@@LowEndUniversity we spend so much time together I just had to sub. Suggestion, Would love it if you did a breakdown on EARLY Iron Maiden, say “Phantom of the opera”. Steve’s playing was so insane for the time, as they really created a bridge between Punk and Metal, that really hadn’t been done. (As Harris once said, “we were too punk for the metal clubs, and too metal for the punk clubs”) If you dive deep into it, his playing changed somewhat when Dickinson came aboard for Number of the beast. The first two albums were completely bonkers as far as the bass goes!🤘🏻
This is one of Iron Maiden's most under rated songs. The music composition reflects the subject material so well, it has some of their best solos ever written, and the structure, all the way to how the songs ends like a candle dying out to close the album... just brilliant
I learned to play this back in the 80s and I use this song on a regular basis to keep my hands in shape. I renamed it though due to the physicality , "To Lame my Hands"
This is one my favorite Maiden songs. Moody, melodic and epic feel. Has all the classic Maiden/Harris elements. Great vocals and Nickos drumming is spot on as well. Great track.
Steve Harris! His bass playing is otherworldly. It sticks out like a sore thumb. It is so evident. It's loud, in your face! His stage presence is awesome, the way he runs around and looks at the crowd and gets them pumped up for every song. He's my favorite bassist! I think i will go to a website that isolates the instruments of a song you upload, so i can kick back and listen to his bass pinging away!
I love watching Maiden reaction videos from folks like you - musicians, teachers, composers, vocal coaches, etc. They truly appreciate just how good this band is. Really enjoyed the breakdown!
I agree 💯% Iron Maiden is the band other musicians idolise and look up to🤘 Iron Maiden is the best (live;) BAND in the world🙌 Up the mighty Irons!!!!🤘🤘🤘🤘
Piece Of Mind changed the prog bass players role to include metal. I got it when I was 15. I worked on for about a year straight and learned every song note for note on my record player....lol LOVE THE CHANNEL BROTHER!!!!
Mike, thank you so much for this! I tried learning "The Trooper" when I was a teenager and was just blown away by how much energy, yet finesse, it took to execute. Especially the intro! Still a blast of a song to play today. See you around!
This is a MONSTER of a song to play, just wait until you get to the end of the song, holy... Steve Harris is a huge influence for me and all the nuances, power and melody he puts into their songs... amazing.
Funny thing, Steve Harris was so taken with Frank Herbert's "Dune" series of books that he wrote this song about it. If you listen to the lyrics, you can hear him mention sandworms, Fremen, the dunes of Arrakis, and other references to the books. It was really pretty cool for me because I discovered both Maiden and the Dune series at around the same time when I was a teen in the mid-80s, and I loved them both very much. *Edited for accuracy. I originally said Bruce wrote the song, but Steve Harris is their primary songwriter.
@garyrobinsonpcgamingmodelr7942 You know, I forgot that Steve writes most of their songs. That said, Bruce did launch into a little rant on stage about Frank Heebert threatening to sue them over the song. That's probably why I associated Bruce with writing it. But yeah, you're right. I stand corrected, so I can stop being wrong now, lol. “The cu*t [Herbert] said that if we called this track ‘Dune’ he’d sue us and stop the album coming out, and all kinds of very unpleasant things” -Bruce Dickinson
James Hetfield mentioned recently that during a Metallica concert the whole band was in awe & starstruck whilst playing knowing Steve Harris was there watching them live. They knew they had royallty in their presence!
I loved this song as a teen, with the bass at the forefront. Sadly it never appeared on any compilation or live album. I thought I was the only fan of it!
Great reaction. My intro to 80’s rock included Rush and Iron Maiden. Such great bands that have up front bass lines that are really conscious. This album should’ve been re-released as “Masterpiece of Mind”.
My former bassteacher gave me song for homework about 25 years ago.A lot of blood and tears where flowing,still love to play the song today.It´s a masterpiece.🤘🖤
Here we go again! When I saw Maiden in ‘82 (my introduction to them) I saw this beast RUNNING around this huge stage while playing this insanely amazing bass, the top of my head flew off!
@@LowEndUniversityyou should definitely do a video about something from Maidens first two albums. I’d recommend “Phantom of the Opera” off the first album. I’m a massive fan of Steve’s really early, more punk style playing. Just incredible!🤘🏻
One of the best songs on what is probably their best album, underrated. I don't listen to this style of music much anymore, but when I do this is the stuff I want to hear.
Back in the day, I heard seventh son album, and within a year I was writing and playing songs on bass in a metal band. Steve is such a massive talent and inspiration for bassists.
i feel piece of mind was maidens heaviest sounding and darkest album and everyone brought it having nico on for the first time. steve harris is just so good hes made so many of us pick up a bass and not just be the guy that keeps the bottom ends but to use it as a secret weapon in any song ala bass solos. shh dont let your singer know buddy lol love that video.
To Tame a Land, is my absolute favorite Iron Maiden song. I also think it's their most under rated song. Because it's as good as their most famous ones, but not known. What makes it my #1 tho....is that fucking BASS!!! First is the break. That riff is so freaking cool. But the real magic is when it speeds up, right before the solos, it gives me goosebumps.
