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Queen - '39 - Guitar Lesson

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Queen - '39 - Guitar Lesson

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Queen - '39 guitar lesson video
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A Night At The Opera (Deluxe Remastered Version) album cover
A Night At The Opera (Deluxe Remastered Version)
1975 3:31
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Queen Folk Rock 1975 D major
Capo Advisor 0 D major · Original key

'39

'39 is a song by Queen, composed by lead guitarist Brian May and featured as the fifth track on their fourth studio album A Night at the Opera. The track blends acoustic and electric guitar work in a folk-rock style, showcasing May's melodic sensibility and fingerpicking technique. For electric guitar players, it offers a rewarding study in clean tones, tasteful lead lines, and the distinctive layered guitar arrangements that define May's approach.

  • '39 was composed by Brian May, who also handles lead vocals on the track, a rare instance where he steps into the front role.
  • The song appeared as the B-side to Queen's single 'You're My Best Friend', giving it additional exposure beyond the album.
  • Running just over three and a half minutes, the track demonstrates how Brian May builds texture using multiple guitar layers rather than heavy distortion.
Vox AC30
Amp

Vox AC30

Brian May stacks Vox AC30s cranked to full volume, letting natural tube breakup and the Top Boost channel create the chimey, harmonically rich overdrive that defines Queen's sound. Driven hard by a treble booster rather than pedal distortion, these amps deliver the compressed, singing tone central to May's signature style.

Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
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Boss DD-3 Digital Delay

May uses digital delay as a live equivalent to the tape echo (Echoplex) he favored in the studio, adding subtle spatial depth to his solos without cluttering his famously minimal effects chain. The DD-3 provides clean, repeating echoes that complement his vocal-like tone without compromising the directness of his treble booster-driven AC30 sound.

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