For as long as I have been on here I have never seen anything about Steve Harris. I personally think he is an excellent bass player and an awesome writer. I would like to hear what others think.

Bottoms up to Steve Harris!

[This message has been edited by funkysurfer (edited June 21, 2000).]

steve is awesome. his songwiting abilities have surely suffered over the past few albums. but he is still a great bassist. i have been a fan since 82.

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Sean

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I have always been a big Steve Harris/Iron Maiden fan. In fact, I've seen Maiden every single time they've been to Detroit since circa 1980. In 1981, when NOTB was released, I thought that the three finger gallup idea was pretty neat. During the 80's when I played in various metal bands, Harris was a major influence on my playing style. These days, it's rather awkward to throw those licks in during a blues number, but I pull it off every now and again ( to the extreme annoyance of my drummer, he's in his mid 50's and doesn't understand these things!!!!).

Steve Harris is great!!

I´ve been liking Iron Maiden since 1985 (when I was born)... that´s the music I grew up with...

I agree with the others.....STEVE RULES!!!!!! Need I say more?? I mean... he ruled 20 yrs. ago, and still does!!!

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Hey....Who said Ric's are for kids?.....Bye, --MR

I agree totally.
Steve Harris rules..

Could not agree more. When I first started playing bass, a friend and fellow bass player, turned me on to him and the rest was history. I was already a Maiden fan, but didn't realize how good he was until I picked up the bass and started learning. To this day, I play the Trooper 3-4x's, unplugged, before every gig and practice, as a right hand finger exercise. That galloping really loosens up the joints. Does anyone know if their new tour schedule has been released?

if it has, it'll be at www.ironmaiden.com (http://www.ironmaiden.com)

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Sean

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Indeed, Steve Harris is awesome! I recently bought the new album, brave new world, and i am crazy about his songwriting. I was also fortunate enough to see them at roskilde festival in Denmark, and they rocked!!! Also, check out blood brothers on brave new world. Cool acoustic bass part(intro)

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"It's all music..."

Yea - Steve Harris is also one of my favorites! And yes Doug, The Trooper is a great warm-up! One of the bands I play in plays that one - tons of fun! I never get tired playing it (but it does tire me out!)
http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/smile.gif

Bob

steve harris is one of the best bassists ever

He´s been a big influence on my playing. Too bad that be has "grown up" and stopped playing cool fills and stuff like that. He is also WAY down in the mix on the latest Maiden record.
I think his sound was great on Piece of Mind. Wonderful growl on the verses of Revelations.

Steve Harris is great. But not the greatest.

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The Only Mask I Wear is the One I was Born With..

and who is to say who the greatest is?

Seeing Steve Harris I decided to learn to play bass.

For me he's great and his live performances are incredible. ;)

But now I can see others great bassist like Stu Hamm, Dave LaRue and Flea (that guy has an incredible groove)....

but as you write.... STEVE RULES! ;D

I was just wondering if anyone else out there thinks that Steve Harris is a great bass player? I only started listening to Iron Maiden a few months ago, and now I wish I had listened to them all along.

Yeah, Purg, I think a LOT of people think Steve Harris is a great bass player :D . He gets an interesting sound out of a Precision with flatwounds, no?

up the irons.

Steve is a great bass player plus he writes most of the music for the band also a true pioneer.
Check out Killers or Piece of mind the list goes on great band all together.

I learned everything I know about playing triplets from Steve Harris.

Truly one of the best metal bassists.

Yeah, I second that!!!!! Steve is absolutely one the greatest rock bass players of all time. I remember years ago learning "Wrathchild" and thinking, WOW, that guy rocks! And he still does!

Although I haven´t listened a lot to Iron Maiden, I think he´s a great player..I saw a video once and he was really cool..

Ditto!!! I had the honor of seeing Iron Maiden live at the Norfolk Scope in Virginia.It was the Piece of Mind Tour.Not only did Steve play his butt off, he seemed to defy gravity.That dude could jump like there's no tomorrow.He would be playing his bass lines and mouthing the lyrics to all the songs.Talk about coordination!!! I'll never forget it. Oh yeah, Quiet Riot opened up and they SUCKED!!!!

I read someone wrote on here that Steve Harris said in an interview he only use two right-hand fingers, even to get the triplet gallop- it looks pretty impossible to me that way, and from watching a live video he seems to be using three fingers in the 3-2-1 style (as in The Evil That Men Do) -so what's the true story?

also, has anyone else tried the Rotosound Jazz Flatwounds he uses?
I used them for a while- they're pretty tough on your fingers (50-110 gauge) and go dead very quickly (lots of Fast Fret needed to keep the brightness).

Steve Harris is an excellent bass player! It's not impossible to get a superfast triplet gallop with only 2 fingers...I can do it. It's pretty easy to imagine that he uses more than 2 fingers with the way he places his hand. His fingers are all outstretched; Normally people kind of curl back the fingers they don't use. He also barely moves his fingers. It's amazing how he can play so fast with such economy of movement. <p>
:D

He doesn't have to pluck hard--he's got so much power coming from his amp that he could kill people in the first two rows just by blowing on his E string.

Maiden RULES! YEAH!

Steve kicks butt! I interviewed him last month for an upcoming feature in Bass Frontiers Magazine.

http://www.bassfrontiers.com

Here's a link to a photo gallery of some shots I took of Steve backstage and during the show....enjoy!

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=637760&a=8533300

You interviewed the man?! I'm jealous!!! Good for you!! Has anyone seen the video for "Run To The Hills?"
Steve does a solo that is blinding,ouch,ouch,ouch!!!

Yeah I got to hang out with him alone backstage before the show and just shoot the breeze with him about all sorts of stuff. He's a very cool dude as you might expect...no ego at all...just a bass player like the rest of us. I get to meet a lot of pro players writing for the magazine and I have to say that meeting and hanging with Steve Harris has to be one of the highlights of my writing career.

