There were about 30 people including kids & myself waiting to get an autograph . After 30 - 45 minutes a lady came out and said that Brian had left early because he didn’t want to sign autographs. That finished me. Sorry to all those Brian fans sorry but people like me have supported Queen from the beginning. He wasn’t tired or ill he said people were selling his autographs on eBay and he didn’t like it. 👎
All these legends that you mention I know them, They’re quite lame I had to rearrange their pedals And give them another name Right now, I can’t play too good My scales are rough and slow So cancel my invitation to Desolation Row 🎸
It might not be appropriate to say that somebody such as Kurt Cobain impacted the music world hard enough that the proficiency Brian May would suggest is not necessary to connect with your guitar or use it to connect with other people has been wiped away from the music world, but I remain inclined to say that much. Because of how huge Nirvana was before we lost Kurt, it is now next to impossible for a guitar player of Brian's caliber to receive the type of notice that they deserve. All the proficiency was sucked out of rock music by the grunge movement, and proficiency has turned into a joke in a stretch of time where only people who only know so much about how to play have any chance of getting any place. I feel no shame lifting a line from "Love of my Life", that song at the end of this segment, "Bring it back, bring it back, bring it back."
Oh, c'mon, Brian has very serious guitar technique and, BTW, people like Holdsworth, Shawnlane, EVH, MacLaughlin, etc, play "fast" simply because it's how their musical ideas come to their minds, and they have monstrous "feeling"... Seeing a musical instrument as a competition is for losers, when you're practising an art, that's NOT the point... Note that as ALL the "greats", he has a VERY personal sound and his guitars are made of a centuries old oak with countless worm holes in... But there's a trick to know about guitar : DO NOT TRY TO COPY OTHERS SOUND AND GEAR and even the way they play! BE YOURSELF !!! Don't go for the Stratocaster or the LesPaul or the JEM or whatever because someone uses this or that, and same for the amplifiers, the effects, etc : use what sounds the best with YOUR fingers and preferably go for the easiest thing to play, BTW, you really have to fight against the guitar when you use a Strat and you'll get rapidly tired, the radius is too pronounced so if you practise intensively, you're in for tendinitis. Replaced it by a Vigier Excalibur Supra, had custom pickups made where I have at the same time a Fender Abigail Ybarra set AND the DiMarzio HalfTrack on bridge and a FS-1 in neck posn, A Freeway 10 positions selector replaces the classic 5pos, a push-pull to reverse the phase of the central PU and a duplo pot to get the classic strat double tones, add a kill-switch and here we are : It's far better and way more polyvalent than any Strat I ever touched, way way way more reliable and the neck is the easiest to play I know, in fact, it's not my fav'd guitar but it's my workmate because my fav'd one sounds so intense, it's like a Guarnerius violin, you can't play this all the time or you'll end at the looneys, it's too much! Let's say it's 3 quarters of maple, one quarter of alder with a thick Brazilian rosewood fretboard, neckthru, a long graphite bar instead of the trussrod, there are only 46 like these in the world and I own two. Best guitar I ever touched... and some may not agree even if they love how it sounds with me, they may not be in osmosis with it, that's not a problem... Someone once told me : "You own a lot of freaking great guitars, playing 'em is like making love, but this one, it's not making love, it's r4pe!" Same for all my stuff : the basis is what gets out of my fingers and I will use what works the best FOR ME! And I don't need a modelling stuff with 300 pseudo amps, my gear has already raised eyebrows... until they ear the sound...
May is extremely overrated... He's very limited on what he can actually do on the guitar... Fact is, there's 100 times more that Brian can NOT do on the guitar than he CAN do...
@@adamb2408 If you know guitar and music at all, the list is endless... Do your own research... I've been into it for right at 60 years now... and no doubt there are riffs and little things I can pull out of the hat that HE cannot say he's done... Being in a band that becomes world famous does NOT in any way automatically make a player one of the best in the world... That's a HUGE mistake the uneducated make all the time... and that is not just guitar.... It's with every instrument. May knows this truth... and says so right here in this vid.... Pay the fck attention!
