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Iron Maiden - The Prophecy Dave Murray's - Guitar Solo Tab

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Iron Maiden - The Prophecy 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 The Prophecy Dave Murray's

Dave Murray's guitar work on "The Prophecy" is a great entry point into the melodic side of Iron Maiden's writing. The song features flowing, arpeggiated clean passages that contrast with heavier rhythm sections, so you need to be comfortable switching between fingerstyle or hybrid picking and a tighter rhythm attack without losing momentum. The Heavy Metal feel here is less about sheer aggression and more about sustain and note choice, which means your vibrato and bending accuracy are under the microscope on every held note. The lead lines follow vocal melodies closely, so learning to phrase like a singer rather than just running scales will make a real difference to how musical it sounds. If the transitions between clean arpeggios and driven sections are tripping you up, isolate those bars in the Practice Toolbar and loop them slowed down until the pick attack and volume balance feel natural under your fingers.

  • The song demands clean switching between arpeggiated picking and heavier rhythm playing, making right-hand control one of the core technical challenges.
  • Lead lines follow the vocal melody closely, so practising them with singing or humming the phrase first helps you nail the phrasing and vibrato.
  • Looping the clean-to-heavy transition passages slowed down in the Practice Toolbar is the most efficient way to tighten up the dynamic shifts.

How to Play The Prophecy Dave Murray's

Tempo: 116 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 116 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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