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Iron Maiden - The Longest Day - Guitar Solo Tab

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Key D minor
Iron Maiden - The Longest Day guitar tab video
Steph Le Gratteux
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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.
A Matter of Life and Death (2015 Remaster) album cover
A Matter of Life and Death (2015 Remaster)
2006 7:48
Listen on Spotify
Iron Maiden Heavy Metal 2006 D minor
Capo Advisor 0 D minor · Original key

About The Longest Day

At 180 BPM in D minor, "The Longest Day" is one of the more demanding tracks on a demanding album. Iron Maiden built this song around a relentless galloping rhythm that sits at the core of their style, and keeping that rhythm locked and clean at full tempo is the real challenge here. The right hand does a lot of the work: the classic Maiden gallop uses alternating downstrokes and upstrokes in a tight triplet-feel pattern, and any sloppiness gets exposed fast at this speed. Getting comfortable with that motion before worrying about the lead work is the smart order of attack. The song also features the kind of twin-guitar interplay the band is known for, so if you are working on harmonised lines, use the Practice Toolbar to loop those sections slowed down until the intervals feel natural under your fingers. E Standard tuning means no retuning is needed, so you can go straight to work. Heavy Metal rhythm playing rarely asks more of your picking hand than this.

  • The signature Maiden gallop rhythm at 180 BPM demands tight, consistent alternate picking, so isolate the right-hand motion before adding fretting-hand complexity.
  • The song is in E Standard tuning, so no retuning is required, but the D minor key means you will spend time in lower, darker positions on the neck.
  • Harmonised lead guitar lines appear throughout, making this a good study in twin-guitar technique for players working on interval accuracy at speed.

How to Play The Longest Day

Tuning: E Standard · Key: D minor · Tempo: 180 BPM

Loop the hardest passage and creep the speed up from around 70 percent until it holds at 180 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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