Absolutely love Adrian's melodic style. His solos always surprise me.

As a long term Iron maiden fan, you totally nailed it. I find Adrian to be the most bluesy of all three

I really love all three maiden guitarrists but i like Daves Style the most

I think that Janick is very underrated. His solo in Parchment is amazing, just pure fire.

All three are great, but I've always been drawn to Dave's playing the most. His playing is buttery smooth. Adrian seems to like to build tension and let it release, and Janick is like a mad scientist, just throwing everything together.

Dave is my favourite of all time. His style just hypnotizes me.

Adrian solos are very bluesy and kind of in your face. Dave solos are very technical yet melodic. Janick solos are anthemic and define the overall sound of Maiden. I just love the combinations!!

Adrian is the best of the three, in my opinion. His solos sound the more well thought out. Sharp, structured, melodic riffs divided in sections but seemingly connected all at the same time. It's an awe to hear his time slots on any given Maiden track.

I've always considered Dave to be a little spacey, and very much a noodler when playing live. Adrian has a very distinct attack, very prickly, almost in the neighborhood of Angus Young. Janick is a bit of a wild card, but to my ears, he's very much a melody maker; his shredding is very fiery and "metal", but his most standout work has to be his anthemic melodies. What I love most is That they're all masters (nearly inventors) of that unmistakable English, almost gothic tonality, but they are all blues men at heart. Their layering of all three guitars in their later work is pretty damn subtle, I'm still hearing something new almost everytime, and I've been obsessed with em for half my life now haha

I don't have a favourite, I'm just grateful three musicians like them are all playing in the same band.

Despite being a life long maiden fan I never realized how much influence Murray had on my soloing but it makes so much sense now, thank you Nikko

Dave, most consistent flow Adrian, most creative “in the box” player Janick, chaotic yet beautiful

All 3 of them are my favourites

Cool video thanx, my favorite is Dave but analyzing Janick like this makes people apraciate it more, thank you

And this is why our favourite Maiden cover/lessons youtuber can play all 3 guitarist in a perfect way

I love em all but Janick is my favorite ❤

Ahh, just what I was looking for. Great explanations for non guitar players especially

I’ve always been more drawn to Dave’s playing, but I love all 3 of their styles!

Oh yea, its Dave for me. You really do him justice with your covering him I notice. All have awesome styles and that for me is why I love this band. Great job as usual.

Some great examples of each of Dave and Adrian's unique styles are their solo trade-offs to these following tracks: 1-Powerslave 2-Revelations 3- The Trooper 4-Flight of Icarus 5- Two Midnights to Midnight 6-Wrathchild 7-Number of the Beast 8- Caught Somewhere in Time 9- Alexander the Great 10- Aces High

It's amazing that these 3 guys have been playing for more than 10 years together now.

I'm a drummer and I always loved Adrian's solos and sound the best

Adrian is the most creative and influental for me, his solos are always the best in Iron Maiden!

Very informative analysis👍🏻 I’m again convinced that I almost always correctly identified each of the three! Thanks so much 🎩

You, my good man, are a musical genius. I have loved Iron Maiden for over 30 years but as life takes over, it is easy to forget how good they are. Finding your channel has reminded me just how fantastic so much of their music is. Thank you and keep up the great work.

But if you're a lifelong fan like myself, you can clearly tell even when you're listening to a song for the first time hahaha! Cool video my friend, keep it up!

That was very illustrative, the examples are perfect. Thanks for doing this video! It'll serve as a guide... have a nice day!

Just got to the end of the video, and realised I was mesmerized all the way through. Like you, I've been a Maiden fan for decades, and I can tell in an instant who's playing which parts. It's unmistakable to me, as clear as (for example) which kid is shouting "Mom! Dad!" But this is a great video, and unlike some KZfaqrs out there, it's accurate and spot on. You can tell that you've listened to each guitarist and understood how they play and how they've developed over time, rather than just listened to a few songs and read a few articles about their setup. Awesome work, and great skills too!

Great video and you gave a really good breakdown of the differences. I think Adrian's solos are the most carefully constructed, and as you explain his pacing is more nuanced. He tends to stick with the pentatonic. Dave's style is probably the most important in defining the unique Maiden sound, and he uses a lot of harmonic minor and Dorian. As for Janick, he's Richie Blackmore on helium!

I've just discovered your channel after searching to see who played the last solo on Writing on the Wall. Love your stuff, very informative!

Wow, you're ability to identify, classify, and even reproduce the subtleties of three distinct legendary guitarists makes all your videos compulsory viewing for those of us who appreciate the energy and brilliance of this great band. Your playing is also amazing; coming from your deep understanding of the musical intricacies, and no doubt many, many hours of dedicated listening and practice. Love your videos, man! Slowly getting through them.

