Steve Harris gallop

[FRoss6788]

Here's a couple of tutorials that might help.

Among the best tutorials online, Mark's great.

 

[InhumanResource]

Good evening, everyone. After 8 years of playing bass, and especially playing Iron Maiden, a few months ago I came to the terrible conclusion that I was doing Steve Harris' gallops wrong. My technique was, basically, galloping with the index and middle fingers, but alternating the first note of the triplet between the two: index, middle, index, and on the second beat, middle, index and middle, and so on. I started to notice that this way, the third note was always muffled, and it seemed more like two notes instead of three. After watching several videos of Harris playing live, and observing his hands, and listening to some bass tracks on YouTube, I noticed that he gallops with his index, middle and index again, and always follows this same technique. Well, I've been training for a week, and it's VERY DIFFICULT to play like that. My fingers lose strength and I start to have pain in my shoulder. I also always need to warm up for a while to get to a certain speed. I've already managed to play Killers, Run To The Hills, The Trooper and Caught Somewhere in Time, but they're still difficult. Caught Somewhere in Time seems almost impossible at times... I don't really know what to do and I would like opinions from people who have been through a similar situation.

My man, you’ve been playing less than a year. Comparing what you’re doing to Steve Harris is not fair to you!

Now that we’ve said that, Steve does it the way he does it because that is what works best for Steve. You can play the whole thing with just your index finger if that’s what works for you. If you were reading Steve’s stuff on staff, nobody is going to care hire you get through the material so long as all the pitches and rhythms come through as written. Don’t sweat copying how it’s done so much as actually executing the material.

 

[Sam Evans]

I’ve been doing it that way for decades.

That's because it's objectively the best way to do it!

 

[MCF]

That's because it's objectively the best way to do it!

I learned While Rabbit when I was 12 using three fingers. It just works naturally for me on certain songs. Rules are made to be broken.

 

[BenPlaysBass616]

I do index-index-middle when playing Maiden gallops. Not great at it yet, but passable. And to be honest I don't even know how Steve Harris does it.

 

[Shenron]

I just plain don't try to copy his technique. I know it's not what he's doing, but I do ring-middle-index. Well, the first downbeat is index, slight pause, then ring-middle-index, repeat ad infinitum. Sounds good to me, and very comfortable.

I do the same. Not that I am good enough to play them for real in a band, and it all breaks down when there are longer streaks than 3 notes, like 5.

 

[pluki7]

On slower songs (like "Powerslave") I do middle-index-middle like many others here seem to do.

On faster songs (like "The Trooper") I cheat and use three fingers.

No rules are set in stone, what matters most is how you sound.

I can still do middle-index-middle with "The Trooper" but I give up and use three fingers (ring-middle-index) on the very fast galloping parts in "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" where the vocal starts. I used to be able to do it with two fingers in my twenties, but not anymore. That poopie is ass.

 

[Asllan Pizzatto]

Thanks for everyone's tips, but it's quite complicated. I'm training every day with the metronome and with songs, and it seems that the more I train, the worse I get. At first I was able to play Killers, now I can't get past the first compass with the gallop. It seems like the intro itself tires your fingers. I'm very upset and thinking about giving up, because it seems impossible... but I also don't feel like galloping with 3 fingers. I wanted to do like Harris, but it's very difficult...

 

[PiquetBass]

Thanks for everyone's tips, but it's quite complicated. I'm training every day with the metronome and with songs, and it seems that the more I train, the worse I get. At first I was able to play Killers, now I can't get past the first compass with the gallop. It seems like the intro itself tires your fingers. I'm very upset and thinking about giving up, because it seems impossible... but I also don't feel like galloping with 3 fingers. I wanted to do like Harris, but it's very difficult...

Don't give up! I think you've just become drawn in to the TB rabbit-hole of opinion. You just have to find what works for you (which something clearly did - as you could play Killers!).
I'd suggest looking at just one of the instructional YouTube video streams, such as the ones from Mark at TalkingBass - and just work with that while ignoring every other suggestion. And start slowly.
If that video / technique doesn't work for you after a couple of weeks, then move on to the next suggested video or technique for a couple of weeks... and so on until you find the right one for you.

While Steve developed his style and stamina over many years of playing, it's not an impossible task. It just takes work.