20 Best Classic Rock Guitar Riffs Of All Time

There have been many guitarists over the years who have been lauded for their impressive technique. Though some six-stringed geniuses have gotten by with playing faster than their competition, Brian May's riffs were the closest that anyone came to actually singing on the guitar.

The way that May would approach a song like "Killer Queen" seems less like a rock guitarist and more like a mad musical scientist conducting great sonic experiments. The majority of the song is dominated by the piano work of Freddie Mercury, but the layering that May does with his guitar gives the song just the right amount of push to make it a great rocker.

Once the guitar does get its chance to shine though, May leaves all of his competitors delirious with his inventive solo work. The reason many guitarists can never get the sound of this tune down right is because they can't reproduce it with just one guitar. Much like the band's vocal work, the guitar parts are performed in three part harmony, with May laying down one main guitar lead and complimenting it with other musical accentuations.

Queen's vocals already gave them a distinct musical identity, but May's guitar parts always echoed the band's vision of having a sound that was extremely broad.