By what criteria? I mean if you are measuring height, that's easy. It's not quantifiable. He's essentially a scientist and I think that's probably his attitude. It's highly subjective. Duh.
While not a fan of Brian May, or his two favorites either (Beck, Nuno), they are all great guitars BUT not my jam. I find it absurd that May was voted best guitar player of all time, to me he isn't even close, I can think of dozens of guitar players better than him imho - maybe not yours?
GOOD to see Brian paying True Homage' to The Late, Great Rory Gallagher 👏💚🇮🇪💚🌟🎸🎶 respect to him for doing so. 👏 Also blessings to Brian for highlighting and showcasing Rory's Iconic, Immense Musical Genius plus what A Wonderful, Decent, Genuine Etc' Human Being, Rory Truly Was. 🙏🕊✌️Thank You Brian. 🌟🤟
hallo! To describe dear Rory as a 'blueprint of authenticity' makes my day!
The thing that I appreciate about Brian May is his down to earth honesty and respect to others. He has nothing to prove to anyone and it shows.
His talk about Rory Gallagher hits me deep. Rory had no ego either. He showed many people how he got the sounds that he could squeeze out of his guitar without the use of pedals. That guitar was a part of him.
There are lots of guitarists who came later than Rory who are virtuosos and very technically capable of incredible playing but Rory figured his guitar out in the 60s when there was no one follow.
He developed his own style of playing and performing.
Commercialism was not appealing to Rory so he avoided it and refused to put out any singles. He did sell 30 million albums while sticking to being Rory the performer.
He loved his fans and audiences and he played for them, not the record executives.
Incredible performer. He done good!
My hero is Brian May. Not for the reasons you think. Yes I love his playing. But it’s how he looks at the world and how he relates to everyone. I think that if you were to look up the word “gentleman “ in the dictionary you would see a picture of Brian May. He has the qualities that are seldom seen anymore. He is a great great man first then a great guitarist second.
*Brian May was a big fan of both Ritchie Blackmore & Jan Akkerman.*
*It would be kind to call the narrators voice monotonous.* 🥱
It's AI. 🤡
“Greatest Guitarist” is a superlative term that should never be applied to an individual. There’s just too many styles and points in innovation to make a call. e.g. where would Segovia place? Let’s just call the “greats” “great”.
Agree 100%
Totally. These "greatest guitarists" only normally include rock Guitar players.. Where is Django etc.
I agree. Great yes. Greatest? According to whom? What’s funny most of these guys when they get labeled “ greatest “ immediately deny it and name someone else. When it’s all said and done we’re just guitar players. Some get famous and most of don’t and we’re all just trying to get better.
Jimmy Page has said he’s not a technician. He deals in emotions.
@@JefferyHagen Jimmy Page has a lot of technique tooIf anyone says someone like Fripp is not dealing with emotions, he/she might know nothing about music, and it took more than 40 years before anyone was able to fully play "Fracture". The technique of people like Holdsworth, Shawn Lane, MacLaughlin, Vai, EVH, etc etc, is gigantic, and actually, none of them care about it, their stuff is absolutely emotional, the only people that set up a barrier between technique and emotion are usually without both !!!
Usually, they will push Michelangelo Batio as an example of a technician... Well, none of the people I knew who are/were into shredding were fans of Batio.
Practising your scales won't make you less emotional, it will just make you play better.
Bravo Brian May.. Great musician... Thanks for always being a champion for the late, great Rory Gallagher.... 👍🇬🇷 🇮🇪 🕊️
Brian had enormous respect for Hank Marvin, now there's a guitarist who delivered 'melodious' rather than technical. Ever heard the expression "THAT sound" ?
