Gallop guitar is the metal equivalent of riding to war on horseback – and Iron Maiden are masters of the craft

Despite line-up changes in the early years, the core of Iron Maiden’s guitar work can be attributed to the triple-guitar assault of Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and Janick Gers. 

There are many features within Maiden’s approach to rhythm guitar. However, coming right at the top of the list is the band’s fabled ‘gallop’ rhythm style, which assimilates the feel of riding to war on horseback. 

For additional drama, the rhythm guitar work often switches between chugging powerchord sequences with varying degrees of muting from both hands, and single-note figures that often tie the powerchords together. 

This strategy enables the guitarists to bring depth, intensity, and melody to their layering of lines (which with three players vying for attention is no mean feat). In this feature, I’ve prepared two style studies that focus on these key ingredients. Make sure your attack is strong and your timing spot on throughout. 

Get the tone

Amp Settings: Gain 9, Middle 5, Treble 6, Reverb 1

Use your bridge pickup, and set a decent amount of gain on your guitar amp. Maiden have a more classic metal tone than bands like Metallica or Megadeth, so don’t scoop out too much of your middle frequency, as this will create a less defined sound. Also, consider a thicker pick (at least 1mm), to help you bring weight and authority to the rhythms.

Example 1

Each phrase features punchy power chord stabs played with down strokes. The following scratched notes establish separation between the chord changes while maintaining the energy and aggression. You’ll need to switch to down and up strokes when moving to the faster, 16th-note subdivisions.

Example 2

The Maiden ‘gallop’ appears throughout these studies. Familiarising yourself with the feel of the down, down, up picking sequence will help you to maintain pace and consistency. Make sure you include the pull-offs during the second section as they bring fluidity while allowing the picking hand to maintain the gallop feel.