First shot at recording myself playing with both audio and video. Welcome any feedback on either the playing or the recording itself.
I’m trying to decide for myself if next time I should cut out the backing track and just record the guitar audio, or if leaving the backing track in place at some level is useful.
As for the song itself. I’m a long time Queen fan. This was a fun one to work on with a more complicate strumming pattern compared to other songs I’ve played with. I’m working on the A shape barre chord and the Bb remains a challenge for me, especially with it being at the far end of the neck.
Hello Roy whoohoo that was really well played ! I think, you have a good feeling for the rhythm, the song was definitely recognizable and an enjoyable listen. The barre chords and the quick changes to them look challenging. Well done . Thanks a lot for sharing .
You played it pretty well, got the groove down, and liked your tone. I think you can work on that sus4 note on the D, ensure it rings clear and clean more consistently.
As for your question re keeping the BT in. My suggestion would be to keep the BT if not singing when strumming a song. In fact, I think you could have lifted the BT level a little.
Good job. That one is a pretty fast tempo that makes it challenging. I’ve been working on that one, too. I have the rhythm pretty solid but haven’t really worked on the solos. A few thoughts:
I’d echo what some others have said about making sure that sus4 rings out, as it’s pretty important to the overall sound
Watch where a chord should be cut off rather than ring out
As for the Bb, IMO that’s tougher than an Fmaj in first position. My solution is to “cheat” and play the Bb / C / D sequence at the end of the verse by barring the 2nd-4th strings with my (edit) third finger at the 3rd / 5th / 7th frets and muting the other strings. I also use barre chords in the early part of the bridge (Bb / D / G) to avoid that A-form Bb.
(I played it after posting this and realized what finger I was actually using)
Tone is very much personal preference. The original track’s rhythm is a 12-string acoustic, so I tend to prefer a cleaner tone for this one.
I’d also agree with leaving the backing track in, unless you’re going to sing it (in which case competing with Freddie is a bad idea for most of us!).
Hey Roy, good playing. I think your decision to play over a backing track was good - your guitar is clear over it and it makes it more interesting.
I noticed a tendency to lift your right forearm off the guitar at a couple of points - e.g. muting. Doing that when standing makes the guitar go loose and it’s easy to lose control. Try to keep it anchored, playing will be easier. I noticed you doing it sometimes with the Bb too. It will be easier if the guitar is still.
The chips section later in the song - you’re downstrumming it, it sounds like it should be upstrummed on the offbeat. I might not be right about that though as I haven’t learnt to play the song.
Great share and thanks for posting, it’s such a good song.
Nice share Roy and that was very enjoyable. A great song to cover.
Just a couple of points, make sure when practicing you slow down your Dsus to make sure you get it clean and then slowly bring the tempo up and keep doing your PFC’s to the Bb, again slowly to help you to make sure you’re landing it right.
Hi Roy,
Congratulations on your first video, that’s a big thing…and there was a lot to like
And regarding the backing track, I completely agree with what David says
Greetings,Rogier
Thank you for the recommendation around the sus4 on the D. Honestly, cleaning that up has not been on my radar. Great suggestion to get that consistently clean.
Singing and playing still feels a way off, but something I’m looking towards. Finally started practicing singing while I play, so one day…
Especially in the bridge. I recall some distinct points where the chords should be played short and sharp in there. Thank you for the pointer.
Oh yes, and tone. I tend to practice this with a nice clean tone. Was actually surprised to hear the slight distortion creep into the recording I posted. Will be fun to do some more playing with my recording setup so that I can more confidently control my recorded tone. I’m going from a basic multi-effects unit into an audio interface. Wonder if the signal going into the audio interface was too hot.
More great suggestions. I’ve not thought about the position of my right arm, huh. Makes sense that getting that under control to help keep the guitar anchored will simplify things. Going to go watch the recording with that in mind.
I agree that the chips are off While I’ve worked on the song for quite some time, but the chips were a new addition that I added to fill that verse while recording.
It could easily be a hot signal, as you suggested. I believe the topic to search for and learn about is “gain staging” but I’ll confess to being delinquent about studying up on that myself.
You might see if your multi-effects unit has an acoustic or 12-string simulator patch; it could be a good fit for this tune if you’re looking to stay close to the original tone.
! I think, you have a good feeling for the rhythm, the song was definitely recognizable and an enjoyable listen. The barre chords and the quick changes to them look challenging. Well done 
.