At about the 3:50 mark you pointed out "not all bands write with theory in mind". I remember reading and interview where Harris says he doesn't know any theory or scales. Everything he plays is based of shapes, feel and what sounds best to his ear. Also speaking as a bass whose fanatical about always learning more. I've found The precision bass works best no matter what type of music you play IMHO. All to say Steve Harris is the kind of bassist anybody can learn a lot from no matter what kind of style you're in to. BTW yes Steve exclusively uses his index and middle finger. Good old 2 finger style at break neck speed.
I was about 10 when this album came out and my older brother and his friend listen to it for days ... 40 years later and this album is still one of my favorites.
Dude the song is about Dune it has a very desert arrid theme and uses eastern scales to portray that setting. Theoretically very deliberate. They return to this approach in Powerslave again using the Phrygian dominant scale common in Indian, Arabic and Egyptian music.
Now this is the right reaction for bass players, Steve Harris, Iron Maiden and an epic song like this. He (Steve) was always playing Lead Bass and thank god for that!
Picked up the bass 11 months ago in late may 2022 and this song is the reason why i became a bass player. After so much time I can almost play this song (the part before the solos is complicated and I'm still trying to learn it)
Been a Maiden fan since the Killers album. One of the main draws for me is how up front,and in your face the bass is. There are some early 80s hardcore punk bands whom i cant recall right now who utilized the bass as a lead insrument. Ive always loved busy bass players as a opposed to being in the background even though im a guitar player. New to your channel! Great!
Maidens been my favorite band since 83’. This was one of the first cassette tapes I ever bought from mowing lawns. Still a die hard Maiden fan. Great critique of Harris.
@@LowEndUniversity He also uses a lot of compression (about the only effect he uses really). It allows him to pluck the strings lightly, his longtime bass-tech and live keyboard/synth player for the band, Michael Kenney (an American dude) said that he basically "tickles" the strings when he plays those fast parts.
I've tried flatwounds and they simply sound ... er... flat. They feel like there's a sort of plasticy cover on them. Fat chance his flatwounds make his sound. Roundwounds sound a lot more like Steve's crispness. So, I guess his sound is due to other factors.
I play bass in a Maiden tribute band. It's definitely a counter-intuitive bass EQ, bass is mostly flat, untouched, mids around 500Hz are cut a bit which reduces the muddiness of a P bass giving it a clearer more focused sound, and the most important part: a lot of boost at 1kHz, 2kHz and 4kHz which gives it all its brilliance and presence. If you play it on its own it almost sounds like a guitar and not a bass, but in the band... That's where the magic happens Also, I have no idea how he pulls off world tours at 67. When I play two consecutive shows I need like a week to recover
I have listened to this song so many times, starting from my teenage years in the 80’s. I love your analysis of what the bass and guitar are doing during the guitar solo. I always thought that solo could go on much longer and still never get boring.
One of my favorite Maiden tracks! 'arry is a true workhorse to say the least! He also has an interesting plucking hand technique-floating thumb, but he almost always seems to play closer to the bridge
The endurance of Steve Harris is superhuman. I've tried playing this song all the way through on multiple occasions, each time feeling like my arms want to come off halfway through.
Losfer Words on Powerslave is incredible and a few comments have mentioned Moonchild. There's a French RUclipsr called Didier who has some great Steve Harris covers and a couple of in depth tutorials on his style, worth a watch.
I love hearing accomplished players react to this stuff. It reaffirms why this music got to me so hard back in the day. I can't believe I used to run marathons to those early Maiden albums on a mushy sounding old Ibanez Jazz bass that you had to beat mercilessly to get any twang or grunt out of it (My father would ask me "how the f'k are you always breaking bass strings?!"lol). I've played lead guitar and bass for 40 years now, and as an adult I can't last one Maiden song on bass... It's a specific athletic undertaking playing bass to Maiden... and a great spiritual payoff! ...Salute!
A song based on "Dune" Steve Harris is the reason I wanted to play bass. Everyone wanted to play guitar and I heard "Run to the Hills" and I was like WTF! When you ask where do you rank Steve Harris in the hierarchy of bass players....you say YES! HAHAHAH UP THE IRONS!
Steve is also the reason I picked up the bass. Phantom of the opera and wrathchild have such great lines that I told myself I’d have to learn them one day.
The song was actually originally called "Dune" but they had to change the name due to copyright issues, there are some early versions of the Vinyl which made it out though
Steve asked Frank Herbert for permission but his agent replied with "No. Because Frank Herbert doesn't like rock bands, particularly heavy rock bands, and especially rock bands like Iron Maiden" 😆
Saw Iron Maiden live in August 202,2, I can genuinely say they are amazing, and it's all the more absurdly amazing because the youngest band member I think is yeah like 63-65 and thd oldest dang near 70, and yet I can count the mistakes they made as a band over a 2+ hour show with no break-on one hand, Just amazing amazing absolute masters of their craft all of them and Harris is a great for sure.
73 I believe is Nicko's age. What mistakes have you noticed? I try to identify mistakes bands make playing live but don't catch much. Me live on the other hand .,........
@@kipholscher1812 Oh hardly any at all like in one song think they just had a monitor issue timing seemed off for bit, for about 30 seconds, and then after that basically 1 hour and 45 minutes of perfection, there total freaks man!.
