Queen - Fat Bottomed Girls - Guitar Lesson

Jazz (Deluxe Remastered Version)

1978 4:16

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About Fat Bottomed Girls

Written by Queen guitarist Brian May, "Fat Bottomed Girls" is built around one of his most satisfying rhythm guitar parts: a chunky, driving riff in E major that leans hard on open-string power chords and keeps a relentless forward momentum. The feel is loose and swaggering rather than tight and metronomic, so resist the urge to play it too stiffly. May layers rhythm tracks to create that wide, slightly roaring wall of sound, and matching that thickness live means your right-hand strumming attack and palm muting have to carry a lot of weight. The chord transitions move quickly in places, and the intro riff in particular rewards careful attention to pick angle and muting. If the riff is slipping away from you at full speed, use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down until the movement between shapes is completely automatic. The song sits in E major, which keeps most of the action in guitarist-friendly open-position and low-register territory.

• The song is written in E major, keeping the main riff in low, open-position territory that suits both electric and rhythm guitar work well.
• Brian May's signature layered rhythm guitar approach gives the track its wide, full sound, so focus on consistent pick attack to capture that feel.
• The intro riff relies on palm muting and open-string power chords, making right-hand control the main technical challenge to practise.