Spot on explanations and imitations! I would be able to tell in seconds who you were imitating even without you telling!

Most excellent video, exactly what I was looking for!

Definitely a great video! Dave is my favorite style, no doubt!

All 3 guitarist's is god's!!! But i think most fast is dave More melodic is adrian And more skillful ,crazy, performance at lives and mix of dave and Adrian styles , and my favourite of all time Janick Gers!!!

Man it's impossible to tell who I like more! All of them have great solos it's actually incredible what these guys can do. AtM my favourite for each one of them are: Dave: Powerslave solo Adrian: Dance of Death solo Janick: Hallowed be Thy Name solo

This video is incredibly interesting!

Love adrian . He made a big impact on bruce Dickinsons 2 classic solo albums accident of birth and chemical wedding.

Oh wow, what an amazing video! I have zero ear for music and no knowledge of music at all, yet those guys are my number one hobby and have been for the last 19 years and you're the first person who expressed the differences between the Three Amigos so clearly!

Cool analysis. I really like Janick's solos from the Dance of Death record, which is when I got back into Maiden after a long absence. One thing about his tone that you really notice in live recordings is how he will use a Ritchie Blackmore technique of switching between the bridge and neck pickup often. If there's one thing about Janick that is frustrating, it's how he rarely plays solos live that sound much like the records, which is something that Adrian seems to do - probably because Adrian is known for working out his solos more than Dave or Janick. It is interesting how all three use similar gear - modified Strats into Marshalls - yet with some practice it is usually pretty easy to tell who is playing what. Although I'll admit I sometimes mix up Dave and Janick during a first listen to a song.

You are amazing brother. I love Iron Maiden, & what you are doing. I hear Dave Murray when I was a kid. I had to learn guitar at that point. I think my right hand “pick hand” has suffered for it……..haha. He may be the king of legato! Keep giving us the great info.

Thank you for making this video! I usually can recognize Dave and Adrian, but I often confuse Janick with Dave and/or not sure when Janick is playing. This was very useful and I’ll try to keep it in mind to try and recognize him better 😊 As to my personal favourite, it’s probably Dave as I really love bluesy, atmospheric solos, but it really depends on the song as other times Adrian’s playing really has an edge to it and he steals the show 🤘🏼

Enjoying your videos, like the variety of lessons, play throughs and then stuff like this. Looking forward to watching more in the future. Thanks for you hard work!

I'm not a guitar expert, or even a guitar novice, but I always know when Dave is soloing. It's that distinct "Maiden sound" that you don't hear from any other band

Dave was always my favorite guitarist and I always thought he was the better guitarist. Then, I joined an Iron Maiden tribute and was forced to play Adrian’s parts. I learned to not only appreciate Adrian’s playing but I now love his solos and his sense of melody is so authentic. I love his stuff on The Chemical Wedding.

It's always great to look more into the music than just playing covers. Great informative video. Thank you. :) My absolute favourite is Adrian. Those phrasings and vibrato, let alone his tone and all those pulls and pushes in the pace. Dave also has a very pleasant to hear style and Janick is crazy and great in his own way.

Jeezesss, whoever you are playing, dude, YOU shred! Totally enjoyed this video

Thank you , well explained! Niko.

For me Adrian is always the easiest to recognize. Great video! Really helpful :)

Cheeky little smirk after your example of Dave’s pace. Excellent video. You’re a talented guy. 👍

I love these videos, Nico, awesome stuff! 😃🤘🏼🤘🏼

Adrian, definitely :)

Definitely you are the master of Iron Maiden! You were spot on.

Love these kind of videos. Keep it up!

Brendan Fraser's Guitar review. Just kidding. On a serious note it is Dave, followed by Adrian. That does not mean Adrian is bad. I love Paschindale and Weekend Warrior. Man hatsoff to you for this wonderful video. BTW Janick is very underrated.

Thanks! Since I’m a guitarist, so I often try to figure out who’s playing what parts. I use the Songsterr App which gives me the different parts, but have to switch back and forth from each guitarist before I can put it all together.

Great video. When you mentioned Adrian's "slur" I remembered an interview with Bruce saying something along the lines of: "it's as if the notes are stumbling over each other and people pay attention because they wanna hear if it will work" Congrats on how your channel has grown man!

Adrian Smith is the one to got me to maiden still have alot of respect to his playing

Great video Nico, their differing styles is what I love ab out Maiden, well explained as usual. No More Lies is great to demo this. Adrian is my favourite for his articulation!

What a great video, you've earned a well deserved sub! For me, probably Adrian first and Dave a very close second. Jannick is a great player, and is not far behind.