Steve has played a number of types of bass over the years; Fender J Bass (Early Days), Ibanez Roadstar (Video's Only), Lado Unicorn (Early World Slavery Tour & Aces High video) but the current West Ham bass is the same P that he has had virtually since 1978 its been White, Black and Metallic Blue with the Maple neck. There are also another few 78 P basses he has used over the years one with a Rosewood Fret Board that he used on No Prayer and Fear of the Dark Tours and the another custom painted blue P bass he now Mainly uses with British Lion.
One of my favourite Maiden songs on my favourite Maiden album. I liked the fact that it has this mid-focused sound. And what's more, Steve plays a lot of things an octave higher, even though they could be an octave lower. This significantly boosts the mid-focus of the sound and you get the impression that you are hearing another, very bass-heavy guitar in addition to the normal two. I love this sound.
Great analysis. Steve Harris is a living legend. Excellent bass player, composer, including live performances. Another exceptional bassist, another living legend that I suggest reactions: Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath, which, by the way, for me, is the greatest band in history mainly for what they did in the 70s).
With regard to your comment in cutting the low end a little bit, Steve was playing Trace Eliot and light gauge strings for decades, both of which contributed to this in-your-face sound which made his bass stand out along with the guitars
First time visitor, hardcore Maiden fan since 1980. Nice reaction. Moonchild from Maiden's Seventh Son album is one you might like to react to. Ironically, the only track on the album where Steve has no songwriting credit.
I Shook Steve's Hand @ 83' & He Almost Broke My Hand. Steve @ 5'5", Me 5'8" 240 Lbs. I Was A Bouncer, Steve A Bass Player, Tell Ya Anything ? He Will Keep That Strength In His Right Hand For The Rest Of His Life. Hands Down.
6:30 Steve did actually switch from some brands to another although he never set the P-bass aside. He was using an Ibanez Roadster bass during The Number of the Beast record and this one, then going to some Lado basses during Powerslave, but the trusty ol' Precision never left the active roster. He's also done it all with flatwound strings which is f'n bonkers
Respect, Brother🤘 What do you think of "Phantom of the Opera" by Iron Maiden? That was the song that made me for in love with the bass and the way Steve Harris plays, as it is bloody brilliant 👏 Steve Harris wrote this song for the band he was in at the time, but they basically said it was too difficult to play and it made Steve make his own band, and so Christmas 1975 Iron Maiden was born😜 Up the mighty Irons🤘🤘🤘🤘
lover your explaining of technique , makes me listen to the songs with different ears, so to speak. Playing brass bass myself, hevay metalaswell haha sousaphone, but Iron Maiden one of the musical loves of my life :)
When I learned this at age 13 or so from the LP I never looked forward to a Christmas as much as I looked forward to that chord near the end and you finally get a break. 😅 🤘
I had to play The Trooper back in the eighties in a band I was in and the next song was always tougher to play because I had no time to recover from Steve's relentless gallop. My forearm would be rippling from the intensity. It really helped me learn how to not dig in so hard. Geddy helped alot wit that to because we would usually go right into Limelight. All this did make me a pretty badass bassist at the end of the day. For a while I actually played all of this with a pick to. SMDH. I eventually got with the program and have-not used a pick since.
wow!! such a great video!! I love how you highlight the stamina necessary to play steve's lines, this is my major problem while playing fast and driving line like this haha. and great production btw, switching screens to show the right hand and even the bass tone is the same from steve harris, i'm subscribing haha
lol that's the problem to write a comment mid video haha, you saying that we don't need so much bass as we think makes so much sense. I only do playthroughs, I remove all the bass from the track to make my bass show more because is really frustating to play and hardly hear what you play. as even tough I only hear those fat notes haha, I will try to the mid frequencies later. thanks for all yours insights
I only got to see them live once (during the amazing Halford/Queensryche/Maiden tour), but they absolutely gave off a particular energy I had never felt at any concert before, or since. Their entire set just felt like there was electricity in the air, but that might have just been the vibrations from Steve's relentless playing. 😆
Steve Harris (and Geezer Butler) made me wanna Play bass, and so I have for almost 37 years😎🤘 Steve has once said that this song is one of the must difficult songs to Play live. He also confirmed in a intervju that he use just 2 fingers for picking, not 3.
TTAL is Steve's favourite song, his playing here - the whole album actually - is oustanding. For me - I guess for half the bass players in metal - he was the reason I picked the bass guitar, the first song I tried to play was The Flight Of Icarus from the same album
He is the reason i play professionally the bass and i feed my family. I hava my own style now BUT i still have in my playing elements of Steve Harris and i love to use them. My number one band and my number one bassist
I heard the new second part of the new Dune movie is coming out. So excited for this movie. Awesome review of Steve Harris. He’s a machine gun master on the base always loved listening to him and being able to hear him even over the amazing guitar players Iron Maiden has. Rock on!
