Iron Maidens Wrathchild
| November, 2005
Every would-be metalhead should learn from the best: Steve Harris.
The Maiden mastermind’s muscular riffs and breathtaking endurance have kept faithful heads banging since the late ’70s. “Wrathchild” has been a staple of Maiden’s spectacular live shows since the song was first recorded for 1981’s Killers, back when the band was fronted by Paul Di’Anno. Though it’s just under three minutes long, “Wrathchild” is a riff-packed workout, so get those fingers ready to fly!
Harris kicks off the tune with Ex. 1a’s two-bar statement. When the rest of the band joins in, Steve moves the open E’s up an octave to give the main riff more forward momentum (Ex. 1b). To cop Steve’s feel, be sure to lean hard on every downbeat throughout the song. Ex. 2 shows the middle section from the verses, which are bookended by Ex. 1b’s riff.
In the chorus, Ex. 3, Steve and the guitarists answer Di’Anno’s “Wrathchild!” call with fills on beats three and four. The syncopation in bars 4 and 5 looks tricky, but it’s actually the same rhythm Di’Anno sings with the lyrics “coming to get you.” Dig bar 6’s bluesy syncopated lick, which closes out the chorus. You’ll be seeing that again.
When Dave Murray launches into a guitar solo at 1:01, Harris isn’t far behind, answering the main riff with ripping fills in every other bar. The A# passing tones in beat two of bars 2 and 4 owe a debt to the blues, and bar 6’s E harmonic minor lick hints at more exotic influences. In this short tune, even the drummer gets some—be sure to lay out for the two-beat drum solo before heading into the bridge in Ex. 5.
Don’t be fooled by all of the accidentals in the bridge—the minor pentatonic riffs are essentially the same, just transposed up a fret or two each time. Again, notice the bluesy passing tone that’s worked into beat three after each shift. If you haven’t already mastered that lick at the end of Ex. 3, now’s a good time—it comes back to lead into the final verse, and the tune’s death cry (Ex. 6) sees it played three times back-to-back.
Personal File
Can Be Heard On
Iron Maiden, Killers [Sanctuary]; Iron Maiden’s Death on the Road live CD/DVD is due out later this year, and its new studio album is scheduled to drop in early ’06.
Classic Gear
Bass
Early-’70s Fender Precision Bass, Rotosound RS77 Monel flatwounds (.050–.110)
Rig
dbx 164 compressor, two Hiwatt 109 preamps, two Alectron preamps, six RSD power amps, eight Marshall 4x12 cabinets with Electro-Voice speakers
“The Precision Bass has the original pickup and pretty low action. It’s been five different colors—at the moment it’s blue [it has since been painted white]. I like getting a lot of bullocks and a tight, driving bottom end without much rumbling. I use a lot of treble as well.”
Backward Glance
Two years after Iron Maiden recorded “Wrathchild,” Guitar Player interviewed Steve Harris and guitarists Adrian Smith and Dave Murray (November ’83). Steve gave the following insight:
On his influences “I started by trying to learn how to play songs by Free and Black Sabbath. The bass solo Andy Fraser played in Free’s ‘Mr. Big’ [see page 22] was very influential. Also Marty Turner from Wishbone Ash, Mike Rutherford from Genesis, Chris Squire [Yes], and John Entwistle [the Who].”
On writing “If one of us writes a song that’s not good, deep down we know it. Ego doesn’t come into it. I won’t take a song to the band if I don’t think it’s good enough. There have only been a couple that I haven’t bothered to take, because I spend a lot of time working them out so they are right. I’ll work out the melody lines and riffs, and build it up layer by layer. I’ve written most of my songs—melody lines and lyrics—on my own.
“We don’t write about life on the road and screwing and all that business. That becomes a bit boring. We get a lot of ideas from books and movies, general things that we read.
“We take a lot of time to work out the tight rhythm bits.”
On playing live “[I play my best] when I’ve got a lot of adrenaline flowing. It’s a natural thing that just happens—some nights you get more than others. When it’s really steamin’, you get a rush.
“I like playing [smaller] theaters. The sound and the atmosphere are better, and the kids are nearer.
“Personally, I play everything exactly the same [on record and in concert].”
On style “A lot of people tell me I’ve got a strange style. My style just happened—I play as I feel. I never sat down and tried to copy someone else. I only learned their songs, and there’s a difference. It’s wrong to copy somebody. People should get their own sound. Evolve yourself. You’ll pick up different licks here and there and eventually get your own style. You can’t force it.”
On going solo “I haven’t really thought about [doing a solo album]. From my personal view, I’m still writing a lot of stuff. If I did a solo album, I’d probably ask the rest of the guys to play on it, so it would be Iron Maiden anyway.”
Where’s the Sheet Music?!
Much of the sheet music that Bass Player publishes is copyrighted material, licensed from the artists to run only in the printed version of the magazine. Bass Player continues to offer the explanatory text of these lessons online, but in order to get the complete song transcriptions and other bits of licensed sheet music, you need to have a copy of the magazine.
Sure, you could run down to the local music shop or corner store and pick up the latest issue of Bass Player, but why not subscribe today? It's easy, cheap and you'll never miss another lesson!
