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Iron Maiden - Moonchild Dave Murray's - Guitar Solo Tab

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Iron Maiden - Moonchild Dave Murray's 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.
Iron Maiden Heavy Metal

About Moonchild Dave Murray's

The opening of "Moonchild" throws you straight into one of the more demanding twin-guitar arrangements Iron Maiden ever recorded. Dave Murray and Adrian Smith trade and harmonize through the intro and verse riffs, so you need to decide early on which guitar part you are learning, as they serve very different roles in the arrangement. Murray's lines tend to sit in the lower, driving register while Smith adds the melodic counterpoint above, and keeping both parts locked in together at full tempo is where the real challenge lies. The picking hand has to stay clean and controlled through the galloping rhythm figures that underpin the song, and any blurring of the alternate picking will show up quickly. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the intro riff slowed down until the two-guitar interplay becomes clear in your ears before you try to bring it up to speed. Getting the feel of each part separately first will save you a lot of frustration.

  • The song features a harmonized twin-guitar intro that requires clean alternate picking and a solid sense of timing to execute accurately.
  • Learning both Murray's lower rhythm-driven line and Smith's upper melodic line separately will help you understand how the arrangement fits together.
  • The galloping rhythm figures in the riff are a core technique to practise here, as any inconsistency in pick attack makes them sound muddy.

How to Play Moonchild Dave Murray's

Tempo: 168 BPM

Loop the hardest passage and creep the speed up from around 70 percent until it holds at 168 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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