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

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Iron Maiden - Purgatory 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 Purgatory Dave Murray's

Few tracks in the Heavy Metal canon pack as much twin-guitar intensity into such a short runtime as "Purgatory." Dave Murray's lead work here is the main event: a fast, melodic solo that sits right at the edge of what clean picking technique can handle at full speed. The riff driving the verse is tight and palm-muted, demanding precision from your right hand to keep it punchy rather than muddy. Getting that balance between aggression and note clarity is genuinely the central challenge. If the solo is giving you trouble, use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down, building speed only once every note is clean and deliberate. Iron Maiden arrangements like this reward patience: the parts are not wildly complex written out, but executing them with the right attack and timing at tempo is a different matter entirely. Work the transitions between the riff sections too, since the gear changes come quickly.

  • The twin-guitar arrangement features interlocking rhythm and lead parts, so learning both gives you a fuller picture of how the song is constructed.
  • Dave Murray's solo is a test of smooth legato-to-picking transitions at high speed, making it a good benchmark piece for lead technique development.
  • The palm-muted verse riff requires tight right-hand control to stay precise and punchy, so isolate it with the Practice Toolbar if the articulation feels sloppy.

How to Play Purgatory Dave Murray's

Tempo: 170 BPM

Loop the hardest passage and creep the speed up from around 70 percent until it holds at 170 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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