Hardest Maiden song to play?

The two songs I've had the most trouble learning so far:

"Number of the Beast" -- just the intro & outro riff. I've got it down now, but when I first started the project of learning a bunch of Maiden songs, my picking forearm would cramp up about halfway through the intro ("Just what I saw ...") from all the rapid downstrokes. I wore a compression sleeve on my right arm when practicing it for a few weeks, and finally my stamina built up and I can do it with the band no problem. Fortunately, as Dave, I get to set the tempo and I'm not at the mercy of the drummer.

"Caught Somewhere In Time" -- that fast gallop is another forearm muscle killer. And the lead is tricky, the chord progression underneath is weird and changes rhythm a couple times. That's fortunately not on the setlist for my first gig with the band, because I need to work on it a lot more before it's ready.
 
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AlexS said:
The two songs I've had the most trouble learning so far:

"Number of the Beast" -- just the intro & outro riff. I've got it down now, but when I first started the project of learning a bunch of Maiden songs, my picking forearm would cramp up about halfway through the intro ("Just what I saw ...") from all the rapid downstrokes. I wore a compression sleeve on my right arm when practicing it for a few weeks, and finally my stamina built up and I can do it with the band no problem. Fortunately, as Dave, I get to set the tempo and I'm not at the mercy of the drummer.

"Caught Somewhere In Time" -- that fast gallop is another forearm muscle killer. And the lead is tricky, the chord progression underneath is weird and changes tempo a couple times. That's fortunately not on the setlist for my first gig with the band, because I need to work on it a lot more before it's ready.
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My left hand used to cramp up when playing that but I eventually got used to it. My picking hand never really did as I actually use a lot of upstrokes when playing. I also thought that CSIT was one of the easier songs I've learned, it's a very fun one too!
 
Collin said:
My left hand used to cramp up when playing that but I eventually got used to it. My picking hand never really did as I actually use a lot of upstrokes when playing. I also thought that CSIT was one of the easier songs I've learned, it's a very fun one too!
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I "cheated" on that riff at first by switching to alternate picking when my arm cramped up, but then it got tricky to mix the single-string and 2-string parts and it didn't sound right. I could hide a bit behind "Adrian" once he came in, but it's better to just do the "right" way (I mean the way that sounds right; if you can get all the nuances with alternate strokes I salute you) all the way through.
 
I'm trying to get that riff up to speed at the minute. When sufficiently warmed up I can sometimes hit it, but other times I just switch to alternate picking.
 
I thought Back in the Village riff was difficult at that speed
Purgatory is quite hard to get to sound properly
 
To Tame a Land is now the hardest for me. I'm pretty sure that there is alternating key changes in it, which is rare in a Maiden song. I know that it starts in E Minor but then it switches into something else, it could be F Minor. Not sure but if I knew then the song would be much easier.

I've been doing very good lately with most Maiden songs. I've completely mastered Powerslave, The Red and the Black and The Book of Souls, and I'm pretty good at most songs. My biggest struggles are TTAL, the intro of Out of the Silent Planet and the intro of Paschendale.
 
Collin said:
My biggest struggles are TTAL, the intro of Out of the Silent Planet and the intro of Paschendale.
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The intro to Paschendale is easy. To Tame A Land on the other hand, takes time. It must surely be the Maiden song with the most key changes. Although Aces High probably is the one with the highest key change/running lenght ratio ... Also, the key changes in TTAL have more variety, and until you have learned the song properly they feel unpredictable.

By the way, those melodies with different key changes (5:38-6:43) must have served as inspiration for the post-solo part in Ghost of the Navigator (5:03-5:40).
 
Intro to Paschendale is very simple. I'm pretty bad at tapping but it's a very easy tapping pattern.
 
Update: I did get the intro / outro riff to Number of the Beast into solid shape, all downstrokes, without my forearm seizing up, for my first gig with the Maiden tribute band. And at the last rehearsal, I started off the song at what felt like the tempo from the studio version, played it through just fine, and afterward the drummer asked me to start the song a little slower next time. Which I'm perfectly happy to do.

