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Intro Guitar - A Day At The Races - Queen Guitar Lesson

4,291 views · Published 31 December 2014 · 6:43 · Indexed 22 September 2026

Channel: James Rundle · 2014 · Music

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HOW TO PLAY ON GUITAR - INTRO TO QUEEN - A DAY AT THE RACES ALBUM 

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Master the Epic Opener! 🎸 Queen: A Day at the Races (Intro) Guitar Lesson

Unlock the secrets to one of the most atmospheric and harmonically rich openings in rock history! In this lesson, we break down the shepherd’s tone-inspired intro to A Day at the Races. This isn't just a riff—it's a masterclass in Brian May’s unique approach to "orchestrated" guitar layers and building tension.

In this tutorial, we’ll cover:

• How to play the rising Shepard tone melody.

• Brian May’s specific techniques for volume swells and sustain.

• The complex layering used to create that "endless" ascending effect.

• Key settings to get that authentic "Red Special" vocal-like tone.

Song Facts to Level Up Your Knowledge:

• The Shepard Tone: The intro utilizes an auditory illusion called a Shepard Tone, designed to sound like it is constantly rising in pitch without ever actually reaching a peak.

• Full Circle: The album begins and ends with this same theme. The very end of the final track, "Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)," loops back into this intro, making the album a continuous cycle.

• Pure Guitar: Despite sounding like synthesizers or a string section, every note of this intro was created by Brian May layering his Red Special guitar through multiple Vox AC30s.

• The "Queen Crest": This album was the first to feature the "black" version of the Queen crest (the companion to the white crest on A Night at the Opera), and the intro perfectly sets the darker, more sophisticated mood of the record.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Performance & Tone Check
1:20 - Understanding the Shepard Tone Concept
3:45 - The Lead Melodic Line
6:10 - Layering the Harmonies
9:30 - Using Volume Swells for Effect
12:15 - Final Playthrough & Wrap-up

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#Queen #BrianMay #ADayAtTheRaces #GuitarLesson #RedSpecial #GuitarTutorial #ClassicRock #ShepardTone

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