The Trooper Tab by Iron Maiden

The Trooper tab by Iron Maiden

Guitar Tab

The Trooper by Iron Maiden: Guitar, Bass & Songwriting Insights

"The Trooper" by Iron Maiden, released in 1983, features galloping guitar riffs played by Dave Murray and Adrian Smith. Steve Harris's driving bassline propels the song forward, while Bruce Dickinson's powerful vocals tell the story of the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The song's iconic guitar solo showcases the band's trademark harmonized guitar melodies.

The Trooper by Iron Maiden(Steve Harris)
Submitted by metalhead

INTRO AND OUTRO:
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------5--------|
|--(7)--7--7-5-----5--5--5-3-----3--3--3-1-----5---5--7---|
|--------------7-------------5-------------3--------------|

The above riff is played four times. The last note in the measure
is the first note of the next one. That’s why the first note above
is in brackets. Adrian Smith used to play this note as a pinch
harmonic.

🎸

Accuracy Rating: - Votes: -

On repeat 3 and 4 Dave harmonises with:
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|--(5)--5--5-4-----4--4--4-2-0---2--2--2-0-----4-5-4--5---|
|--------------7---------------------------3--------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|

MAIN RIFF:

Guitar I (Dave)
|------------------7----------------------------------------|
|--8--7h8p7h8p7h8-----8--7h8p7h8p7h8--8-----------8---------|
|----------------------------------------9--9~--7---7--9~---|
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------|

Guitar II (Adrian)
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------7--------------------------------------|
|--9--7h9p7h9p7h9-----9--7h9p7h9p7h9--9---------------------|
|---------------------------------------10-10~--9-10-9-10~--|
|-----------------------------------------------------------|

Janick Gers plays the above part on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th strings
between frets 2-5. Try both and see what you think.

BASSLINE:

The bass is mainly just E and C as follows, except for before the
second verse he goes to D for one cycle.
This is the bassline for most of the song.
I’ll just show the basic notes. Listen for the strum pattern.
|---------------------------------|----------|-----------|
|----------5--------------5-------|---5------|---5-------|
|--7-----5---5---7------5---5---3-|-5---5--5-|-5---5--7--|
|---------------------------------|----------|-----------|
                                       ^
                               Before 2nd Verse only

VERSE:

The following riff goes with all the verses. Listen for the
16th note strumming and the rests at the start of the first verse.
The G chord denoted below is an inversion of a G5 (power chord).
It should be played with an upstroke i.e. the G note first while
the D power chords should be played with down strokes.
For the C5 I’ve shown the open E note on the sixth string in
brackets. This is sometimes played whether by accident or design.
It gives the 1st inversion of a C major triad.

    E5      D  G  D   E5          D  G  D   C5          D  G  D
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|---9-------7--5--7---9---9-------7--5--7---5---5-------7--5--7---|
|---7-------5--5--5---7---7-------5--5--5---3---3-------5--5--5---|
|---0---------------------0--------------------(0)----------------|

CHORUS:

The chorus is really just D to E (implied minor) but between the
singing Dave strums a pattern on the second fret. This is done
with the pad of the first finger and lifted up where necessary.
Once again, listen for the strumming.

    Oh, Oh,...          Oh
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|---7-------------------------------------------------------------|
|---7-------------------9-----------------------------------------|
|---7-------------------9-----------------------------------------|
|---5-------------------7-----------------------------------------|
|-----------------------0-----------------------------------------|

Guitar II (Dave)
|---2-------------------------------------------------------------|
|---3-------------------------------------------------------------|
|---2-------------------9-----------------------------------------|
|---0-------------------9---2----2-0-2----2-0-2----2-0-2----------|
|---0-------------------7---2----2-0-2----2-0-2----2-0-2----------|
|---------------------------0----0---0----0---0----0---0-etc------|


RHYTHM FOR SOLO’S:

Each rhythm is repeated four times. The chords given are the ones
implied by the solo and the rest of the song.