Ritchie Blackmore is probably the best Rock Guitarist of all time. A complete virtuoso with the songs he has wrote. He is someone who as Brian May has not pushed himself into the spotlight. An absolute genius on the guitar and a maestro at his craft.
Yes Brian is very down to earth, and I think a great guitarist, Queen as a group gelled and all good at what they did, Mercury was a genius the way he involved and connected to a crowd. I think everyone will have their favourites but if we are naming the great guitarist, Gary Moore is another one that should be up there too imo
Brian May a true legend and one of a kind! The world of music and the 70’s would not be the same without him, Brian May is part of the establishment, Brian May is a household name. Nice hearing Brian doing his version of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow- Since you’ve been gone, playing in the background of this video!
Pretty modest guy. Appreciative and modest. He mentions Clapton and Beck while Clapton looks up to Stevie Ray.
What amazes me with Brian may is his own hand built custom guitar and for the fact of what was used to make that guitar and plus the help of his father to help him make that guitar that's just ingenious in it's self and let alone knowing to play the dam thing also it's got it's own features to it and boy it's got some go with the sound of him playing it that's just talent in itself alone so I'll put my hands up for his great achievement in what he's done music wise with his own hand built guitar that's amazing enough alone.😊
Yes it is a thing of ledgends "Ironman"!
A video about Brian May with background music by Ritchie Blackmore/ Rainbow, who isn't mentioned. Also one of Brian's greatest friends and influences is Black Sabbaths Tony Iommi.
Como não amar, admirar e respeitar RORY GALLAGHER!
Having seen and meet Rory, I understand exactly what Brian means about Rory Gallagher, he was simply extraordinary and for those who love guitar playing, as Brian said literally you looked at him with your jaw dropping in awe.
I think it's fare to say that Brian is a very humble man and a great guitarist. He speaks his true feelings about other greats with almost a teenage reverence, especially Rory Gallagher. Respect 😀
Brian May is unique among guitar greats in having built and even designed his own guitar. He alone combines his unique playing style with an instrument with a one-of-a-kind sound.
It seems that every great guitarist is the best at playing the music they played!.
That's quite a story about Brian and Rory Gallagher. Rory didn't want to be Mr. Big Time and yet Brian became that with Queen. Of course it was Freddie's front man schtick that did it as well as the bands playing. But Brian hanging around to get to talk w/Rory and he gave him tips on equipment that would shape his sound is an amazing tale. I thought I heard everything. Until the mid-80's one could pretty much learn everything about guitarists who had some form of fame. And then there were millions of them. But back then there were only so many. And because he turned down offers to change and adjust for the big time Rory's name was one you only heard of from a few. Queens Bohemian Rhapsody. when it broke on FM was a CRY for us in our late teens working at some crappy job all restless and wild. Brians guitar it is said was made by him and his dad and he used a pence coin? Instead of a pic. So he did have his own sound. But cool to hear Rory influenced and helped him.
I have the full box set of Irish tour 74 which is so awesome I mean it's got all these dates from when he played in Ireland
Awesome very awesome
IDK if you know much about Frank Zappa, it would make a great video as well. Zappa's music, tone, solos, are just none like other. He has one of the best guitar tones that just make me sweat lol
Brian May’s interview with Tony Iommi is worth a watch. I believe it was last year and they have a great conversation.
Jeff Beck
Paul Kossoff
Richie Blackmore
Brian May.
And so on. All great guitarists in their own genre
I am surprised Brian didn’t mention Koss.
EVH greatest ever,RIP...Brian May is great also..
Brian May has said a million times Ritchie Blackmore is one of his favorites and he is one of the greatest guitarist ever but in this video he is not even mentioned. I wonder why?
Yet we hear Blackmore playing in the background throughout!
@@davemack7577 No we don’t. Brian May have recorded “Since you’ve been gone” too.
In the van Halen video as well
He can't mention everyone he likes, he'd be there all day.
Probably because Brian didn't produce the video and someone that only casually knows of Brian and is producing TH-cam content for a living did?