I am generally blown away at how down to earth most of the players I meet are in person. I think another guy I got to know this past year who is a good example is Rudy Sarzo. Rudy and I have become pretty good friends since I wrote the article on him in the Jan/Feb 2000 issue of Bassics Magazine. He really is one of the nicest and most considerate people I've ever known. Most of the guys I meet and interview are the same way and it always takes me by surprise for some reason...I guess it's because I think I'd have a bit of a swelled head if I were a major star like them.

steve is a huge influence on bass playing, and he was one of the first to get a lot of contemporary praise from those not wise in the mighty ways of bass. i remember steve was one of the first reasons i wanted to play bass when i was younger, cause he jsut had a total presence the same way a lot of guitar players do, but yet be playing bass and subsequently sounding a lot cooler.

I'm glad that Mr. Harris is a cool dude.A friend of mind ran into them after the show in Norfolk.According to my friend he said they were laid back and easy to talk to.It's a breath of fresh air to see that musicians we look up to are down to earth.As far as Rudy Sarzo is concerned I mean no disrespect to him,I just don't like Quiet Riot;however,if Randy R. were still with them,that would be a different story.Forgive me if I sound like an opinionated snob,I believe in speaking my mind because I feel comfortable with the people on this site.(whew,this boy can digress or what.)

Steve Harris is one of my heros! He is possibly the greatest metal bassist ever, now while cliff burton was a true god in a sense he didnt have writing capabilities like steve, as mentioned in a previous post he writes most of their songs.

Steve Harris is a great bass player....


Well, I just can say he's the reason I started playin' the bass guitar, just simple as that.. Ever seen the vid 'Live after Death' ? Man, I must have seen it like 100 times..
Just check that guy playin' !!! Unbelievable !!!
Man, Maiden records never age if you ask me, just listen to the 'Piece of Mind' album ....

It's a dream of mine to meet him once ... like the other guy above :-) He's so damn lucky !!!

UP THE IRONS !!!!

Godcreep

as I´ve said in many threads about him before... STEVE RULES!! he´s one of the biggest reasons for I started playing bass :)... I grew up listening to Iron Maiden... too bad I was about 2 or 3 years old when my older brothers went on they´re only show in Iceland... and they went to a party with them afterwards! :cool: :)

Steve Harris rules! If you want to see good videos of him in action try Raising Hell Bruces last show 8-28-93 and Maiden england, All classic Maiden.

I know he is the bassist for iron maiden but I never heard any of their material. Can someone which of their songs have good bass lines?


Thanks.

most all of them have good bass lines, some songs I particularly like are:

Rhyme of The Ancient Mariner
Wasted Years
The Trooper
Flight of Icarus
A Loss For Words

Try the "Number of the Beast" album.

Or try to get the Live After Death album on a record (!)
It's a double album and the CD version only has the first 3 sides, which is a crime against humanity IMO :D

Originally posted by JMX
Or try to get the Live After Death album on a record (!)
It's a double album and the CD version only has the first 3 sides, which is a crime against humanity IMO :D

Actually, I have the Raw Power release of Live After Death that is two cds, and it has the rest of the LP release on it. And, it is worth extra couple of bucks. That is the best way to experience Iron Maiden for the first time.

The first album i got was Powerslave and I think that's just a great album especially if you want to get into Maiden.

how bout "blood brothers" of brave new world?

If you wanna go for insane speed and technicality
Try "Phantom Of The Opera" or "To Tame A Land"
Both songs are pretty damn hard to play at first
Even now..I cant play them all the way through without messing up

Also "Blood On The Worlds Hands" has a pretty badass acoustic bass solo/intro
Which is really hard to play as well

Steve Harris has great basslines on every album, although he was really focused on virtuosity on the first five albums (Iron Maiden, Killers, Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, and Powerslave). He still does great stuff, but it is more integrated into the songs now. (You see this in a lot of musicians as the get more experience and develop different aspects of their musical personality)

What is so great about Harris is that he is the primary songwriter for the Band. So, like Rush, a lot of the songs are truly built around great basslines. Maiden is great because of the interplay between the two (or now, three) guitarists and harris. The unison and harmony parts are incredible. And, Harris and the drummer, Nicko McBrain, really work hard to have locked in, intricate rythym parts. Check out the latest album "Brave New World" if you want to check out some great, fully mature, metal musicians at the top of their game.

If u never heard one of the most speed fingered bassist of all time,Steve Harris is one no-doubt of them he's unique style of playing(not hard but very fast) made Iron Maiden one of the icon bands of heavy metal that a lot of bands in this century began doing covers of their songs like "Iced Earth" with transylvania.
If u think its too simple to play the bass off the iron maiden songs try fear of the dark(with u're fingers) and them tell me.

....and the point of this post was?

were there any bands doing any iron maiden covers last century?

DySaRt is new, lay off OK? Welcome to Talkbass DySart. Yes, people love Steve Harris around here. Nobody seems to have anything bad to say about him around here. Maiden is cool and Steve Harris is awesome. I hate to be the guy who says "do a search" but if you search the site, I'm sure you'll find more than a few threads about Stevie, he's a popular fella.

I like Steves playing as do many others here, and I may be the only one who has said this about him but I cant stand his tone. to trebly for my liking.

there are mutiple posts on steve here so please do a search and post in one of those.

btw welcome to talkbass

Hi Guys,

Does anybody know where I could get a list of Steve Harris' (Iron Maiden) equipment?

Cheers

Ian

http://www.guitargeek.com/layouts/display.php3?id=359

Don't know how much uptodate it is, though.

Hey, I was just curious if their were any other fans of Steve's work. Steve Harris is one of the most amazing bassists out there in the metal scene and I feel that he is incredibly underrated for his talent and unique lines. Does any one else think the same??

http://www.quipo.it/atosi/numero3/music/steve.gif

http://www.metal-rules.com/interviews/images/Maiden_-_Steve2000.jpg

morty :p

Originally posted by morty25
...and I feel that he is incredibly underrated for his talent and unique lines. Does any one else think the same??


