Iron Maiden Gallop

[guitarrock24]

I am learning The Trooper right now. I am a 100% finger plucker and I only use my index and middle finger. What should I do to get my ring fingers freely moving. It just follows my middle finger. Any advice on how to get this technique sounding good.

[low-endz]

Hi

Its been well discussed here: Need help with galloping.

[Human Bass]

Harris himself doesnt use his ring, yes, he is a 2 finger player. But a lot of people find easier to make that gallop patner with 3 fingers.

[fatbassman]

You could always use a pick! The trooper is EASY with a pick. Yes, I know Harris doesn't use one... who cares.

[ysand]

Yes, but:
When u manage to play it with 2 fingers, u will be so proud of your right hand technique

[guitarrock24]

any suggestions on how to make it sound right

[slackinatthebas]

use three fingers. start slow... very slow. and slowly work your way up.

[nicoli]

It's very play-able with two fingers. Personally, I use 1 1-2-1 1-2-1. Like has been said, start slow and build up once you get the rhythm ingrained.

For some reason it always seems easier playing it with a band than along with the recording, more adrenaline going or something.

or just go to my youtube channel, EaglesProblemChild is my name. i do a gallop lesson

[BillMason]

It's just playing notes, there's no technique called "gallop" and you don't need more than two fingers. Practice it to get your speed up. I've been playing it with two fingers since 1985, and Steve's been playing it that way since 1983. If you want to play it with three, go nuts, but like anything else all it takes doing it over and over again, in other words, practice.

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Originally Posted by guitarrock24

I am learning The Trooper right now. I am a 100% finger plucker and I only use my index and middle finger. What should I do to get my ring fingers freely moving. It just follows my middle finger. Any advice on how to get this technique sounding good.

I play "The Trooper" using only index and middle (Not a great video/performance, but anyway you can see/hear my version here). The thing is, when this gallop pattern (One eighth note plus two sixteenths) appears on a slower tune like "The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner", for example, I use I-I-M. But for faster songs like "The Trooper" or "Run To The Hills", that approach kills the hand pretty quickly. I use strict alternation (I-M-I-M-I-M) for those cases.

Hope this helps.

[josbroek]

Pointer finger: P
Middle: M

PPMPPMPPMPPMPPMPPMPPM , thats the way to play it, i can play maiden songs like that with two fingers and im never gonna try it with 3

[Mikio]

Originally Posted by nicoli

It's very play-able with two fingers. Personally, I use 1 1-2-1 1-2-1. Like has been said, start slow and build up once you get the rhythm ingrained.

For some reason it always seems easier playing it with a band than along with the recording, more adrenaline going or something.

yup, that's how the cookie crumbles.

[John Wentzien]

I'm a 1 2-1-2 1-2-1 2-1-2 kinda guy.

[Michael Campbel]

Originally Posted by Alvaro Martín Gómez A.

you can see/hear my version here)

Wow, nice!

[jdieh1]

I "gallop" with three fingers, I find that it is easier that way. I go 3-2-1 3-2-1 3-2-1...

[Oric]

I do it with one finger a lot, I kinda hold it between my thumb and middle finger and almost use it like a pick

[bassyeah]

Originally Posted by guitarrock24

any suggestions on how to make it sound right

just keep practicing it... either 2 or 3 fingers. I like the way 2 sounds better then 3 but if it gets going too fast I will use 3 starting with my ring finger... the other two just follow.

[Alduroth]

1-2-1 or 3-2-1 works for me.
you can compare it with a horse gallops..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS7NXRQXem4
Bryan Beller explains some good stuff here.

You can easily do most Iron Maiden songs with two fingers. However, if you can actually play Iced Earth's Disciples of the Lie with two fingers, you're getting close to immortality.