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Iron Maiden - Phantom Of The Opera - Guitar Tab

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Key E minor
Iron Maiden - Phantom Of The Opera 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 (2015 Remaster) album cover
Iron Maiden (2015 Remaster)
1980 7:21
Listen on Spotify
Iron Maiden Heavy Metal 1980 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Phantom Of The Opera

Few tracks from the early Heavy Metal era pack as much into a single song as this one. "Phantom Of The Opera" stretches across several distinct sections, shifting between clean arpeggiated passages, galloping mid-tempo riffs, and a long multi-part lead section that demands real stamina. In E minor and E Standard tuning at 120 BPM, the tempo itself is manageable, but the song's length and the way it keeps changing feel mean you need to internalize each section before chaining them together. The twin-guitar arrangement is the real challenge: the harmony leads require both accuracy and a feel for how the two parts interlock, so isolate those phrases with the Practice Toolbar and loop them slowed down until each note sits cleanly. The picking hand gets a workout too, since the galloping rhythm parts call for tight alternate picking with very little room for drift. Iron Maiden built this track as a statement of ambition on their debut, and learning it rewards patience far more than speed.

  • The song features multiple sections with contrasting feels, so treat it as a set of shorter pieces to learn individually before joining them up.
  • Twin-guitar harmony leads are central to the arrangement and require careful attention to fingering and position to keep both parts in tune.
  • The rhythm parts use a galloping alternate-picking pattern that benefits from slow, isolated practice with a metronome before being brought up to 120 BPM.

How to Play Phantom Of The Opera

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E minor · 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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