Brian May Admits He Doesn’t Have Guitar Skills Of Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Or Joe Satriani

Queen lead guitarist Brian May recently gave an interview to Goldmine Mag in which he talked about his solo career. When asked about the possibility of an instrumental album, May stated that he doesn’t have the special guitar technique of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, or Eddie Van Halen.

Brian May stepped into a solo journey after Freddie Mercury’s death and Queen’s uncertain future. He released two solo studio albums in which he wrote and composed all the tracks except a few covers. Besides his studio albums, May also released a soundtrack album for the film, ‘Furia,’ which he prepared in a totally different format.

Brian May didn’t release any new material after his soundtrack album, but his debut solo studio album, ‘Back to the Light,’ was remastered and re-released on August 6, 2021. Brian May didn’t prefer doing an instrumental album as he relied on his songwriting skills. During the conversation, he emphasized that he is more interested in songs and vocals, so doing an instrumental album doesn’t appeal to him.

The Queen legend said that he had to rely on himself after Mercury’s death so he worked hard to improve his vocal skills. The interviewer praised his guitar sounds and suggested that May could make an instrumental album. However, Brian May didn’t seem interested and explained that his guitar skills are not as good as Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, or Al Di Meola. It is obvious that he relies on his voice rather than his guitar technique.

When asked about the possibility of an instrumental album, Brian May replied:

“Maybe I should do. I don’t have the dazzling technical expertise of a Satriani or a Steve Vai or Al Di Meola or Eddie Van Halen. I just might. My guitar is very much my voice. I can’t play faster than I can think.”

It is very understandable that May is more into songwriting as he also wrote some of Queen’s hits. Some of the popular songs he wrote are ‘We Will Rock You,’ ‘Save Me,’ ‘It’s Late’ and ‘Far Bottomed Girls.’ Maybe his guitar technique is good enough, but songwriting seems to be his main passion.