Metal Castle
The Top 5 Guitarists That Brian May Named His Favorites Ever
In his list, Brian May also named Jimi Hendrix one of his favorite guitar players of all time. As you remember, Jimi Hendrix was voted after Brian May when Total Guitar asked its readers who was the greatest guitarist of all time. After he learned he nudged Jimi Hendrix to top the list, Brian May expressed his surprise. He praised his guitar god.
“Oh my god! Well, it is very humbling. Jimi is, of course, my number one,” Brian says. “And I’ve always said that. To me, he’s still something superhuman. It’s like he really did come from an alien planet, and I will never know quite how he did what he did.
“And every time I go back to Hendrix, I’m thrilled and stunned, and I get that feeling all over again, like either I’m going to give up playing guitar because I can’t face up to this, or I’m gonna really have to get into it in a big way and try and do what is in my own body and soul. I never stop learning from Jimi.”
Even if he is not ranked among the greatest guitarists this astrophysicist is most probably the smartest and most educated.
Excellent presentation!
Please get round to Steve Howe, voted best overall guitarist for 5 consecutive years by his peers in Guitar Player mag. Still touring today
thanks again!
I came to see a video that seemed to promise May telling us in his own words about his favourites and why he thought so, instead I get a hackneyed narration featuring all the usual tropes and rhetorical topics.
I would have expected to hear Beck, Blackmore, Holdsworth, and Danny Gatton.
There's no best imo....just lots of brilliant players. All have made the world a better place ❤
Brian May’s own style is pretty much his own anyway. A genius in more fields than most and incredibly modest at the same time! The sign of true genius!
He is absolutly one of them, he is the "Ironman" of rock. He built his own guitar 🎸 micdrop!
For me it’s all about the serving the song. Great guitarists have a level of ability that lets them concentrate on the song without worrying about the difficult technique and it gives them a toolbox.
The idea of playing guitar (or any musical instrument) is to communicate using the guitar through composition. A parallel example? The idea of running with a football is to gain as many yards as possible, a touchdown most preferably. Just like most of the "shredders" not being highly regarded as songwriters, a lot of blazing receivers or running backs do not even play in an all star or all pro game, nonetheless join the NFL HOF. In other words, there is a lot more to each discipline than one specific talent.
He is the greatest but will not give himself any credit, but credit everyone else.❤🎸love his voice
I haven't watched this yet, but someone needs to name Phil Keaggy. He's good enough to be named "The Author of Music." Or just to be clear, "The one who innately embodies the origins of music." At least compared to anyone I have ever extensively listened to.
Thanks King Brian, on the frets a diamond in life a diamond !!!
In the 90s Brian's wife Angie was doing a part on the British comedy Red Dwarf. They wanted a very good guitarist to do a scene in the show. When asked if he would do it he suggested Phil Manzanera from Roxy Music would do a better job of the scene. Dudes just humble.
Very humble gentleman.
What he did, touch people deeply. That's why he was voted the greatest.
Forever students - it's the essential quality that makes the greatest players.
I hear Richie Blackmore.
Surprised Jimmy Page didn’t get a mention.
I'm a little shocked. Nobody embodies "feel" more than Pagey. I have read interviews in the past where Brian said Zeppelin were a direct influence on Queen's music. He also has been extremely complimentary toward Pete Townshend.
Brian is a humble man and a genuine student of life itself, not just the guitar.
Page is overrated and it’s often said he was a sloppy guitarist, His one solo album ‘’Outrider” is absolute CRAP.
I would put Tom Scholz up there on this type of ranking. Love them both and agree with Brian, it isn’t a competition.
I really enjoy knowing who inspires those who inspire me, it's humbling. Zakk Wylde does this very well, much respect to Father Wylde. That being said, I have a hard time fighting the urge to crank the volume whenever Fat Bottom Girls comes on the radio (followed by a Ric Flair hoot).