But I've been procrastinating and procrastinating on learning the lead to Caught Somewhere In Time. It's not on the setlist for the next 2 gigs, and there are 3 others for me to learn between now & then, so I'm gonna have to get pretty disciplined to put in the work on CSIT.
 
For me, a bass player, I have trouble with certain parts of a few songs.

The opening to 'The Clairvoyant'...for some reason I have a hard time sticking to the rhythm...it always feels like there should be another beat in there.

Phantom of the Opera...the part where Steve plays that repetitive solo loop before the long jamming guitar solos start. I've tried a couple different fingerings but 'close enough' is the best I can get.

Transylvania...it's easy enough to finger but the tempo in some parts is too fast to play cleanly.

Sign of the Cross...I love that part from 5:48 on (from the RIR version)...dum, da-da-dum, da-da-dum, da-da-dum. Awesome. Easy for the bass player, but only if your drummer is good enough to keep up. Time signatures go from 4/4 then rotate between 5/8, 11/8, 5/8, 11/8, then 7/4 (or 6/4? 13/8?) before returning to 4/4. (You can briefly see Nicko counting to himself on the Rock In Rio video.)
 
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Bassman61 said:
The opening to 'The Clairvoyant'...for some reason I have a hard time sticking to the rhythm...it always feels like there should be another beat in there.

Phantom of the Opera...the part where Steve plays that repetitive solo loop before the long jamming guitar solos start. I've tried a couple different fingerings but 'close enough' is the best I can get.
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I've always had the same problem with The Clairvoyant.

For Phantom - I hold down the 14th fret of the D and G strings with my index finger, then I use my pinky to push down on the 16th fret of G on the third/final beat of each gallop. (I do the same thing when the riff descends). It's still tough, but I've found that works best for me. How have you been playing it?
 
In general, Maiden songs in the 21st century are easier to play on bass than songs from the eighties and nineties, as Harris became more formulaic. Still, the hardest 21st century Maiden songs to play on bass would probably consist of:
  • "Dream of Mirrors". Yes, two-thirds of the song is very easy. But the sustained galloping section is tough, because it's mostly on the E string (most of Harris's galloping is on the A string, which is thinner and requires less strength). I suppose you can argue that "El Dorado" fits this criteria too, but it's a bit slower, and it isn't a non-stop gallop.
  • "Montsegur". There are few if any fills and variations here, but this one is fast and heavy from start to finish.
  • "The Longest Day". Most of the song is pretty standard 21st century Harris, but the instrumental passage from 4:29 to 5:18 is heavy and difficult (and there are some tricky parts after that as well).
  • "The Legacy". One of the funnest songs to play in their entire catalogue. The riff at 5:36 (which gets repeated a few times during the song, both in D and E) is killer.
  • "When The Wild Wind Blows". There are tons of bass riffs in this song (even though a lot of them are fairly formulaic). It's pretty simple and repetitive from roughly the 7 to 9 minute mark, but otherwise the bass is busy and prominent throughout the 11-minute song.
  • "The Death of the Celts". An extraordinary composition. There are so many technically challenging riffs here. Maybe I'm being swept up in the excitement of a new album, but I'd rank this as the toughest and most interesting Harris composition of the 21st century (in terms of how difficult it is to play this on the bass). There's an added challenge as he's using the acoustic bass for the intro and conclusion. I wish we had more songs like this.
 
Drummer wise, the faster songs are always a little trickier, but what really gets you is those tempo changes. You string pullers arent the only ones. :p They're never super difficult, but they happen so much in some songs it can give us bin beaters rhythm veritgo :blink:
 
Nyx said:
Drummer wise, the faster songs are always a little trickier, but what really gets you is those tempo changes. You string pullers arent the only ones. :p They're never super difficult, but they happen so much in some songs it can give us bin beaters rhythm veritgo :blink:
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Have you tried playing along with "The Wicker Man"? They are increasing the tempo all the way to the chorus. It's just ugly. I thought I couldn't play guitar the first time I tried playing along with the song. Then I realised they can't hold a steady tempo to save their lives even on record.

