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Iron Maiden - The Trooper - Guitar Cover

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Key E minor
Iron Maiden - The Trooper guitar cover video
Licks Of The Beast
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Piece of Mind (Remastered) album cover
Piece of Mind (Remastered)
1983 4:13
Listen on Spotify
Iron Maiden Heavy Metal 1983 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About The Trooper

Few songs in heavy metal give a rhythm guitarist quite as much to chew on as "The Trooper." Written by Steve Harris and rooted in E minor, the track opens with one of the most recognisable galloping riff figures in the genre: a palm-muted, eighth-note-driven pattern that locks tightly with the bass and drums to create that relentless forward momentum. Getting that gallop to feel tight rather than rushed is the real challenge here, and it rewards slow, deliberate practice. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the opening riff slowed down until your picking hand is completely consistent before you bring it back up to tempo. The lead work later in the song sits in the E minor pentatonic and natural minor scale, so knowing those positions cold is essential before you tackle the solos. Iron Maiden built their entire twin-guitar sound around precision at high speed, and this track is a perfect illustration of why that discipline matters. Keep your fretting hand relaxed, because tension is what kills the gallop.

  • The defining challenge is the palm-muted galloping riff, which demands a very consistent alternate or downstroke picking hand to stay tight at speed.
  • The song is in E minor, so the lead sections draw heavily on the E minor pentatonic and natural minor scale across the fretboard.
  • Use the Practice Toolbar to loop and slow down the gallop riff, isolating your picking technique before building back to full tempo.

How to Play The Trooper

Key: E minor · Tempo: 160 BPM · Difficulty: Medium

Loop the hardest passage and creep the speed up from around 70 percent until it holds at 160 BPM.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Iron Maiden's signature choice for heavy metal, the Strat's bright single-coils in neck and middle positions deliver the glassy, articulate tone that defines their melodic passages. Dave Murray and Adrian Smith pair bridge humbuckers with this platform to preserve pick dynamics and note definition rather than drowning in compressed gain.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The backbone of Maiden's iconic sound, the JCM800's moderate gain structure lets the power tubes sing without preamp saturation, preserving the punch and harmonic clarity that makes their riffs cut through a mix. Murray and Smith set gain moderately to maintain definition while pushing the amp into natural tube breakup.

Seymour Duncan JB
Pickup

Seymour Duncan JB

Adrian Smith's weapon of choice, the JB's balanced output drives Marshall amps into singing sustain without over-compressing dynamics, allowing his lead lines to breathe with clarity and snap. This moderate-output humbucker maintains the attack and articulation essential to Maiden's punchy, defined metal tone.

DiMarzio Super Distortion
Pickup

DiMarzio Super Distortion

Dave Murray's bridge pickup at 13k output strikes the perfect balance, hitting the Marshall hard enough for thick sustain yet retaining enough dynamics for expressive bending and harmonic control. It's hot enough to sing but not so overwound that it flattens the natural Strat character underneath.

Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive
Pedal

Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive

Murray and Smith use this clean boost to push their Marshalls harder during solos, adding aggression without relying on pedal distortion, keeping the tube amp saturation as the true tone source. The SD-1 preserves their natural playing dynamics while giving leads extra presence and cut.

ISP Decimator Noise Gate
Pedal

ISP Decimator Noise Gate

Smith occasionally employs this noise gate to manage feedback and hum from his high-output rig without sacrificing sustain, staying true to Maiden's philosophy of minimal pedal intervention. It's a practical tool for live performance that doesn't color the natural tube amp tone.

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