Queen - Hammer To Fall - Guitar Solo Tab

About Hammer To Fall

Brian May wrote "Hammer to Fall" as a deliberate return to Queen's hard-driving roots, and you can hear it immediately in that central riff: angular, muscular, and built around E minor in standard tuning at 120 BPM. The main riff sits in a mid-range register and relies on tight palm muting and precise pick attack to get the right chunky, aggressive feel. Getting it to land properly means keeping your fretting hand relaxed between notes so the muted sections stay clean and rhythmically even. May's tone is layered in the recording, so even as a single guitar you want a full, slightly overdriven sound rather than a scooped metal tone. The chorus and pre-chorus transitions are where most players lose their footing, so isolate those sections with the Practice Toolbar and run them slowed down until the position shifts feel automatic. Queen sits comfortably in Hard Rock, but this track specifically rewards anyone working on riff-based rhythm playing with real precision.

• The signature riff is built around E minor in standard tuning, making it approachable but demanding in terms of pick attack and palm-muting control.
• At 120 BPM the riff sits at a moderate pace, fast enough that sloppy fretting becomes audible, so use looping it slowed down to build accuracy first.
• Brian May is known for using a homemade guitar and a sixpence as a pick, which contributes to the bright, textured attack on riffs like this one.