No, I think he´s one of "the cats" in metal music, a very influential bass player for more than 10 years....... just my 3 cents.:cool:

He dominated reader's polls in Europe for decades and his band is probably the most successful heavy-metal band in existence - I don't think he's underrated, as numerous threads on this very board clearly show. ;)

ARE YOU KIDDING?

HE IS THE REASON I PLAY BASS. SAW RUN TO THE HILLS ON MTV BACK IN '82 AND THAT WAS IT. I JUST HAD TO BE A BASS PLAYER.

HE IS JUST GREAT. I STILL CAN'T PLAY ALL OF HIS BASSLINES.:D

Yep. Steve Harris is the man and we all know it. He is the guy who got me really excited to play bass.

Originally posted by CaracasBass


No, I think he´s one of "the cats" in metal music, a very influential bass player for more than 10 years....... just my 3 cents.:cool:

Actually more than 20 years. One of my influences too.

Originally posted by embellisher


Actually more than 20 years. One of my influences too.

Your rigth!!!!!!! the first Maiden album was released in 1974(??..not sure), and by the time he was already a great player..... so that makes almost 30 years being heavy metal´s favorite bass player

WOW!!!!!!

He's awesome. Great player, cool lines, just really fun stuff.

yeah he's great. doesnt he write their music?
and he's one of the few band members that were in it since iron maiden-killers.(the 2nd lp)

Actually, Steve Harris and Dave Murray have both been in Maiden since their first self titled release "Iron Maiden" in 1980. He's one of my main sources of inspiration. Not only from a bass playin perspective, but from a songwriting aspect as well.

Peace

Originally posted by Sprinkler
yeah he's great. doesnt he write their music?



yep he write most of the stuff

I learned Phantom of the opera back in march =D
Yes.. I agree steve harris is the god of metal bassist.
However mike watt is ..well lets just say ive been listening to double nickles and ballot result alot ;)
But yes.. steve harris is the man and always will be.

Originally posted by CaracasBass


Your rigth!!!!!!! the first Maiden album was released in 1974(??..not sure), and by the time he was already a great player..... so that makes almost 30 years being heavy metal´s favorite bass player

WOW!!!!!!

Iron Maiden's self-titled debut happened in 1980.

He is awesome. But he tends to use the same type of progression is just about every one of his songs. His speed on bass runs/fills is amazing though.

Steve Harris rules!!! He's one of the reasons why I bought a P-bass...and that they are great basses! But I love his tone, speed, writing methods and everything!!! He is one of my idols!...well minus the striped spandex pants...:p

My first bass hero!

Originally posted by Blisshead
Yep. Steve Harris is the man and we all know it. He is the guy who got me really excited to play bass.

Exactly! I don't wear spandex tho :p

I'm going to have to go against the grain here and say that while I think he's a talented bassist, I don't understand why he's held in such high regards. I personally think Roger Patterson, Pete Perez, Tony Choy, Steve DiGiogio, and Sean Malone are way better Metal bassist.

He does have an awesome right hand though.

Steve is great, but I wouldn't call him underrated..

I hear he's a great football player as well (REAL football, not American)...but a stunning and awesome bassist.

A great bassist indeed! Underrated - no I think he is respected and appreciated exactly as his talents and abilities deserve.

Quite a few of their songs do have that classic:-

E -C - D - E

Progression - but it seems to work well for him and Iron Maiden as a whole!

One of my influences - although I don't like flatwounds on a P-bass! Maybe that's why I'll never be a great bassist .......

I agree. Harris is one of my biggest influences.

LiquidMidnight- Alot (not all)of those players were influenced by Iron Maiden. The big thing in Steve Harris' defense is the fact that he writes such a large amount of there music.

I think alot of the shredders like Sean Malone write some really cool stuff but its not written for a band with vocals or one even with a chorus ;) .

They write it more for melody with there instruments rather than a song with a band and vocals.

I love there stuff but its a differnt vibe.

It's like saying Vai is a better guitarist than Eddie VH. Its a Different vibe.

Yesterday while I was watching Elizabeth Smart's family's newsconference (how's that for a miracle?) on CNN, across the bottom of the screen (you know, the constant stream of words about various news stories) it mentioned "Bass player Steve Harris of Iron Maiden turns 46". I thought that was pretty cool, since I have never seen CNN (or any other channel other than MTV) mention Iron Maiden. Happy birthday Steve!

wow, cool. i think i shall play killers and 7th son to celebrate :D

Cool. Happy Belated birthday to Mr. Harris, the guy who taught me that rock/metal bass could be audible and good!

He's my HERO!

wow, cool. i think i shall play killers and 7th son to celebrate

Yeah baby, that's the cut (Killers). I was just learning that tune a couple of weeks ago..such a great pedal driving line at the beginning of the song.

JT....do you play the intro line with a finger on each E and A string, or do you drop the plucking finger down from the A string to the E string? I've been trying it both ways and ended using the latter technique because it sounded smoother. Just curious as to how others approach it.

Peace and Happy Birthday Steve

COOL! Then I shall follow John's ways, and toss in "Piece of Mind". :bassist:

Happy B-Day Steve.

Originally posted by camoe


Yeah baby, that's the cut (Killers). I was just learning that tune a couple of weeks ago..such a great pedal driving line at the beginning of the song.

JT....do you play the intro line with a finger on each E and A string, or do you drop the plucking finger down from the A string to the E string? I've been trying it both ways and ended using the latter technique because it sounded smoother. Just curious as to how others approach it.