Nothing new, strange talking about EVh, Beck and Gallagher while playing Rb in the background. Brian May was always about his own tone and sound, setting himself apart from the pack. He was great in Queen, not so much on his own, I often wonder how much of his playing was inspired or directed by Freddie,
Best? What is the best based on? Most popular? Technical ability? Fastest? Popular songs with guitar solos? Number one chat songs featuring a guitar solo? Technical ability I would say Tommy Emanuel. Guitar solo to bring on years would be David Gilmour.
Isn’t it so lovely for a great guitarist like Brian may respected Rory Gallagher so much, ye Brian like u I believe like u he was the greatest, 🇮🇪🇮🇪☘️☘️👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Wot! No Jan Akkerman?
I expected Jan Akkerman in this list.
since you have been gone.... check brian saying his mind on the man in black
You can identify Brian May by playing a single note on his Red Special. That`s masterclass.
He also has a Ph.D. in astrophysics. His thesis paper is on interstellar dust. He never needed to make it as a musician, he has real brains that he could have put to use in almost any field.
I think he is much happier being a (successful) musician giving the pay difference to being a physicist.
@@josue_kay
Read what I wrote again.
If I didn't spell it out good enough, I'll go deeper. Many musicians stress over getting the next hit. May never had any worries. If the music gig didn't work out, he had brains enough to do almost anything else, including astrophysics.
Brian is a truly superb Guitarist, Created his own sound, which all guitarist would love to do. Best guitarist, Ridiculous title, Rock Guitarist, Most of them couldn't live with some Jazz players, Then you've Got Paul Gilbert, Buckethead and then up to the top, Shawn Lane. Never got Jeff though, Love listening to him talk but honestly, his playing does nothing for me. All seriously Talented Guys.
Brian May would not have his sound without Rory Gallagher leading him to it. R.I.P. Rory you were the man.
He ones said that Jan Akkerman from the band focus is one of the greatest guitarists. So he gets his inspiration from listening to a lot of players.
Terry Kath. End of discussion.
Love ‘Sir’ Brian! Wonder what he thought or ever met Stevie Ray Vaughn? 8:49
No need to employ inverted commas for Brian's title...
He _is_ a Sir, a Knight of the Realm.
I not only agree with what he says but admire it 😉
The GREAT guitar players are Page May Schon Scholz Hendrix Summers Rodgers The Edge Gilmour Hackett Van Halen Lukather and all those that gives us emotions and not USELESS BORING technique like Malmsteen...Vai....Petrucci etc.....do.
Why did you use "Since you've been Gone" by RAINBOW as a background track??
Because it was covered by Brian May in his album "live at Brixton Academy". By the say Since you been gone is by Russ Ballard, not by Rainbow that just made a succesful cover.
I thought he’d name his favourite hedgehog.
He said he wasn't "the greatest" because he know better!! Rory was a fantastic player and I've seen Brian singing his praises in the past. There are so many truly great players both now and in the past that this subjective rubbish should be shelved forever. If you don't know and want to check some absolute genius go watch Jeff Beck at Ronnie Scott's, check out Alan Holdsworth, have a listen to Mario Mancuso and if these three don't blow you away then it it really is just a my favourite BS competition. I love Brian May both for his playing and his brains.
We like playing is all
Its the music you play with the guitar that makes a great guitarist,not just how good you are at shredding twenty thousand notes on a fretboard..Van Halen could play superfast riffs doesnt make him the greatest guitarist.
So many phenomenal guitar players (in many genre's). In no particular order for me: Tommy Emmanuel, Guthrie Govan, Steve Howe, Eddie Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Alex Lifeson, David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, Andy Summers, Robin Trower, Allan Holdsworth, Al Di Meola, Steve Stevens, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Nile Rodgers & Tony Iommi . . . (however) There is No Best / There is No Greatest = it's who moves and inspires you.
left out Mr Blackmore
@@Mike-x9h5f because he ain’t that good really
GOAT is subjective but the fact that he is the only rock or pop artist in history who has a PhD in the sciences (Astrophysics) is what makes him really standout.
