As a former guitarist in Powerslave, an Iron Maiden tribute band based in Nashville, I've spent years studying Dave Murray's playing style, and I'd love to share what I've learned. When we first formed the band, I wasn't sure whether I'd be playing Dave Murray's or Adrian Smith's parts. While my natural style is actually closer to Adrian's, I ended up taking on Dave's role since I had a Stratocaster, and our other guitarist only had humbucker pickups. Looking back, I'm grateful for this challenge.
The most distinctive aspect of Dave Murray's style is his legato approach - meaning smooth and flowing, with less attack on the notes. He relies heavily on hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides to create this fluid sound. He frequently works within the pentatonic scale framework, which you can hear in songs like "The Trooper" and "Run to the Hills."
From my experience playing his parts, I've noticed he often uses certain signature techniques. For instance, he'll take the minor pentatonic scale and practice it using hammer-ons going up and pull-offs coming down. He also frequently approaches scales in a linear fashion, something you can hear in "Number of the Beast" and "Die with Your Boots On."
One of his go-to licks (what I call the "MVL" or Most Valuable Lick) is based on the minor pentatonic scale and appears in various forms across many songs, including "Flight of Icarus." He also frequently works with patterns derived from minor bar chord shapes, which you can hear in "Hallowed Be Thy Name."
Having played these songs countless times, I've noticed some common mistakes other guitarists make when covering Iron Maiden. For instance, many players misinterpret the intro to "Wasted Years" as simple tremolo picking when there's actually a distinct groove to it. Another frequent error is in the power chord variations - players often slide the whole chord when Murray is actually just moving the root note.
Learning to play like Dave Murray has been both challenging and rewarding. While I'm naturally more inclined toward Adrian Smith's style, mastering Murray's legato approach and signature licks has made me a more versatile guitarist and given me a deep appreciation for his unique contributions to Iron Maiden's sound.
