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Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills Dave Murray's - Guitar Solo Tab

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Key E minor
Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills Dave Murray's guitar tab video
Steph Le Gratteux
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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 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Run To The Hills Dave Murray's

Dave Murray's guitar work on "Run to the Hills" is a great entry point into the Heavy Metal genre, and it rewards careful, deliberate practice. The song sits in E minor in standard tuning, and the opening gallop riff is the first thing to nail: it locks tightly with the bass and drums at 146 BPM, so your right-hand pick attack and string muting have to be precise before you bring it up to full speed. The lead runs that punctuate the verse sections demand clean alternate picking with smooth positional shifts up the neck. None of the individual phrases are impossible, but keeping them clean at tempo is the real challenge. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop any section slowed down until your fretting hand stops rushing. Iron Maiden built their sound on tight twin-guitar interplay, so pay close attention to dynamics and articulation as well as the notes themselves.

  • The main riff relies on a driving gallop feel at 146 BPM, so right-hand palm muting and pick consistency are the core technical demands.
  • Played in E Standard tuning and E minor, the song is accessible for players learning to combine rhythm precision with melodic lead runs.
  • The lead guitar phrases use scalar runs across the neck, making smooth positional shifts under tempo the key thing to practise.

How to Play Run To The Hills Dave Murray's

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 172 BPM

Loop the hardest passage and creep the speed up from around 70 percent until it holds at 172 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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