The Pure Bass Sound Ever Exist??-Steve Harris This guy still impressed me after all of those years. He not only be a bass guitar player-this is virtuozo and still shows how to write bass parts without learning any scales ;) or only known scales was Steve harris Scales-clear talent same as Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead-this 2 bass players was insane, but Steve was good of bass guitar, no one can compare with him, no one can replace him in IM and that;s true, same as IM without Brice sound strange, but still wrote great songs i still love virtual and factorry recorded with Blaze. Greetings from Poland my friend
Yeah, his stamina its overshadowed...until people try to play his songs😁. Also, to achieve near his mid rangy tone, you could use his Sans amp pedal, which btw is not limited to Steve's tone, but can help to anyone who wants to get rid of the "boomy" bass sound on many configs👍
@@captainobviousn7551 Yeah, I did, he's great. But there is something else that is rarely mention, and I read about SH some time ago, that he has a very "light" touch when playing to help him to keep his attack thru recordings and live (that's why his bass strings heigth settings are super low, to get his disctintive "clanky" sound) which is probably true🤷♂️
@@Hellion73 that is indeed true. I also heard that the volume knob on his Bass isn't even connected and therefor his sound on records and live is always maxed so that his sound is upfront and able to cut right through the Guitars
New to your channel and love your takes! I’m a HUGE Maiden/Rush fan and also love the bass, really all the instruments too. I encourage you to do some Alter Bridge. Each member is also a master craftsman of their instruments and play off each other seamlessly and with each other harmoniously. They have a great catalog to choose from and my choices are Rise Today, Metalingus, Words Darker Than Their Wings (live Royal Albert Hall), Isolation, Cry of Achilles etc.
@@LowEndUniversity It's not really one of their "real songs" but the most bass play you will get on their "Sting of the Bumblebee": ruclips.net/video/xXZKS5bHtP4/видео.html and there are also live videos of him just doing weird bass solos on stage between songs, like this one: ruclips.net/video/d5G9OKrDI6g/видео.html&start_radio=1
Such a quality tune. For Bass though, by Maiden standards, The Duellists for me, is the most intense. And then on top of that, when they platy it live, there's a good chance it might be played at a faster pace. Crazy.
Im into Iron Maiden since 85, piece of mind is my favorite album and that song is a masterpiece. I must have listened to this slbum 100s of times, its the rawness the speed, the solos the songs everything. Of course their 80s album's for me are their best, I always wished theyd done a Powerslave 2... Steve apparently only ever played with 2 fingers, looking at him play in videos hes so fast you would think its 3 or 4. Going to see them gir probably the 8th time in Dublin next month, when hopefully they will play Alexander the Great live, which they never have for some reason... I think there's another album in them...
Steve Harris... 50% rhythm... 50% lead... 100% bass. What a player and songwriter.
And, 100% badass!
@@LowEndUniversity we spend so much time together I just had to sub.
Suggestion,
Would love it if you did a breakdown on EARLY Iron Maiden, say
“Phantom of the opera”.
Steve’s playing was so insane for the time, as they really created a bridge between Punk and Metal, that really hadn’t been done.
(As Harris once said, “we were too punk for the metal clubs, and too metal for the punk clubs”)
If you dive deep into it, his playing changed somewhat when Dickinson came aboard for Number of the beast.
The first two albums were completely bonkers as far as the bass goes!🤘🏻
Shreds
@@left4ded420 I love those first two albums!
Good comment think it sums IM this era up 🤘
Most underrated Maiden song hands down.
This is one of Iron Maiden's most under rated songs. The music composition reflects the subject material so well, it has some of their best solos ever written, and the structure, all the way to how the songs ends like a candle dying out to close the album... just brilliant
You missed the drums... the cymbals in the intro are great (and it's not an overdub).
i agree, its one of there songs where they transport you to the world there telling you about in there songs
I couldn't agree more. One of my all time favorites ever!
I learned to play this back in the 80s and I use this song on a regular basis to keep my hands in shape. I renamed it though due to the physicality , "To Lame my Hands"
Hell of a warmup song!
Weirdly enough,
My favorite Maiden stuff for exercise is the crazy punk heavy stuff from the first two albums.
lol good one
That's pretty good 😂
This is one my favorite Maiden songs.
Moody, melodic and epic feel.
Has all the classic Maiden/Harris elements.
Great vocals and Nickos drumming is spot on as well.
Great track.
Me too. Underrated song, plus it's about the book Dune which I love.
And it's about Dune!
Steve Harris! His bass playing is otherworldly. It sticks out like a sore thumb. It is so evident. It's loud, in your face! His stage presence is awesome, the way he runs around and looks at the crowd and gets them pumped up for every song. He's my favorite bassist! I think i will go to a website that isolates the instruments of a song you upload, so i can kick back and listen to his bass pinging away!
I love watching Maiden reaction videos from folks like you - musicians, teachers, composers, vocal coaches, etc. They truly appreciate just how good this band is. Really enjoyed the breakdown!
I surely do! Thank you so much for stopping by!
I agree 💯%
Iron Maiden is the band other musicians idolise and look up to🤘
Iron Maiden is the best (live;) BAND in the world🙌
Up the mighty Irons!!!!🤘🤘🤘🤘
Me too bro!
Steve is an absolute beast indeed. The solo part is a cover of Asturias btw, this is crazy how well it fits with the atmosphere of the song
Nice! Didn't know that. Appreciate you stopping by!
Exactamente asi parece ,del maestro Albeniz “ Asturias leyenda”
Piece Of Mind changed the prog bass players role to include metal. I got it when I was 15. I worked on for about a year straight and learned every song note for note on my record player....lol LOVE THE CHANNEL BROTHER!!!!
Mike, thank you so much for this! I tried learning "The Trooper" when I was a teenager and was just blown away by how much energy, yet finesse, it took to execute. Especially the intro! Still a blast of a song to play today. See you around!