Peace and Happy Birthday Steve

when i used to be in a cover band and played killers, i would pluck the a string with my index finger and then pluck the e string with my thumb. i would also play this way for the fast part in phantom of the opera - thumb, index and middle.

playing steve harris parts this way actually got me into using my thumb like this along with my index and middle fingers from the very beginning.

some of his stuff i would pluck with index and middle on two different strings, like the fast part in rime of the ancient mariner and to tame a land.


big ole' w00t for steve harris :D

Sitting listening to the brand new "Dance of death" album.
And boy is "Arry" back in form.
Very solid, blazing fast and unbelievably heavy.....No thunderous!
From the trademark galloping to the well known 3-cord progressions and stamina demanding scale based riffs.
Although i´m more fond of his earlier "looser" playing. He´s still my hero. And yet again makes me want to run the shop and buy the Harris P-bass i´ve played like 15 times already. (Although i´m shopping for a Peavy Cirrus/Millenium +) And go home and further improve my triplet playing

Up the irons! :bassist:

goddammit!! I wish I werent broke until Friday! :mad: :mad: I think I might have to download a song or two until then, since Maiden are godlike and all :bassist:

Maiden is still one of my longstanding favorite bands...........and I can't figure out what Bass Harris is using in the Run To the Hills Video..anyone know?

Yeah steve Rocks, the amount of energy he (and the others) have on stage is amazing.

Myself and a group of freinds constantly saluted Harriss with a 3-finger triplet hand raised high every time he came to our end of the stage when we saw 'em.

Originally posted by FiveStringsNme
Maiden is still one of my longstanding favorite bands...........and I can't figure out what Bass Harris is using in the Run To the Hills Video..anyone know?

I'd like to know this too.
it's got a 2-a-side headstock and PJ p/ups.

I know it's a custom Lado (shaped like a T-bird) in the Aces high vid.

find a pic of it and post it here

AAA-AAA-AAA-AAA - FFF-FFF-FFF-FFF - GGG-GGG-GGG-GGG...gallop, gallop, gallop...AAA...arghh...AAA...must...endure..FFF... FFF...pain in...GGG-GGG...arm.
Gallop, gallop...EEE-FFF...blister, blister on the hand tell me who´s the best musician in the band :bawl:

Originally posted by FiveStringsNme
Maiden is still one of my longstanding favorite bands...........and I can't figure out what Bass Harris is using in the Run To the Hills Video..anyone know?


It is a Ibanez Roadstar.
I know he still/did carry one on tour with him.

I just watched the video and it is without a doubt a Ibanez.

Also here's a ebay link to a auction that has ended but It is the bass.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2553580522&category=38080


By the way, I picked up the new album today...I really like it. I'm glad they have there old sound back.

yep, it's the Ibanez. thanks for the info.



Originally posted by Splanky
to the well known 3-cord progressions

how many songs on the album are based around that same progression (usually Eminor, C, D)?

that's one thing that puts me off buying more Iron maiden albums.

The new CD will be waiting for me in UtaW when I return from my trip to NY (which I am enjoying right now).

Along with my SVT-IV I mailed to my P.O. Box earlier today...

ah, so it is an Ibanez Roadstar...thanks for telling me, for awhile I was beginning to think it was a bass he scrapped up together himself...

Wo0w Steve uses Ibanez????What's up with that???I tought he was a "Fender for life kinda guy"!

Speaking of putting his foot down, is Harris pretty much the boss of the band? Between all the songwriting he does and the fact that he gets such a huge chunk of the mix (in comparision to other metal bassists.

That said, Powerslave still remains my favorite Maiden album.

Steve Harris is the only original member besides Dave, I think, and it was his idea for the band, so yes.

Anybody know what the blue bass Steve used in the 2 Minutes to Midnight and Aces High videos?

Originally posted by By-Tor
Anybody know what the blue bass Steve used in the 2 Minutes to Midnight and Aces High videos?

a custom-built Lado thunderbird-shaped bass, with a P p/up and Baddass II bridge.

in the Powerslave album booklet there's a pic of him with a Lado with a conventional body- same headstock shape though.
looks like rosewood fingerboards on both basses.

I saw an Iron Maiden video the other day for "Run to the Hills," I think it was. Looked like Steve Harris was playing an Ibanez Roadster from the 70's...anyone know if this is true. I love those old 70's and early 80's Roadsters and Roadstars (most of em).

Picked up the new CD a couple of days ago. Good sound quality, Harris does not sound as clanky as he does an BNW. Overall they have some nice melodic parts and some very huge sounding riffs. Some of the lyrics are a little repetative but overall I like what I hear. I will have to listen a few more times to pick out the keepers. It is good to hear heavy metal music played this way.

and I can't figure out what Bass Harris is using in the Run To the Hills Video..anyone know?

I just put up a thread on this exact question the other day but didn't receive a response. It's actually a RoadstEr, not RoadstAr...different basses...both awesome. I thought that's what it was in the video I saw the other day, just wasn't sure.

How Does Steve Harris Get his Slap like galoping sound on such songs as Wrath Child, Hallow Be Thy Name and so on

P-Bass

He uses.............

-Fender P-Basses
~'70 P-Bass (Blue Sparkle)
~'59 P-Bass (Black/White Check)
~'82 P-Bass (Cherrywood Stain)
-Custom built Alectron Pre-amp
-Trace Elliot GP12SMX Pre-amp
-C-Audio 707 Power Amps
-DBX 160 Compressor
-Rotosound Flatwound strings (Signature set)
-Custom built Marshall 4x12 Cabinets W/Eletrovoice EVM 12-L speakers

Plus his 3 finger technique (which is the most helpful in his galloping bass lines)

Hope this is helpful!:D

Wonder what he used during the recording of "Number of the Beast" though?

P-Bass straight to the board?

Does he hit the strings harder then normal players or thats just the sound of a percision bass

Originally posted by dragonbass


Plus his 3 finger technique (which is the most helpful in his galloping bass lines)



Harris has said on numerous occasions that he only uses two fingers. From what I understand he keeps the actions very low and uses a very light touch.

GS

Originally posted by dragonbass
Plus his 3 finger technique (which is the most helpful in his galloping bass lines)

What's really cool is he does this three finger technique with only two fingers. ;) :p

If you have ever seen them live you will notice that on 16th note runs he alternates between his index, middle and ring finger.

Originally posted by dragonbass
If you have ever seen them live you will notice that on 16th note runs he alternates between his index, middle and ring finger.

