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Iron Maiden - Phantom Of The Opera Dennis Stratton's - Guitar Solo Tab

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Iron Maiden - Phantom Of The Opera Dennis Stratton's guitar tab video
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Iron Maiden Heavy Metal

About Phantom Of The Opera Dennis Stratton's

"Phantom of the Opera" from Iron Maiden's 1980 debut is one of the most ambitious tracks in early Heavy Metal, and that ambition lands squarely on the guitarists. The song is a showcase for interlocking twin-guitar work, shifting between clean arpeggiated passages and hard-driving power chord riffs before opening into long melodic lead sections. Playing in E Standard at 120 BPM, the tempo itself is not the challenge, but keeping the twin-guitar harmonies tight and switching cleanly between the song's distinct sections demands real attention to arrangement. The clean intro requires controlled right-hand picking and precise fretting to let the arpeggios ring clearly without muddying. When the distorted riffs kick in, palm muting consistency becomes the priority. The lead lines ask for smooth legato phrasing and confident bends. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop each section slowed down, because the transitions between the clean and heavy parts are where most players lose the thread.

  • The song features a clean arpeggiated intro that requires careful picking-hand control to keep individual notes from blurring together.
  • Twin-guitar harmony lines run throughout the track, so learning both parts separately before combining them is essential practice.
  • At 120 BPM in E Standard, the main difficulty is navigating the song's multiple distinct sections cleanly rather than raw speed.

How to Play Phantom Of The Opera Dennis Stratton's

Tuning: E Standard · Tempo: 160 BPM

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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