This is a MONSTER of a song to play, just wait until you get to the end of the song, holy... Steve Harris is a huge influence for me and all the nuances, power and melody he puts into their songs... amazing.
Funny thing, Steve Harris was so taken with Frank Herbert's "Dune" series of books that he wrote this song about it. If you listen to the lyrics, you can hear him mention sandworms, Fremen, the dunes of Arrakis, and other references to the books. It was really pretty cool for me because I discovered both Maiden and the Dune series at around the same time when I was a teen in the mid-80s, and I loved them both very much.
*Edited for accuracy. I originally said Bruce wrote the song, but Steve Harris is their primary songwriter.
@Pohgrey For your information Bruce Dickinson did not write To Tame A Land, it was written by Steve Harris.
@garyrobinsonpcgamingmodelr7942 You know, I forgot that Steve writes most of their songs. That said, Bruce did launch into a little rant on stage about Frank Heebert threatening to sue them over the song. That's probably why I associated Bruce with writing it. But yeah, you're right. I stand corrected, so I can stop being wrong now, lol.
“The cu*t [Herbert] said that if we called this track ‘Dune’ he’d sue us and stop the album coming out, and all kinds of very unpleasant things” -Bruce Dickinson
@@Pohgrey Could also be you're thinking of the ancient Egypt inspired Powerslave, which was written by Bruce.
Such a hugely underrated tune. Only played on their World Piece tour supporting this album. Was the cemterpiece of that tour.
Saw that tour ..blew my mind I was 19 then geesh ..
To Tame A Land is a prog-metal masterpiece. Harris is a beast of a player
🤘👿🤘
Dude i love seeing the genuine reaction after the slower interlude part where Bruces vocals get high. I smiled at the same time. S.H. is a beast!
James Hetfield mentioned recently that during a Metallica concert the whole band was in awe & starstruck whilst playing knowing Steve Harris was there watching them live. They knew they had royallty in their presence!
My favorite Maiden song. This song just showcases their versatility.
I loved this song as a teen, with the bass at the forefront. Sadly it never appeared on any compilation or live album. I thought I was the only fan of it!
There are bootlegs with varying quality (some are perfectly fine) that have this performed in '83
I've always admired how Maiden mix their songs. No messing about. One guitar in each ear and thumping bass on both
Immediately susbcribed when saw Your reaction , to this song one of the most underrated Maiden Songs, and by far one of the best.
Great reaction. My intro to 80’s rock included Rush and Iron Maiden. Such great bands that have up front bass lines that are really conscious. This album should’ve been re-released as “Masterpiece of Mind”.
My former bassteacher gave me song for homework about 25 years ago.A lot of blood and tears where flowing,still love to play the song today.It´s a masterpiece.🤘🖤
Nice!!
Here we go again!
When I saw Maiden in ‘82 (my introduction to them) I saw this beast RUNNING around this huge stage while playing this insanely amazing bass, the top of my head flew off!
It's certainly something else. Maiden is difficult to play sitting still in a chair!
All these years later, he's still running around with the same energy.
@@LowEndUniversityyou should definitely do a video about something from Maidens first two albums. I’d recommend “Phantom of the Opera” off the first album.
I’m a massive fan of Steve’s really early, more punk style playing.
Just incredible!🤘🏻
One of the best songs on what is probably their best album, underrated. I don't listen to this style of music much anymore, but when I do this is the stuff I want to hear.
Back in the day, I heard seventh son album, and within a year I was writing and playing songs on bass in a metal band. Steve is such a massive talent and inspiration for bassists.
i feel piece of mind was maidens heaviest sounding and darkest album and everyone brought it having nico on for the first time. steve harris is just so good hes made so many of us pick up a bass and not just be the guy that keeps the bottom ends but to use it as a secret weapon in any song ala bass solos. shh dont let your singer know buddy lol love that video.
This album is my favorite Harris tone.
To Tame a Land, is my absolute favorite Iron Maiden song. I also think it's their most under rated song. Because it's as good as their most famous ones, but not known.
What makes it my #1 tho....is that fucking BASS!!! First is the break. That riff is so freaking cool. But the real magic is when it speeds up, right before the solos, it gives me goosebumps.
The song has such atmosphere, like i close my eyes and imagine i am on the planet Dune. Top 10 Maiden tune for me! Been into them since 1983!
I imagine I'm on Planet Qzar while sipping on dead Mom soup with shape shifting shanagains going on.
At about the 3:50 mark you pointed out "not all bands write with theory in mind". I remember reading and interview where Harris says he doesn't know any theory or scales. Everything he plays is based of shapes, feel and what sounds best to his ear. Also speaking as a bass whose fanatical about always learning more. I've found The precision bass works best no matter what type of music you play IMHO. All to say Steve Harris is the kind of bassist anybody can learn a lot from no matter what kind of style you're in to. BTW yes Steve exclusively uses his index and middle finger. Good old 2 finger style at break neck speed.
I was about 10 when this album came out and my older brother and his friend listen to it for days ... 40 years later and this album is still one of my favorites.
The perfect song. Drums, guitars, vocals, bass... The structure, armonic surprises,... The perfect song
Dude the song is about Dune it has a very desert arrid theme and uses eastern scales to portray that setting. Theoretically very deliberate. They return to this approach in Powerslave again using the Phrygian dominant scale common in Indian, Arabic and Egyptian music.