I have seen them live and I own or have owned a number of their live videos/dvds including "Live After Death" and the newest, "Rock in Rio" and I haven't seen where he ever uses his ring finger. I've also read more than one interview where he claims he only uses two fingers, which only confirms what I've seen.

I think his sound comes mostly from having low action and a strong attack...If you try that, you'll get the strings to slap the fretboard a little. Also, put on some good flats.

I don't know for sure how many fingers he uses, but it could be only two. The other fingers that aren't used move with the hand too and can give the appearance that they're being used. That's what Alex Webster said about people thinking he uses 4 fingers...when he never uses his pinky.

Bass Guitar Magazine had an interview with Steve Harris a couple of issues ago. He talks about his technique and I don't recall anything about 3 fingers in the article. He does mention the flats as being important and that he plays with a lot of dynamics. He is also in the latest issue of Guitar Worlds Bass Magazine.

Dan

One thing that has always made me wonder about his sound is that he uses flats, yet he has such a clanky/harsh sound. I'm sure that it's low action and strong attack, but I always thought that the flats were supposed to take away the clank. Other than the Duncan p-ups, does he do anything else with electronics that has an affect on his sound?
As far a his 3 finger technique goes, it's possible that for the most part he's a 2 finger technique guy, but on some parts he adds the third finger to speed up some parts when ascending or descending. I find myself doing that, and it's not something that I really practice or think about, it just happens.

that middle crescendo in 'Run to the Hills' is AWFUL hard to do w/2 fingers!

I've read an interview in which Harris says to have Seymour Duncan Basslines Vintage P-bass pups on all his basses.
Little detail, no biggie

Laterz

I used to be a huuuge Steve Harris fan when I was starting out and found several relatively easy ways to get his sound...

You need a P-bass with Duncans and a Badass Bridge. You also need a decent set of flats and low action. Steve plays very close to the bridge and has a very relaxed attack. If you watch his right hand closely, you will see it is always a two-fingered attack with the occasional thumb-strum for chording. A lot of people don't realize is that Steve doesn't really dig in very much at all, it's just that his attack is so light and fingers are so loose, that when you combine it with the low action it gets his trademark sound.

Boosting the mids and treble will help a bit as well.

Originally posted by Halftooth
One thing that has always made me wonder about his sound is that he uses flats, yet he has such a clanky/harsh sound. I'm sure that it's low action and strong attack, but I always thought that the flats were supposed to take away the clank. Other than the Duncan p-ups, does he do anything else with electronics that has an affect on his sound?
As far a his 3 finger technique goes, it's possible that for the most part he's a 2 finger technique guy, but on some parts he adds the third finger to speed up some parts when ascending or descending. I find myself doing that, and it's not something that I really practice or think about, it just happens.

Part of his clank comes from the fact that he actually changes strings after every show, which is counter to what most flat users do.


Clank clank.





:bassist:

Steve Harris is the reason I started playing bass in the first place. Run To The Hills specifically. That song rocks so hard and I never get sick of hearing it. I'm actually going to try some flatwounds on my bass to see how it does with how I play now.

Steve Harris IS THE MAN!:D

He only uses 2 fingers. Go to www.ironmaiden.com and check the Q&A. He says himself there that he only uses 2.
2 points just for the record also..
(A)He has been known to use LADO basses back in the 80's as well as his P basses.
(B)Alot of the P basses you see him use over the years is the same bass...just refinnished.(He says this on www.ironmaiden.com as well.)

Currently he uses Duncans and Bad-Ass2 Bridge and Marshall Amps, flatwounds...and a heavy 2 finger attack.
And i have seen him more than once live.

Originally posted by dragonbass

Plus his 3 finger technique (which is the most helpful in his galloping bass lines)



My Bad............if it came from the horses mouth it must be.

I'm gonna try a set of his signature strings when I get a P-bass or P-bass copy.

you do not have to get his sig set, just get RS77jazz flats, heavy gauge. That is what he is using. I tried them for a few months and found that they have a very unique sound to them. They give your hand a heck of a work out at first from the heavy tension. I had to tighten my truss rod almost all the way down to get the relief where it was supposed to be. But you can get extremely low action from them. They have a very bright sound at first but that goes away and they sound like ordinary flats within a few weeks. However I have found that I like Fender 9050 flats overall tone better than the Roto's. You can get a good Maiden sound from your P-bass using 9050 flats. A large factor is the SD/QP pups, they are very aggressive with lots of midrange.

Originally posted by glwanabe
They have a very bright sound at first but that goes away and they sound like ordinary flats within a few weeks.

when I used RS77's they'd sound like regular flats after one gig-
Harris himself says he sometimes switches basses in a set if the strings go dead.

I started playing bass hoping to one day play the seemingly difficult Phantom of the Opera. Well..that day came about 2 months later. I actually started playing using that kind of sound. I thought it was me screwing up, but then i heard Harris' sound so i just started using that anyway. He hits the strings straight on perpendicular to the body almost flat fingered and he gets the slap, you dont have to do it hard if you get the right position on the string. When my rounds get a bit worn i can get his sound perfectly on my brice 6stringer. UP THE IRONS!!!

Phantom of the Opera is my favorite song ever. Ever.

I've been working on that one for awhile. It's probably the main reason why I play bass. I started a few months ago and started with easy songs. But I was like "hey, I want a 'project song'" (Something that is hard, but i can eventually learn if i pick at it). And I did.

I got most of it down.. but,. I need my practice. When playing my original stuff, i sometimes get that Steve Harris style in my playing. I like it. Mixed with other styles, it can be pretty good.


\m/

Same for me. Actually, I think their first album is one of the best albums ive heard. Its def in my top ten. ITs got the energy of good ole 70s punk (not a punk fan btw) but with the screaming guitar and crazy harmonic metal sound with a great singer (i like dianno's singing a lot, better on iron maiden than on killers, though).

Great song, that one song influences a lot of my original stuff (just the way it progresses and the harmony ideas).

