QUEEN HAMMER TO FALL

Nail all the guitar parts in this classic Queen rocker from 1984’s Theworks

Penned by Brian himself, Hammer To Fall is heavily based around Dr May’s guitar riffs, with the intro/ verse riff being one of the most famous in rock guitar history. The bulk of the song is in A, and Brian brilliantly uses the open A (fifth) string to glue the chords and riffs together seamlessly.

Harmonically, the verses and choruses rely on A, D and E chords (a I-IV-V progression in the key of A), but Brian spices things up with inversions and lots of variations on the chord shapes. The bridge adds an F#m7 to the mix alongside some lush chords with ringing open strings.

The guitar solo uses three different scales to create those memorable and singable lead lines. When playing any of Brian’s solos, pay special attention to making your vibrato sing smoothly and controlling the string bends accurately. Take your time and aim to learn the licks slowly with good timing and phrasing, so you can play along with the backing track.