This may be a superfluous message on this forum of experienced muscians but I just have to talk about how I have become, very late in life, a dedicated Queen fan. The songs they wrote are like no others in rock. What a shame that Freddie Mercury left us in 1991.

I remember my daughters being huge fans when Queen were at there high point in the 70’s but for me the 60’s were over and my wife and I were too busy with careers, raising a family and emigrating from the UK to Canada to be interested in popular music. I hardly played the piano anymore and this era of music passed me by. Now that I am retired and in no small thanks to BIAB, I have discovered many musical genres that I hardly knew existed.

I unearthed one of my daughter’s albums of Queen sheet music and at first I didn’t recognise the potential. It was only when I started listening to Queen on YouTube that I realized how much I had actually absorbed their music in the 70’s so I had another look at the album and, with the help of BIAB, discovered the magic of the Queen.

I haven’t found many full out rock bands whose music lends itself to my keyboard playing but Queen is a massive exception. Their music is very sophisticated, and quite hard to play – lots of tempo, timing and key changes – but, unlike so much rock music, it is also very melodic. Songs like You Take My Breath Away, You and I and Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy, are just beautiful songs. I have to admit that their music also feels very British with songs like Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon, Seaside Rendezvous and We Are The Champions. As for Bohemian Rhapsody, I’m not there yet but I am practising hard. At the last count I have 13 Queen songs with BIAB accompanyments

My daughters cannot quite believe how their 74 year old father has discovered one of their own teenage rock heroes and our grandsons just think I am an eccentric old codger. I don’t know what our new great grandson will think when he is old enough to comment!

Tony