Steve Harris... 100% rhythm... 100% lead... 200% bass. Amazing!
Now this is the right reaction for bass players, Steve Harris, Iron Maiden and an epic song like this. He (Steve) was always playing Lead Bass and thank god for that!
I seen Maiden in Detroit last October and was absolutely incredible.
Picked up the bass 11 months ago in late may 2022 and this song is the reason why i became a bass player. After so much time I can almost play this song (the part before the solos is complicated and I'm still trying to learn it)
Have always loved when the rhythm kicks in after you've been mellowed by the spacey opening.
Steve’s tone ESPECIALLY as he plays flat wounds is ferociously sharp! 🦾
Been a Maiden fan since the Killers album. One of the main draws for me is how up front,and in your face the bass is. There are some early 80s hardcore punk bands whom i cant recall right now who utilized the bass as a lead insrument. Ive always loved busy bass players as a opposed to being in the background even though im a guitar player. New to your channel! Great!
Maidens been my favorite band since 83’. This was one of the first cassette tapes I ever bought from mowing lawns. Still a die hard Maiden fan. Great critique of Harris.
One of my fave Maiden tracks for 40 years! Still sounds fantastic
A crucial part of Steve's tone comes from the flatwound strings he uses (he uses Rotosound).
That’s what I’m seeing here in the comments, and I find it very interesting why he’d use them. Could be a feel thing too!
@@LowEndUniversity He also uses a lot of compression (about the only effect he uses really). It allows him to pluck the strings lightly, his longtime bass-tech and live keyboard/synth player for the band, Michael Kenney (an American dude) said that he basically "tickles" the strings when he plays those fast parts.
I've tried flatwounds and they simply sound ... er... flat. They feel like there's a sort of plasticy cover on them. Fat chance his flatwounds make his sound. Roundwounds sound a lot more like Steve's crispness. So, I guess his sound is due to other factors.
@@trikkke11 his fingers make his sound
@@BrainWasherAttendent Among other things...
I play bass in a Maiden tribute band. It's definitely a counter-intuitive bass EQ, bass is mostly flat, untouched, mids around 500Hz are cut a bit which reduces the muddiness of a P bass giving it a clearer more focused sound, and the most important part: a lot of boost at 1kHz, 2kHz and 4kHz which gives it all its brilliance and presence. If you play it on its own it almost sounds like a guitar and not a bass, but in the band... That's where the magic happens
Also, I have no idea how he pulls off world tours at 67. When I play two consecutive shows I need like a week to recover
I have listened to this song so many times, starting from my teenage years in the 80’s. I love your analysis of what the bass and guitar are doing during the guitar solo. I always thought that solo could go on much longer and still never get boring.
Thank you so much Robert - that means a lot. Appreciate you watching my videos!
They've never played it live, and it's one id love to hear
They played it on their '83 tour.
omg! at last someone react to this masterpiece!
your a one that stands out in a good way. i like the way you analyse. your got a new follower
Appreciate you, that means a lot!! See you around!
One of my favorite Maiden tracks! 'arry is a true workhorse to say the least! He also has an interesting plucking hand technique-floating thumb, but he almost always seems to play closer to the bridge
Mr. Steve Harris, my favorite bass player and main influence for many years! Thank you, Steve!
Great video, thanks! And hey, your bass sounds great!!
Hey, thanks!
The endurance of Steve Harris is superhuman. I've tried playing this song all the way through on multiple occasions, each time feeling like my arms want to come off halfway through.
Losfer Words on Powerslave is incredible and a few comments have mentioned Moonchild. There's a French RUclipsr called Didier who has some great Steve Harris covers and a couple of in depth tutorials on his style, worth a watch.
Solo puedo decir que el trabajo de STIVE en ese bajo es extraordinario y siempre será una leyenda.
My fav. bass player ever. Very musical and creative.
I love hearing accomplished players react to this stuff. It reaffirms why this music got to me so hard back in the day. I can't believe I used to run marathons to those early Maiden albums on a mushy sounding old Ibanez Jazz bass that you had to beat mercilessly to get any twang or grunt out of it (My father would ask me "how the f'k are you always breaking bass strings?!"lol). I've played lead guitar and bass for 40 years now, and as an adult I can't last one Maiden song on bass... It's a specific athletic undertaking playing bass to Maiden... and a great spiritual payoff! ...Salute!
Thank you so much! Appreciate you stopping by 👊🏻💥
A song based on "Dune"
Steve Harris is the reason I wanted to play bass. Everyone wanted to play guitar and I heard "Run to the Hills" and I was like WTF!
When you ask where do you rank Steve Harris in the hierarchy of bass players....you say YES! HAHAHAH
UP THE IRONS!
Steve is also the reason I picked up the bass.
Phantom of the opera and wrathchild have such great lines that I told myself I’d have to learn them one day.
The song was actually originally called "Dune" but they had to change the name due to copyright issues, there are some early versions of the Vinyl which made it out though
Steve asked Frank Herbert for permission but his agent replied with "No. Because Frank Herbert doesn't like rock bands, particularly heavy rock bands, and especially rock bands like Iron Maiden" 😆
Saw Iron Maiden live in August 202,2, I can genuinely say they are amazing, and it's all the more absurdly amazing because the youngest band member I think is yeah like 63-65 and thd oldest dang near 70, and yet I can count the mistakes they made as a band over a 2+ hour show with no break-on one hand, Just amazing amazing absolute masters of their craft all of them and Harris is a great for sure.