Certainly not the only artist to have a PhD. The late Neil Peart of Rush comes to mind.
@@billjohnson7307 oh....yes I also forgot Michael Jackson and Madonna on that esteemed list
Neil Peart did not have a PhD. Perhaps an honorary doctorate but he didn’t have any college degrees. The lead singer of Bad Religion does have a PhD.
So he stands out for something not connected to playing guitar? At least they are playing a Blackmore's Rainbow song in the background
@@Brummie666 playing guitar very well and being a great writer which many famous artists aren't known for like Elvis, is one thing, but my point was that May is an incredibly gifted person in general, not just in music, although I can take or leave Queen's music.
Don't waste your time watching this waiting for Brian to tell you who his seix favourite guitarists are, he doesn't. The usual rehashed footage and voice over telling us nothing. CLICKBAIT!
With my playing ability, the kid down the street is the greatest guitarist of all time. All these players mentioned and many that were not, are virtuoso class players. To call one the greatest of all time is a misnomer.
He has written so many great songs yet you use his cover of since you’ve been gone as the background music, interesting choice…..
I always thought Brian was the greatest guitarist until I went to see him in concert at our local theatre. There were about 30 people including kids & myself waiting to get an autograph . After 30 - 45 minutes a lady came out and said that Brian had left early because he didn’t want to sign autographs. That finished me. Sorry to all those Brian fans sorry but people like me have supported Queen from the beginning. He wasn’t tired or ill he said people were selling his autographs on eBay and he didn’t like it. 👎
Greatest of all time? Are you joking? There are plenty of guitarists, which many have never heard of, that could easily compete for that title.
All these legends that you mention
I know them, They’re quite lame
I had to rearrange their pedals
And give them another name
Right now, I can’t play too good
My scales are rough and slow
So cancel my invitation to
Desolation Row
🎸
But none of them could put a badger 🦡 on there heads and look after it like me 👍
Well I’m going to say someone now you will probably all laugh but just google him n listen GLEN CAMBLE what a guitar player
😂😅🤣😂🤣
Frank zappa
Greatest guitarist Brian May ? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
this is sillyness...I want to hear it from their mouths not someone else's.
anyone noticed you never get any female axemen ( or should that be axewomen ) in these lists tho !
Doesn't sound like he was ' reluctant '.
I’m sorry, I love Brian May, but he’s not the best guitarist ever… but I will concede that the red special might be the best guitar ever.
It might not be appropriate to say that somebody such as Kurt Cobain impacted the music world hard enough that the proficiency Brian May would suggest is not necessary to connect with your guitar or use it to connect with other people has been wiped away from the music world, but I remain inclined to say that much. Because of how huge Nirvana was before we lost Kurt, it is now next to impossible for a guitar player of Brian's caliber to receive the type of notice that they deserve. All the proficiency was sucked out of rock music by the grunge movement, and proficiency has turned into a joke in a stretch of time where only people who only know so much about how to play have any chance of getting any place. I feel no shame lifting a line from "Love of my Life", that song at the end of this segment, "Bring it back, bring it back, bring it back."
It's great that May doesn't rank himself amongst the greats as he isn't one of them. Mediocre, at best!!! 🤣🤣🤣
Dull commentary
Brian May is my favorite guitarist on the planet.
Oh, c'mon, Brian has very serious guitar technique and, BTW, people like Holdsworth, Shawnlane, EVH, MacLaughlin, etc, play "fast" simply because it's how their musical ideas come to their minds, and they have monstrous "feeling"... Seeing a musical instrument as a competition is for losers, when you're practising an art, that's NOT the point...
Note that as ALL the "greats", he has a VERY personal sound and his guitars are made of a centuries old oak with countless worm holes in...
But there's a trick to know about guitar : DO NOT TRY TO COPY OTHERS SOUND AND GEAR and even the way they play!
