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Iron Maiden - Prowler Dave Murray - Guitar Solo Tab

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Key E minor
Iron Maiden - Prowler Dave Murray guitar tab video
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Iron Maiden Heavy Metal E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Prowler Dave Murray

Dave Murray's guitar work on "Prowler" is one of the first things you hear on Iron Maiden's debut album, and it sets the tone immediately: driving, aggressive rhythm playing locked in at 120 BPM, punctuated by melodic lead runs that demand clean alternate picking. The song sits in E minor and stays in E Standard tuning, so no retuning is needed, but do not let that simplicity fool you. The rhythm parts require a tight, percussive right hand to keep up with the pace without losing definition, and the lead phrases push you to move fluidly across the neck at speed. Murray's soloing here leans on the E minor pentatonic scale with added melodic colour drawn from the natural minor, so knowing both shapes is essential. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the solo sections slowed down until the string changes feel automatic. This is a strong early workout in the Heavy Metal style, balancing rhythm discipline with expressive lead playing in equal measure.

  • The song is in E Standard tuning and E minor, making it accessible for players who want to study natural minor and pentatonic lead phrasing without any retuning.
  • At 120 BPM the rhythm parts demand a consistent, percussive picking hand, and even small lapses in timing become clearly audible against the driving bass.
  • Murray's lead runs combine pentatonic phrases with natural minor passages, so practising both scale shapes over an E minor backing is the most direct way to prepare.

How to Play Prowler Dave Murray

The song moves through: Intro, Full speed, 50 % speed.

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 150 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 150 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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