73 I believe is Nicko's age.
What mistakes have you noticed? I try to identify mistakes bands make playing live but don't catch much. Me live on the other hand .,........
@@kipholscher1812 Oh hardly any at all like in one song think they just had a monitor issue timing seemed off for bit, for about 30 seconds, and then after that basically 1 hour and 45 minutes of perfection, there total freaks man!.
Steve has played a number of types of bass over the years; Fender J Bass (Early Days), Ibanez Roadstar (Video's Only), Lado Unicorn (Early World Slavery Tour & Aces High video) but the current West Ham bass is the same P that he has had virtually since 1978 its been White, Black and Metallic Blue with the Maple neck. There are also another few 78 P basses he has used over the years one with a Rosewood Fret Board that he used on No Prayer and Fear of the Dark Tours and the another custom painted blue P bass he now Mainly uses with British Lion.
One of my favourite Maiden songs on my favourite Maiden album. I liked the fact that it has this mid-focused sound. And what's more, Steve plays a lot of things an octave higher, even though they could be an octave lower. This significantly boosts the mid-focus of the sound and you get the impression that you are hearing another, very bass-heavy guitar in addition to the normal two. I love this sound.
Great analysis. Steve Harris is a living legend. Excellent bass player, composer, including live performances. Another exceptional bassist, another living legend that I suggest reactions: Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath, which, by the way, for me, is the greatest band in history mainly for what they did in the 70s).
Thanks Fabio! Appreciate you stopping by. I’ll surely be doing a Sabbath song soon!
I really liked this video. It’s nice to hear from a bass player how upfront the bass is in maiden records.
Great video 😎🤘
Appreciate you checking it out, Daniel!
With regard to your comment in cutting the low end a little bit, Steve was playing Trace Eliot and light gauge strings for decades, both of which contributed to this in-your-face sound which made his bass stand out along with the guitars
First time visitor, hardcore Maiden fan since 1980. Nice reaction. Moonchild from Maiden's Seventh Son album is one you might like to react to. Ironically, the only track on the album where Steve has no songwriting credit.
I Shook Steve's Hand @ 83' & He Almost Broke My Hand. Steve @ 5'5", Me 5'8" 240 Lbs. I Was A Bouncer, Steve A Bass Player, Tell Ya Anything ? He Will Keep That Strength In His Right Hand For The Rest Of His Life. Hands Down.
Wow! Super cool. Bass players have intense handshakes I’ve noticed over the years, lol
6:30 Steve did actually switch from some brands to another although he never set the P-bass aside. He was using an Ibanez Roadster bass during The Number of the Beast record and this one, then going to some Lado basses during Powerslave, but the trusty ol' Precision never left the active roster. He's also done it all with flatwound strings which is f'n bonkers
Respect, Brother🤘
What do you think of "Phantom of the Opera" by Iron Maiden?
That was the song that made me for in love with the bass and the way Steve Harris plays, as it is bloody brilliant 👏
Steve Harris wrote this song for the band he was in at the time, but they basically said it was too difficult to play and it made Steve make his own band, and so Christmas 1975 Iron Maiden was born😜
Up the mighty Irons🤘🤘🤘🤘
Brilliant video and first I've watched from your channel. Well played and nice bass sound. Coming from a guitarist. 👍
so cool at 11.30 when the drums come in a plays the guitar+bass riff
lover your explaining of technique , makes me listen to the songs with different ears, so to speak. Playing brass bass myself, hevay metalaswell haha sousaphone, but Iron Maiden one of the musical loves of my life :)
Great
Such a great song
When I learned this at age 13 or so from the LP I never looked forward to a Christmas as much as I looked forward to that chord near the end and you finally get a break. 😅 🤘
I had to play The Trooper back in the eighties in a band I was in and the next song was always tougher to play because I had no time to recover from Steve's relentless gallop. My forearm would be rippling from the intensity. It really helped me learn how to not dig in so hard. Geddy helped alot wit that to because we would usually go right into Limelight. All this did make me a pretty badass bassist at the end of the day. For a while I actually played all of this with a pick to. SMDH. I eventually got with the program and have-not used a pick since.
wow!! such a great video!! I love how you highlight the stamina necessary to play steve's lines, this is my major problem while playing fast and driving line like this haha.
and great production btw, switching screens to show the right hand and even the bass tone is the same from steve harris, i'm subscribing haha
lol that's the problem to write a comment mid video haha, you saying that we don't need so much bass as we think makes so much sense.
I only do playthroughs, I remove all the bass from the track to make my bass show more because is really frustating to play and hardly hear what you play. as even tough I only hear those fat notes haha, I will try to the mid frequencies later.
thanks for all yours insights
I’ve never seen anyone compete to maiden live as a band the are so tight
One of the most difficult Maiden bass lines - the stamina you need in final third is crazy!
I only got to see them live once (during the amazing Halford/Queensryche/Maiden tour), but they absolutely gave off a particular energy I had never felt at any concert before, or since. Their entire set just felt like there was electricity in the air, but that might have just been the vibrations from Steve's relentless playing. 😆
Steve Harris (and Geezer Butler) made me wanna Play bass, and so I have for almost 37 years😎🤘 Steve has once said that this song is one of the must difficult songs to Play live. He also confirmed in a intervju that he use just 2 fingers for picking, not 3.