Gtr II E(m)-D-B(m)-C-D (Solo 1)   Gtr I A(m)-G-Em-F-G (Solo 2)
|--------------------------------|--------(3)---0-----(1)----3----|
|--------(7)---------(5)----(7)--|---------3----0------1-----3----|
|---9-----7-----4-----5------7---|---2-----4----0------2-----4----|
|---9-----7-----4-----5------7---|---2-----5----2------3-----5----|
|---7-----5-----2-----3------5---|---0-----5----2------3-----5----|
|--(0)---------------------------|--------------0-----(1)---------|


Solo 1: Adrian Smith
   E5                             D5
|------------12--------12--------------------------|
|--15b(17)---15b(17)---15b(17)--r15--12---15~~~----|
|--------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------|

           B5                                   C5        D5
|------15b(17)~-----15--12-----------------------------------|
|--12--------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------15--14--12-----------------------|
|---------------------------------------14b(16)-r14--12------|
|--------------------------------------------------------14--|
|------------------------------------------------------------|

        E5                                              D5
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------12-h15-----------12-h15----------12-h15-----------|
|--14---b(16)----------14b(16)----------14b(16)---------14b(16)--|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|


|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|--12-h15----------12-h15----------12-h15----------12-h15---------|
|----------14b(16)---------14b(16)---------14b(16)--------14b(16)-|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|

   B5
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|--12-h15----------12-h15----------12-h15---------12-h15--|
|----------14b(16)---------14b(16)--------14b(16)---------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|

                     C5          D5      E5
|-----------------------------------------15--19p15-h17p15------|
|-------------------------------------/17-------------------17--|
|--14----15--14--12--14--14--12~\-------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|

                                    D5
|---15--19p15-h17p15-----15--19p15-h17p15----15--19p15-h17p15--|
|---------------------17------------------17-------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|

                              B5
|-----15--19p15-h17p15----15--19p15-h17p15------15--19p15-h17p15--|
|--17------------------17-------------------17--------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
                                               D5
                     C5   *With harmony(see end)
|-------20b(22)--20b(22)--20b(22)--20b(22)r20--20b(22)r20--|
|---14-----------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
                                                  D5
                     E5                         Harmony ends *
|--20b(22)r20--20b(22)-----19--20--17--19-----17----------------|
|------------------------------------------20-----19h20--17~~\--|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|

   B5                                  C5                  D5
|----------12----------12-----------------------------------------|
|------12------15b(17)-----15--12---------------------------------|
|--/14-----------------------------14b(16)r14--12--14--12---------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------14~~---|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|


Solo 2: Dave Murray
  (D5)   A5                                  G5
|--------5h8p5h8p5h8p5h8p5----------------------------------|
|--5h8----------------------8p5h8p5h8p5h8p5-----------------|
|--------------------------------------------7b(9)-(9)r(8)--|
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------|

            E5                      F5   G5
|----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------5h7--|
|--7--6--5-----6--5----------------------------------|
|-----------7--------7-------------------------------|
|-----------------------6--5-------------------------|
|-----------------------------8--5~~-----------------|

   A5                                G5
|--------------5h7p5h7p5h7----------------5h7p5h7p5/7--8p7h8p7--|
|--5h7p5h7p5-----------------5h7p5h7p6h8------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|

             E5                                  F5
|----7---10b(12)--10b(12)--10b(12)--(12)r10--8--10~~--8\--|
|--10-----------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|

   G5                          A5
|-----12-----------12--15--12--15--12--12-----------12------|
|-/15-----15b(17)--------------------------15b(17)------15--|
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------|

                                  G5
|---------------------------------10h12p10------------------------|
|--13--12--13--12--12---------/10-----------10--13b(15)-HOLD BEND-|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|

                E5             F5      G5
|-----------------------------------------|
|--(15)\5/---NH---T-bar-------------------|
|------------12--\-(9)-/-----17b(19)~~~\--|
|-----------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------|

                  A5                                    G5
|--------------------------------------------------20b(22)-(22)r20-|
|-----------------------------20b(22)--(22)r20--17-----------------|
|--/17--19b(21)--(21)r19--17---------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------|

          E5
|--17-------------------20b(22)--20--19--17-----------------------|
|-----20b(22)-------17----------------------20b(22)---------------|
|---------------------------------------------------20b(23)-r(21)-|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|

   F5             D5 G5 D5
|--------------------------|
|--17\15-------------------|
|---------17--17--14--14\--|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|

Harmony for Solo 1:

|--14b(15)--14b(15)r14--14b(15)r14--14b(15)r14--14b(15)--|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------|


|--12--14-----12----------------------|
|----------15----13--15--12h13--------|
|-------------------------------14~~--|
|-------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------|

Fin!

Last updated: July 2, 2025

Iron Maiden tabs for The trooper

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