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Iron Maiden - The Trooper Pt.1 - Famous Riffs - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Iron Maiden - The Trooper Pt.1 - Famous Riffs guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

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Mid7
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Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Tribute to Rock 2 album cover
Tribute to Rock 2
2013 4:11
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Iron Maiden Heavy Metal 2013 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About The Trooper Pt.1 - Famous Riffs

The Trooper, one of the most-studied riffs in Heavy Metal guitar, is a masterwork of galloping precision from Iron Maiden. The signature opening riff in E minor is built on a fast, repeated picking pattern that drives forward with almost military urgency. Getting that attack clean at full tempo is genuinely difficult: your picking hand needs to stay relaxed while still hitting each note with authority, and any tension creeps in fast. The left hand has its own challenge, moving between chord shapes and single-note runs without losing the rhythmic momentum. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the riff slowed down and build the picking motion from the ground up before you push the tempo. The twin-guitar arrangement also rewards learning both parts separately, since each voice locks tightly against the other and understanding both makes you a much stronger player on the song overall.

  • The central riff sits in E minor and relies on a fast, repeating picking pattern that demands a relaxed but controlled picking hand to execute cleanly.
  • Learning both guitar parts separately is worthwhile, as the twin-guitar arrangement interweaves tightly and each part reinforces your sense of the rhythmic groove.
  • Practise the riff at a reduced tempo using looping it slowed down before pushing toward full speed, prioritising even note attack over rushing the pace.

How to Play The Trooper Pt.1 - Famous Riffs

Key: E minor · Tempo: 160 BPM

The Trooper's main challenge is sustaining the gallop rhythm at 160 bpm in E Standard while keeping palm mutes tight and consistent. The gallop pattern (typically two sixteenth notes followed by an eighth note) needs to feel locked in before you attempt the melodic riff lines on top, so isolate the rhythm part first. The twin-guitar harmony sections are the most rewarding to learn but require precise fretting hand accuracy to keep the melodic lines clean at tempo. A common mistake is letting the picking hand tension creep up during the gallop, which muddies the palm mutes; focus on staying relaxed and use the speed control to work the gallop section up to full tempo gradually.

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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