Queen - It's A Hard Life - Guitar Solo Tab

The Works (Deluxe Remastered Version)

1984 4:07

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About It's A Hard Life

At 72 BPM in B minor, "It's a Hard Life" sits at a slow, deliberate pace that demands patience and control rather than speed. The song opens with a guitar figure that leans heavily on the key's natural minor colour, so getting comfortable with that tonal centre early will pay off throughout. Brian May's approach here is built around expressive, singing lead lines and full, resonant chord work typical of Queen's Pop Rock ballad style. The slower tempo can actually make clean fretting and smooth position shifts harder to hide, so do not rush. Pay particular attention to any held bends and vibrato in the lead passages, because at this pace every note is exposed. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop those melodic phrases slowed down until the vibrato feels natural and the intonation is solid before bringing it back up to tempo.

• The song sits at 72 BPM in B minor, giving lead lines a slow, exposed quality where vibrato and intonation control matter more than technical speed.
• E Standard tuning is used throughout, so no retuning is needed, but the minor key demands careful attention to chord voicings and their tonal colour.
• The main challenge for guitarists is sustaining clean, singing tone on slow melodic phrases, making bending accuracy and smooth position shifts the key things to practise.