I got into them later on, but realize their massive influence on heavy music. Thanks for stopping by Ola!
TTAL is Steve's favourite song, his playing here - the whole album actually - is oustanding. For me - I guess for half the bass players in metal - he was the reason I picked the bass guitar, the first song I tried to play was The Flight Of Icarus from the same album
If it’s really his favorite, that’s super cool! I could see why, it’s like gymnastics on the fretboard. Appreciate you stopping by George!
He is the reason i play professionally the bass and i feed my family. I hava my own style now BUT i still have in my playing elements of Steve Harris and i love to use them. My number one band and my number one bassist
I heard the new second part of the new Dune movie is coming out. So excited for this movie. Awesome review of Steve Harris. He’s a machine gun master on the base always loved listening to him and being able to hear him even over the amazing guitar players Iron Maiden has. Rock on!
The Pure Bass Sound Ever Exist??-Steve Harris This guy still impressed me after all of those years. He not only be a bass guitar player-this is virtuozo and still shows how to write bass parts without learning any scales ;) or only known scales was Steve harris Scales-clear talent same as Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead-this 2 bass players was insane, but Steve was good of bass guitar, no one can compare with him, no one can replace him in IM and that;s true, same as IM without Brice sound strange, but still wrote great songs i still love virtual and factorry recorded with Blaze. Greetings from Poland my friend
Thanks for sharing! Greetings, and I appreciate you stopping by!
Thank you! My favourite Iron Maiden song of all time.... along with Children of the Damned, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, etc... 😂
The Greatest Band
Yeah, his stamina its overshadowed...until people try to play his songs😁. Also, to achieve near his mid rangy tone, you could use his Sans amp pedal, which btw is not limited to Steve's tone, but can help to anyone who wants to get rid of the "boomy" bass sound on many configs👍
Ha! Yep! I used to have a SansAmp and loved it.
Have you seen Didier Geromes Cover of Caught Somewhere in Time? At the very end you can see how exhausted his wrist was. Steve is an absolute Monster
@@captainobviousn7551 Yeah, I did, he's great. But there is something else that is rarely mention, and I read about SH some time ago, that he has a very "light" touch when playing to help him to keep his attack thru recordings and live (that's why his bass strings heigth settings are super low, to get his disctintive "clanky" sound) which is probably true🤷♂️
@@Hellion73 that is indeed true. I also heard that the volume knob on his Bass isn't even connected and therefor his sound on records and live is always maxed so that his sound is upfront and able to cut right through the Guitars
When they synchronize, it reminds me of “Origin of Species” by Scale the summit 🤘🏽
💙
Hats off to Maiden. Never we are going to see it again, let’s enjoy them
For Hardrock / Metal it's kind of Goth / New Wave - they come from non-sampling non-loop times.
Great Song ❤❤❤
New to your channel and love your takes! I’m a HUGE Maiden/Rush fan and also love the bass, really all the instruments too.
I encourage you to do some Alter Bridge. Each member is also a master craftsman of their instruments and play off each other seamlessly and with each other harmoniously. They have a great catalog to choose from and my choices are Rise Today, Metalingus, Words Darker Than Their Wings (live Royal Albert Hall), Isolation, Cry of Achilles etc.
My favorite metal song, i know and play bass part note for note, it's amazing to ear, to learn and to play, specially the "asturias theme like" part .
I just searched your channel for Manowar. Shocked to get no results. That bass player was also pretty unique. Setup, string size, bass parts etc.
I’m making a list! I’ve heard of them but don’t think I’ve listened. What song should I cover?
@@LowEndUniversity It's not really one of their "real songs" but the most bass play you will get on their "Sting of the Bumblebee": ruclips.net/video/xXZKS5bHtP4/видео.html and there are also live videos of him just doing weird bass solos on stage between songs, like this one: ruclips.net/video/d5G9OKrDI6g/видео.html&start_radio=1
Thank you Don! On my list!!
TTAL is top 5 Maiden songs of all time. Possibly my #1
Respect bro for know he's the king of the bass. At his age still. No arthritis on him.. Or any of them.
He's a legend!!
There was an interview with Frank Bello when he said Steve uses 3 fingers but uses the middle and the ring as one
Woah! I'd KILL for that hair 🙂
I had just read the book Dune shortly before this album was released. Understanding the lyrics made a huge difference when listening to this song.
I wasn't aware of the correlation until I saw all of these comments about it. Super cool, I need to read about it all!
Such a quality tune. For Bass though, by Maiden standards, The Duellists for me, is the most intense. And then on top of that, when they platy it live, there's a good chance it might be played at a faster pace. Crazy.
Favorite Maiden album.
Im into Iron Maiden since 85, piece of mind is my favorite album and that song is a masterpiece. I must have listened to this slbum 100s of times, its the rawness the speed, the solos the songs everything. Of course their 80s album's for me are their best, I always wished theyd done a Powerslave 2... Steve apparently only ever played with 2 fingers, looking at him play in videos hes so fast you would think its 3 or 4. Going to see them gir probably the 8th time in Dublin next month, when hopefully they will play Alexander the Great live, which they never have for some reason... I think there's another album in them...
the minor key shifts intend to create some sort of an oriental feeling which fits very well to Dune, the novel that the song is based on.