{"id":528491,"date":"2026-04-13T12:53:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T12:53:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/528491\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T12:53:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T12:53:10","slug":"the-guitarist-brian-may-holds-in-the-highest-regard-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/528491\/","title":{"rendered":"The guitarist Brian May holds in the highest regard: “Colossal”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Queen<\/p>\n

(Credits: Far Out \/ Carl Lender)<\/p>\n

Mon 13 April 2026 8:26, UK <\/p>\n

Armed with his trusty Red Special and a sixpence, Brian May<\/a> established one of the most distinctive oeuvres in guitar playing. While his band Queen are a musical Marmite for many music fans, with the same said for his approach, objectively, no one can say that May is not a great guitarist.<\/p>\n

From \u2018Bohemian Rhapsody\u2019 to \u2018Brighton Rock\u2019, May laid down a collection of searing moments that have confirmed his place at the table amongst the guitarists he calls his heroes. While May has cited various players as impacting his style, the man he deems the most important to his life and career is the late Jimi Hendrix.<\/p>\n

During a 2020 interview with Total Guitar, May said that the Seattle native is his \u201cnumber one\u201d<\/a> and that he still learns new things from him even now. He explained: \u201cEvery time I go back to Hendrix, I\u2019m thrilled and stunned, and I get that feeling all over again, like either I\u2019m going to give up playing guitar, because I can\u2019t face up to this, or I\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Hendrix is indisputably May\u2019s ultimate idol, the Queen legend has always been up to date with the latest direction the instrument has taken and has effused about a fascinating menagerie of axemen from across history, ranging from Kurt Cobain to Eddie Van Halen. <\/p>\n

When appearing on SiriusXM\u2019s The Howard Stern Show in 2023, May reacted to fans dubbing him the ultimate six-string player before revealing a collection of those he deems his favourites<\/a>. He explained: \u201cI take everything like that with a pinch of salt, really, \u2019cause you can\u2019t say who\u2019s best. The nice thing about guitar playing is that everybody\u2019s different. You can\u2019t really rank people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hendrix also featured alongside Cobain and Van Halen, but perhaps the most intriguing inclusion was that of Steve Vai, a man May dubbed \u201ccolossal\u201d. Notably, the American guitarist cut his teeth with the eminent Frank Zappa before establishing himself as one of the greatest virtuosos. He has since recorded with Public Image Ltd, Mary J. Blige, Alice Cooper, and Mot\u00f6rhead, a short list that conveys the reach his dynamic playing has. Of his playing, Brian May said: \u201cSteve Vai is just colossal, beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vai\u2019s inclusion among May\u2019s favourites speaks volumes about the kind of guitarist he values. Where Hendrix represented raw, untamed expression, Vai embodies a different kind of brilliance. He is an artist rooted in precision, discipline and almost otherworldly technical command. Emerging from Frank Zappa\u2019s notoriously demanding band, Vai honed a style that blurred the line between composition and performance, treating the guitar less like a rock instrument and more like a limitless sonic tool.<\/p>\n

Yet what makes Vai stand out isn\u2019t just his virtuosity, but the emotional intent behind it. For all the dizzying runs and complex phrasing, there is a melodic sensibility that keeps his playing grounded, something that clearly resonates with May\u2019s own approach. In Vai, May sees not just a technician, but a musician capable of translating imagination into sound.<\/p>\n

Watch Steve Vai in action below.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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