He is "the man" but the only way to sound like him is to BE him. ;)
-Bazz-

In other words....love your favorite bass players but sound like yourself. :D

I can't believe nobody said he played Ibanez Musicians as well. :cool:

From what i've heard, read and a few pictures i've seen, he actually uses his FINGER NAILS on the strings to get that sound.

i remember an article in which he said that he has to keep them at the right length and look after them so that he doesn't get wildly inconsistent sound.

From what i've heard, read and a few pictures i've seen, he actually uses his FINGER NAILS on the strings to get that sound.

i remember an article in which he said that he has to keep them at the right length and look after them so that he doesn't get wildly inconsistent sound.

For chords maybe...

Steve Harris was the best and most applicable finger style bassist of his era (apart from Cliff Burton) Who else agrees?

me

Steve Harris is also a great song writer, one of my first infueces that made me want to play bass! :bassist:

+1

What do you mean "was"?! :eyebrow:

Original poster definitly means IS. Dance of Death is from 2004 bro ;) he's still rockin' out with his P basses! And yes, he's one of the main players who told me Ray, go pick up a damn bass and rock! Great great bassist. Search TB, you'll find PLENTY of threads on him...


Ray

I haven't heard anything from Burton to put him in the same class as Harris :eyebrow:

I agree, he is my favourite fingerstyle bassist, aside from Cliff Burton. His line in '2 Minutes to Midnight' is awesome. I was listening to Powerslave earlier, such a good album. :)

Graeme :bassist:

Steve Harris was the best and most applicable finger style bassist of his era (apart from Cliff Burton) Who else agrees?

well.. with the acknowledgement that making music is a creative act and not a competition, i'd say Steve Harris probably was the finest 80's metal fingerstyle bass player (apart from Cliff Burton obviously) :)

unless you count David Lee Roth's output that featured Billy Sheehan as 'metal'... in which case i'd have to say I think his playing, especially on 'Eat Em And Smile' was fantastic, maybe better than Harris or Burton

Steve Harris made me "hear" the bass. Even out of my little tv speaker back in 1982. He is responsible for me being a bassist more than anyone else. I lost my mind the first time I heard Run To The Hills during that summer. :D

I just got the Iron Maiden Early Days DVD and it is incredible. He's been the man for so many years. It's just awesome to hear and see him school so many of us for 20+ years. I hope to meet him someday, shake his hand and say "thank you". :bassist:

Steve Harris is one of THE BEST..... his sound is a trademark in heavy music.

I´ve just got the Rock In Rio DVD and it´s a blast, with Interviews and all. really Nice!!!

Burton aint in the same league as harris..if you call Burton one of the greatest bassists of all time, you have to include Frank Bello too. he is Just as good as Burton...

Steve shares 1 place with Geddy Lee for me..:D

Yea steve harris Rocks, i play alot of iron maiden, but my bass sounds kinda chunky playing their songs, I uses a standard W Corvette, think of getting a new bass what wound sound good for playing iron maiden, im thinking of 62 fender P-bass but not 100% sure what to get, could one of u guys help me out.

Steve Harris is a great bass player and a phenomenal songwriter, both then and now. He and Geezer Butler really opened the door for metal bassists to do something other than plunk along, without doing flashy stuff for flashy sake. He had a huge influence on me, especially because he is the "director" of Iron Maiden--it showed me bass players could be a real force, or even lead a band.

For the record, I don't believe in labeling one bassist as "the greatest"...but certainly Steve belongs in the pantheon of great rock bassists, along with JPJ, Chris Squire, Geddy Lee, John Entwistle, Jack Bruce, and Geezer Butler.

For the record, I don't believe in labeling one bassist as "the greatest"...but certainly Steve belongs in the pantheon of great rock bassists, along with JPJ, Chris Squire, Geddy Lee, John Entwistle, Jack Bruce, and Geezer Butler.
Amen.

'Arry was one of the reasons I picked up bass 20 years ago.

I'm a bit surprised that he has barely been mentioned in the passed.

The first Maiden song I learned was The Trooper followed by Hallowed Be Thy Name, Run To The Hills and Phantom Of The Opera. This thread is taking me back. I gotta hit up my buds for another Maiden Tribute at our local 'hole in the wall' :D

Steve is the reason i play bass today, and the reason i can play every one of there songs before Blaze came into the picture and stunk things up :scowl: . Glad Bruce is back with them, saw them last summer and they totally rocked, aside from Janic, *** are they thinking with three guitar players :confused: he looks and plays like he belongs in Ratt/Poison, not Maiden, but yeah Steve is badass! a well deserved post

Steve rules! I've seen Maiden several times now, and they always put on a great show.

They're playing at Ozzfest this year...I'm kind of torn. I'd like to see Maiden, Sabbath, and BLS, but most of the bands are just so horrible. I've been to Ozzfest once and swore I wouldn't go back...but it's Maiden. :(

Aren't they playing under Sabbath? I'm surprised they agreed to letting anyone headline over them, they could do so much better.

And yes, Steve Harris is incredible, and he's the reason I got into bass. I've kind of grown out of him though, I haven't played any maiden for a long time.

Steve Harris is the reason I picked up the bass. First time I had a bass lesson I told my bass teacher that I wanted to learn how to play Innocent Exile and Remember Tomorrow!

What's going on with Steve? I agree he's one of the greatest, but what the hell? Iron Maiden hasn't had an album with good bass (like the old days) in a while.

Whenever I talk about my love for Maiden, I have to say 1980-1995 Maiden.

Steve Harris is the god..
He is the only reason I started to play bass.
I found everything in his playing.Might sound funny to some; apart from being the insane powerfull metalbassgod I find his playing very very groovy , even much more groovy than most of the funkybass gods of today..
Strange how the ear develops by time.. :rolleyes: :)

Even though I have been a huge Maiden fan since 1982, I still feel that Steve Harris' borderline strangle hold he's had on the band ever since around 1990 has really made the band suffer.