But if we're talking just playing the songs, I agree tempo changes are wreaking havoc on your ability to orientate.

//Guitarplayer.
 
Maturin said:
Have you tried playing along with "The Wicker Man"? They are increasing the tempo all the way to the chorus. It's just ugly. I thought I couldn't play guitar the first time I tried playing along with the song. Then I realised they can't hold a steady tempo to save their lives even on record.
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For the Greater Good of God is similar, the tempo seems to change on the "Please tell me now what life is..." section every time it's repeated. I find the title section of that song's pretty tough to play as well, it's fast, alternate picking and difficult to pull off cleanly.
 
Indeed!

You really need to be smooth with your sweep picking technique for some of these songs on guitar and certainly bass. Steve is a mastermind when it comes to that. Speaking of tempo, It should be easy for me at my level, but I still have trouble with Drifter thanks to the insanely perfect rolling progressions Clive manifests out of nowhere at different parts of the song. xD (I believe this song is much harder than it sounds at first with any instrument, lol)

On the flip side of difficult, my favorite songs to play on drums are ones where I don't feel dyslexic. lol TNOTB, Iron Maiden, Killers (so much fun!, on any instrument), MITRM, Innocent Exile, Purgatory.

What are some of your favorites to play?
 
Nyx said:
What are some of your favorites to play?
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Ooh, lots, Maiden's stuff is always fun to play for different reasons. Despite the difficulty I do enjoy FTGGOG, and it is particularly satisfying on occasions where I do get that harder section right, the middle section rips, too. Ben Breeg and Thousand Suns are great ones to dial in a chunky, fat tone and just let those riffs slam. Caught Somewhere in Time, Powerslave, Parchment, Death of the Celts, Red and the Black, Book of Souls, all awesome songs with different sections to keep things interesting. Then there's the shorter stuff like Run to the Hills and Speed of Light which are pretty simple but I can just throw all my energy into them and let loose.
 
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Edington said:
Ooh, lots, Maiden's stuff is always fun to play for different reasons.
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Good point! Though their earlier stuff will always be my fav, theres a few newer ones even I adore playing. I remembered that I still occasionally play Sign of the Cross, Shadows of the Valley, Speed of Light, and The Great Unknown. They're just nice, lovable drum rides for a mix-up at practice.

Edington said:
Despite the difficulty I do enjoy FTGGOG, and it is particularly satisfying on occasions where I do get that harder section right, the middle section rips, too.
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That song is certainly a challenge by the sound of it! There is always something fulfilling when practicing and getting it in the pocket with your favorite songs, especially the tricky bits. And that's definitely a bragging point, mate!

Edington said:
Ben Breeg and Thousand Suns are great ones to dial in a chunky, fat tone and just let those riffs slam.
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I can see how that would thicken up the feel even more. I'm quite curious to hear that now.

Edington said:
Caught Somewhere in Time, Powerslave, Parchment, Death of the Celts, Red and the Black, Book of Souls, all awesome songs with different sections to keep things interesting. Then there's the shorter stuff like Run to the Hills and Speed of Light which are pretty simple but I can just throw all my energy into them and let loose.
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I haven't played any of the new ones yet! Just Senjutsu (the song) since the drums really make me yearn for it. Oh yes, those are all good! I'd love to hear a good additional track to The Parchment and Death of the Celts. So folky and epic, theres so much there to play with.

So few people like to play Caught Somewhere In Time! Nice, mate. Thats a good suggestion. Been a while, but I remember learning it painstakingly once upon a time. ;) Thats true! You can never go wrong with Powerslave. The galloping bars on damn near every instrument just sound so lovely together, its actually quite impressive how they did that one.
 
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