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Iron Maiden - Afraid To Shoot Strangers Dave Murray - Guitar Solo Tab

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Key D minor
Iron Maiden - Afraid To Shoot Strangers Dave Murray guitar tab video
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Iron Maiden Heavy Metal D minor
Capo Advisor 0 D minor · Original key

About Afraid To Shoot Strangers Dave Murray

Few tracks in the Heavy Metal canon ask as much of a lead guitarist as "Afraid to Shoot Strangers." The song builds slowly through a clean, brooding verse section in D minor before erupting into one of Dave Murray's most celebrated melodic solos. Playing it well means you need two very different headspaces: the patience to let the quiet intro breathe, and the technique to execute long, singing lead lines at 120 BPM when the heavy section kicks in. E Standard tuning keeps everything accessible, but the challenge is in phrasing, not the fretting hand alone. Murray's solo relies heavily on vibrato and legato runs, so mechanical speed will not carry you through it. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the solo entry slowed down until the phrasing feels natural before bringing it back up to tempo. Iron Maiden built this track around an emotional arc, and capturing that arc on guitar is the real goal here.

  • The song sits at 120 BPM in E Standard tuning, giving you a moderate tempo to work with, though the expressive solo demands controlled vibrato more than raw speed.
  • Dave Murray's lead work leans on smooth legato phrasing and wide vibrato in D minor, so practicing those two techniques in isolation will pay off quickly.
  • The song has two distinct sections, a clean fingered intro and a heavy distorted climax, so you will need to rehearse both tones and the transition between them.

How to Play Afraid To Shoot Strangers Dave Murray

Tuning: E Standard · Key: D 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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