I would really like to hear an entire Maiden album that was written by only Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith (with some contributions as well by Dave Murray) without Steve Harris having ANY input into the songs.

Brave New World was a really good album but the followup Dance of Death is already showing signs of the band getting back into a huge rut.

Just take a gander at the songwriting credits of DOD and you'll see Steve Harris' name on every one.

Compare Bruce Dickinson's solo albums (especially Accident of Birth & Chemical Wedding) to the last 2 Maiden albums and they blow them away.

Steve Harris is a great bass player and still one of my main influences to pick up a bass myself, but he's been in a HUGE songwriting rut that can be traced as far back as 1988.

Could not agree more. When I first started playing bass, a friend and fellow bass player, turned me on to him and the rest was history. I was already a Maiden fan, but didn't realize how good he was until I picked up the bass and started learning. To this day, I play the Trooper 3-4x's, unplugged, before every gig and practice, as a right hand finger exercise. That galloping really loosens up the joints. Does anyone know if their new tour schedule has been released?



Iron Maiden dot com. tour with ozzy on the US this summmer

Steve Harris rocks! :bassist:

think of getting a new bass what wound sound good for playing iron maiden, im thinking of 62 fender P-bass but not 100% sure what to get, could one of u guys help me out.


Try any Guitar Center or Sam Ash. Any P bass will do especially if you swap out the pups and replace them with Semore Duncan 1/4 pounders as Steve Harris has done.

Compare Bruce Dickinson's solo albums (especially Accident of Birth & Chemical Wedding) to the last 2 Maiden albums and they blow them away.

I am a fan of Bruce's solo work, and those two are my favorite of his run. Eddie Casillas is the bassist on both, definitely check him out as he is (IMO) a very good metal bassist that is often really underappreciated.

Yea steve harris Rocks, i play alot of iron maiden, but my bass sounds kinda chunky playing their songs, I uses a standard W Corvette, think of getting a new bass what wound sound good for playing iron maiden, im thinking of 62 fender P-bass but not 100% sure what to get, could one of u guys help me out.

I use a 5 string std corvette and what i do is i turn the bass up a bit and turn the treble up a tiny bit or sometimes let it be flat or cut it slightly, depending on the song. say if i was playing the trooper then i'd turn up the treble a tad and it always works and also is really good for clicking. The thing i like about wawicks is that they're pretty much versatile and you can get any sort of sound out of them, though that takes time!

I love Steve Harris, I Found out about him through one of my bass god's, John Myung. has he ever had a bass solo?

I love Steve Harris, I Found out about him through one of my bass god's, John Myung. has he ever had a bass solo?
He has several bass intros, and solos in 'Phantom of the Opera' and 'Iron Maiden', though the latter is kinda crappy IMO. There is also kind of a solo in 'The Number of the Beast' where he goes into the upper register after the guitar solo.

Graeme

He has several bass intros, and solos in 'Phantom of the Opera' and 'Iron Maiden', though the latter is kinda crappy IMO. There is also kind of a solo in 'The Number of the Beast' where he goes into the upper register after the guitar solo.

Graeme

Don't forget his bass flurry after the guitar solo in "Only the Good Die Young".

I am a fan of Bruce's solo work, and those two are my favorite of his run. Eddie Casillas is the bassist on both, definitely check him out as he is (IMO) a very good metal bassist that is often really underappreciated.

I was very impressed with his bass playing on those 2 albums.

I thought that he also played bass on Balls to Picasso, but I might be wrong.

good dvd for historical facts on the early years of Maiden - Good interviews with Steve!! :bassist:

:bassist: One of the greats. The first five Maiden albums were the best IMO. He must have bionic fingers or something. lol

He has certain signature "fills" but certainly never takes a solo in say Jeff Berlin way, soloing over the changes.
However a very overlooked song is Prodigal Son on the Killers album. A very melodic and captivating line in the intro and then some fantastic almost Rush like interplay between Harris and Clive Burr on drums. Its a ballad so tends to get overlooked, but some of Harris's finest melodic playing.
I played along with NOTB so many times in my youth. Harris was the man then I discovered Rush, Jeff Berlin and those Bruford albums and well we move on......

I love Steve Harris, I Found out about him through one of my bass god's, John Myung. has he ever had a bass solo?

The only one that I would call a real solo is the intro to "Blood on the worlds hands" from the album "The X-Factor".

It is good I would say. Otherwise I have always seen it as one of his strengths not to solo alot because he is the main writer for the band and could probably get his will through if he wanted to solo.

Just shows good craftsmanship in his songwriting. :bassist:

The only one that I would call a real solo is the intro to "Blood on the worlds hands" from the album "The X-Factor".

It is good I would say. Otherwise I have always seen it as one of his strengths not to solo alot because he is the main writer for the band and could probably get his will through if he wanted to solo.

Just shows good craftsmanship in his songwriting. :bassist:

yeah that Thing from the X-factor quite bizzare but brilliant.

harris rocks... does anyone know what kinda EQ settings he uses? i dont know how he can get that wicked bright clanky tone with a P bass and flats?

Regarding "how to play triplets" I've seen all the concert videos, and he definitely uses 2 plucking fingers not 3. Also, you can cheat and just play the first 2 notes of the 3 notes in the triplet since the third note usually corresponds to the downbeat and many non-musicians and even many musicians won't notice.

As an added bonus, here's the chords of every Steve Harris Maiden song: some combination of 1m 6 7 (usually Em C D, sometimes Em D C, occasionally throw a 5m in there like Phantom of the Opera Em Bm C D). Also, liberally use triplets and harmonize some guitar melodies. For lyrics: war/history; supernatural, occult, religious themes; dreams/nightmares; literature (esp science fiction). For vocal melodies: write notes just above the singer's range and use so many words that the singer cannot inhale. This will make it impossible to reproduce live and you, the mighty bass player mouthing but not singing the words, will always look better compared to the singer.

harris rocks... does anyone know what kinda EQ settings he uses? i dont know how he can get that wicked bright clanky tone with a P bass and flats?