BE YOURSELF !!! Don't go for the Stratocaster or the LesPaul or the JEM or whatever because someone uses this or that, and same for the amplifiers, the effects, etc : use what sounds the best with YOUR fingers and preferably go for the easiest thing to play, BTW, you really have to fight against the guitar when you use a Strat and you'll get rapidly tired, the radius is too pronounced so if you practise intensively, you're in for tendinitis. Replaced it by a Vigier Excalibur Supra, had custom pickups made where I have at the same time a Fender Abigail Ybarra set AND the DiMarzio HalfTrack on bridge and a FS-1 in neck posn, A Freeway 10 positions selector replaces the classic 5pos, a push-pull to reverse the phase of the central PU and a duplo pot to get the classic strat double tones, add a kill-switch and here we are : It's far better and way more polyvalent than any Strat I ever touched, way way way more reliable and the neck is the easiest to play I know, in fact, it's not my fav'd guitar but it's my workmate because my fav'd one sounds so intense, it's like a Guarnerius violin, you can't play this all the time or you'll end at the looneys, it's too much! Let's say it's 3 quarters of maple, one quarter of alder with a thick Brazilian rosewood fretboard, neckthru, a long graphite bar instead of the trussrod, there are only 46 like these in the world and I own two. Best guitar I ever touched... and some may not agree even if they love how it sounds with me, they may not be in osmosis with it, that's not a problem... Someone once told me : "You own a lot of freaking great guitars, playing 'em is like making love, but this one, it's not making love, it's r4pe!"
Same for all my stuff : the basis is what gets out of my fingers and I will use what works the best FOR ME!
And I don't need a modelling stuff with 300 pseudo amps, my gear has already raised eyebrows... until they ear the sound...
May is extremely overrated... He's very limited on what he can actually do on the guitar... Fact is, there's 100 times more that Brian can NOT do on the guitar than he CAN do...
Please name some 😃👍
@@adamb2408 If you know guitar and music at all, the list is endless... Do your own research... I've been into it for right at 60 years now... and no doubt there are riffs and little things I can pull out of the hat that HE cannot say he's done... Being in a band that becomes world famous does NOT in any way automatically make a player one of the best in the world... That's a HUGE mistake the uneducated make all the time... and that is not just guitar.... It's with every instrument. May knows this truth... and says so right here in this vid.... Pay the fck attention!
@@1956tojo you didn’t name any 😃👍
NO WAY IS BRIAN THE BEST GUITARIST IN THE WORLD. NEVER EVER. 😮
EVH stands alone on the summit.
They really are talking about sound and solos. Beckwasnt very successful nor was vai and a host of players
By what criteria? I mean if you are measuring height, that's easy. It's not quantifiable. He's essentially a scientist and I think that's probably his attitude. It's highly subjective. Duh.
Sort his hair out🙄
That's rubbish!
All the great guitarists are different.
There's no No 1.
😊
THE GREATEST ???? Simply not defensible. He is one of the greats. Not up there with SRV / ERIC CLAPTON / HENDRIX / Terry Kath others. GBjj
While not a fan of Brian May, or his two favorites either (Beck, Nuno), they are all great guitars BUT not my jam. I find it absurd that May was voted best guitar player of all time, to me he isn't even close, I can think of dozens of guitar players better than him imho - maybe not yours?
Who's Brian May?
I didn't hear him name any favorite guitarist.
It litterally mentions three guitarists. Nuno for example. Jeff beck. Steve Vai.
@exploringthemusicaluniverse I think.he dwelled on Rory Gallagher for a reason.
mick taylor
@@terrymay8114😮😮😮😅😢😅🎉
Beck, vai, or nuno, to this day are flabbergasted and always will be by Allan holdsworth.
No Gilmour ?? He owns a lot to him...still not a big fan of Queen´s overrated songs.
Save a badger 🦡 today with BRI May, keep it on your head 👍
this talks a lot of shhhit name the players