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Iron Maiden - Alexander The Great Dave Murray's - Guitar Solo Tab

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Key E minor
Iron Maiden - Alexander The Great Dave Murray's guitar tab video
Steph Le Gratteux
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Gain6
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Iron Maiden Heavy Metal E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Alexander The Great Dave Murray's

Few guitar parts in Heavy Metal demand as much stamina and precision as Dave Murray's work on "Alexander The Great." The song is an extended epic, and Murray's guitar lines shift constantly between galloping rhythm playing and melodic lead passages, so you need to be comfortable switching roles mid-song without losing your place. The twin-guitar arrangement with Adrian Smith means that learning Murray's specific part carefully matters: the two parts are distinct and complement each other, so blending them together loses the whole point. Picking efficiency is a genuine challenge here, since the faster single-note runs need clean alternate picking to stay tight against the relentless rhythm section. Use the Practice Toolbar to isolate any run that trips you up and loop it slowed down until the pick motion becomes automatic. Iron Maiden built this track around E minor, which gives the lead lines a naturally dark, modal quality worth exploring as you work through the solos.

  • The song is in E minor, and Murray's lead lines lean into the natural minor and Phrygian colours of that key, so practising those scales first pays off.
  • Twin-guitar interplay with Adrian Smith is central to this track, so learning which harmonised lines belong to Murray's part before combining them is essential.
  • The frequent switches between rhythm gallops and lead phrases make right-hand picking efficiency the biggest technical hurdle to master here.

How to Play Alexander The Great Dave Murray's

Key: E minor · Tempo: 120 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 120 BPM to build it up to tempo.

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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