A lot of his tone comes from his technique of plucking the strings so hard that they clank against the frets. A smaller part of it comes from the unusually bright flatwounds that he uses.

Maiden RULES!

I often play "Mariner" or "Clairvoyant" or "Heaven can Wait" during sound check. My emo bandmates frown. Soundmen buy me beer.

In high school I was in a band that played "Aces High", "Revelations", etc... Like Squire, Jaco or Geddy. You must admit Steve Harris has an immediately recognizable tone and style. How many bassists have that? That separates the men from the boys. You can go on all day about who is better than who.

I own a Fender Steve Harris P-Bass. I am a big Maiden Fan, but I really bought the Bass to replace my retired 1977 P-Bass. The Maiden Bass played very similar to my 77 P-Bass. I had a 78 P-Bass that the Maiden plays almost identically to. The Maiden bass rules, but actually doesn't inherently sound very Maiden-ish. My G&L did.

I love the Maiden-P bass. Only flaws: The fretwork aint great, the tuners are so-so, and I replaced to SD 1/4lb with an EMG. Now the bass does what a P-Bass does (James Jamerson tone).

I used stainless flats for a while because one of my bands mates frown on trebly bass tones. The flats don't necessarily dull your overall tone, but minimize fret noise while sliding between notes. This worked overall, but as the flats got dull, i was constantly having to re-arrange my amp's EQ. I found a better remedy. I have changed back to regular stings and sometimes stainless. I prefer to keep my bass as bright as possible (new strings, low action, tone up, active pick up) and use my amp's EQ to control the bite or harshness, and use my hands to control the attack. This works better than having a "dead" sounding bass, and trying to liven it up. you can't shine a turd.

Steve Harris obviously plays with a lot of treble. The flats kill the slide noise (gliss) not the attack noise. Without the flats we would hear tons of "screech". His tone is all usuing treble and finger attack. also he used an Ibanez musician with a P-J set-up for a lot of stuff. this nails his tone much easier than a P-Bass.

MM

I can sum this forum up with three simple yet powerful words.....
STEVE IS GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While 99% of bass players out there are satisfied bouncing around on the root notes, Steve made the bass to be a main instrument. I played guitar for 15 years, and recently changed to bass.

I am proud & honored to say Steve Harris, who I truly view as a "God", has been a major influence on my playing style.

Well, of course from my screen name, one could guess Steve Harris is my choice for best bassist. However, being a BRAND NEW player I am sure the likes of Billy Sheehan and lots of the jazz guys are going to further blow me away down the line. Metal is my first love and it will be hard to top Stevie though...

I can sum this forum up with three simple yet powerful words.....
STEVE IS GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While 99% of bass players out there are satisfied bouncing around on the root notes, Steve made the bass to be a main instrument. I played guitar for 15 years, and recently changed to bass.

I am proud & honored to say Steve Harris, who I truly view as a "God", has been a major influence on my playing style.

geezer butler made the bass a main instrument in my opinion...and that was 10 ish years before harris

I think Steve is an awesome bassist in an awesome band, his style infulenced me a lot.

geezer butler made the bass a main instrument in my opinion...and that was 10 ish years before harris

Entwistle and mcartney made the bass a main instrument, then geezer, then steve, then cliff (and that wasnt just main, that was lead bass) :bassist:

Steve Harris is a awesome bassist and songwritter. I remember being turned on to Killers for the first time. The sound of his bass and the tasteful bass lines blew me away. I hadnt started playing bass yet, I played the drums. After hearing the album, that was all it took to become a hardcore Maiden fan. He will always inspire me, and from what I hear is a cool person to hang with. I see Nicko in my neighborhood every once and a while (always has a nice thing to say) too.

I think it would be cool to know if any of these bassists belong to this forum and if they read what we have to say about them and contribute under an alias name. I am sure they do.

Entwistle and mcartney made the bass a main instrument, then geezer, then steve, then cliff (and that wasnt just main, that was lead bass) :bassist:

I think Chris Squire is in there, too.

I think Chris Squire is in there, too.

oh ya, its just that i dont really listen to that much yes. i should...

To the batcave!

his lines are simple, but damn that man has fast fingers :D

oh, and geddy. how could i have forgotten geddy?

I have the Rock in rio DVD and it's awesome a credit to all his hardwork even if he had to put up with Thundersticks :D If you have that documentary DVD you know what I'm talkin about

Number of the Beast
[/thread]

Ok, at a interview a Maidenfans.com, this prooves he plays only 2 fingers!

With how many fingers do you play,and do you have any tips for a young fellow bass player(me)?
Igor
Split, Croatia

Two and only play when you feel like it. Don't force it!

Steve, along with Bob Daisley, is my favorite metal bass player. His bass lines (and songwriting) are just so awesome!

Steve Harris rules there is no doubt. he and he alone is a reason i started playing bass. but i have a question.

how to kill people with the bass?

:hiding::hiding::hiding::hiding::hiding:

In 1981, when NOTB was released, I thought that the three finger gallup idea was pretty neat.

Dude..sorry to correct you, but Steve only uses TWO fingers. :bassist: It sounds like three, but it's only two. He's an awesome player with a very excellent command of the instrument and fine tuned technique.

However, on a personal note, I play with three fingers myself (right hand) and all four on my left. :p
Cheers!

A lot of his tone comes from his technique of plucking the strings so hard that they clank against the frets. A smaller part of it comes from the unusually bright flatwounds that he uses.

Absolutely correct Embellisher!

:)

I think this is in my profile, but in case y'all don't read it.

Steve Harris made me want to play bass. Anthony Wellington makes me want to be a better musician.

Steve only uses TWO fingers. It sounds like three, but it's only two.How does it 'sound' like three?

How does it 'sound' like three?

I think the galloping sound to many people makes it 'sound' like three.

Steve Harris has a disease...hope it never gets cured!

Disease: MUSIC!

'cos he's one SICK bass player! LOL!

:D