May's signature sound is a melody played by several guitars in harmony, usually stacked in thirds. On record he layers separate parts; here you'll learn to hear and play both lines, then play them together as double-stops.
We're in D major (D E F# G A B C#). The melody runs along the B string; the harmony moves on the high e string, always a scale third higher (a diatonic third, so sometimes three semitones above, sometimes four, depending on the scale).
How to practice
- Learn the melody alone until you can hum it.
- Learn the harmony alone. Notice it has the same shape but its own interval steps.
- Play both at once. Use your middle or ring finger on the B string and your index or middle on the e string; small shapes, no barre.
It should sound like two voices singing in close harmony, smooth and connected. The common mistake is keeping the harmony a fixed interval above the melody (say, always four semitones): that produces notes outside the key. Always pick the next scale note up.
Once comfortable, record the melody and play the harmony over it; that's how real harmony parts are built.
Tone: May's own rig is often described as a treble booster into a cranked AC30-style amp. Any setup here is an approximation: try a warm, mid-heavy overdrive into a pushed amp, with the bridge pickup, or bridge and middle together if your guitar allows. Use a little less gain than you think and boost the mids.