Adrian has written by far in my opinion the best Maiden solo. Stranger in a strange land

Great playing and demonstration of their styles. I prefer Adrian's the most. I also love Dave's. Don't care for Janick's that much. Its too all over the place. He is an awesome player, but being an early Maiden fan, I prefer Adrian's and Dave's the most. Thanks for the videos. Keep them coming. Losfer words would be cool..

My mind knows that Adrian is the most well-rounded guitarist in the band, he's super melodic with an impeccable sense of rhythm, and many of his solos almost sound like a song within the actual song. I utterly enjoy all aspects of his work. Yet for some reason my heart is drawn to Janick's ferocity and untamedness. I don't even mind that he improvises so many of his solos live as he always seems to be having the time of his life. He basically plays what he wants, but he puts so much energy into it that it becomes hypnotic, and it also gives Iron Maiden a certain rougher edge. He also has some excellent slower, more melodic solos, like in Wasting Love or When the Wild Wind Blows. (5:32 sounds sort of like his solo in The Assassin? ;)) Great video, well done!

This is an awesome video! I’ve always been able to tell the difference between the guys, but I’ve never had the musical turn of phrase to be able to explain it because I’m not a musician. I enjoy your videos because I’m learning more about music terminology and song structure and it’s giving me an even deeper appreciation for Maiden! Keep up the great work.

You get it man! Very cool analysis! Top content!

good stuff. you really put this in good words and examples

Dave defines Maiden’s sound, along with Steve’s galloping lines… Can’t imagine Maiden without Dave… His technic is impeccable, and his sound is pristine…but Adrian’s a creative force… His solos are somehow more expressive and emotional, he experiments with alternative tunings and his sense of harmony is amazing… Love when he plays the low harmonies in live versions… And Janick… He’s a better songwriter and performer than guitar player…

Loved your channel buddy! Looking forward to your videos... Up The Irons from India! \m/

I love them all for different reasons but Adrian always comes out on top. His solo on Caught somewhere in time is just sublime. Jannick is alot of fun, he solos for the fun of it but not for the song, which is probably why people cannot warm to him live.

100% on point! thumbs up!

Wow! I have to say it’s a total joy to delve into your back catalog of videos and this one is pure gold! I decided to watch one more before heading to bed and was glad I picked this one. I think all three guitar players really contribute a lot but the one that speaks to me the most frequently is Adrian. His songwriting, playing, and occasionally singing are top notch. Starting with number of the beast, Adrian’s compositions started having a positive impact on songs the band recorded. For Guitar playing of course the positive impact started with killers. While I can’t imagine iron maiden without Dave (I especially love his slow melodic solos like his first solo in the title track on Powerslave but his fast solos like the title track on Number of the beast are fantastic too) it is Adrian’s playing that I best identify with. I think a great example that clearly shows the three styles in the solos section is the track El Dorado on The Final Frontier album and that is also a great example of why I like Adrian the best. Another Ace video Nico! Thanks!

Very interesting Thanks ! 😃

Daveys style wins it for me but Adrians tone and thought out solos are superb... Janick seems a little too messy for me and not as planned out, but a great Live performer. All great guitarists in their own way. Great video by the way.

Quite an interesting description of the players. Being a Maiden fan myself for years, I am still not always sure whose solo I'm hearing when hearing totally new songs. I noticed some of those features myself (in phrasing, in particular), but just knowing this doesn't always unmistakably help in figuring out who played the solo I'm hearing now. For me, for quite a long time Dave was the most interesting of them because his fluent style (like many here noticed, "hypnotic") has a very seamless flow and is always very melodic. Though later, as I progressed as a guitarist myself, I started to get an impression that, though containing very many notes and flowing constantly, his solos sometimes seem to flow around one whole-solo-long note, and those individual notes are just a confetti which he throws on the audience in a random order (especially when he improvises instead of playing the album versions). And in recent years, I began to really appreciate Adrian's approach, he is the most laconic and his notes always hit the right spot. Janick is very good in playing melodic licks which are not part of solos. His playing technique is very good, his phrases are decent, no abrupt endings, or unnecessary vibratos, just melody pieces that he plays very well. And also, he can play iconic singing solos if he wants to. (Blood Brothers). But the thing is, most of the times he doesn't want to. :) And his solos sometimes are not even confetti but rather a bunch of metal shavings that barely fit in the scale.

I was expected a breakdown of who did which solos/riffs, but what I got was even better. Though I’m still going to comb thru KZfaq for a video to tell me who does what, make sure I’m hearing things right.

You should do a video on Janick's approach to Adrian's solos . I always thought they were a bit messy.

Dave Murray . Great style that makes you pick the guitar and start playing

I like adrian most

Love Maiden. Definitely a top 10 band for me

Love the "Women in Uniform" album art:)

Thank you for breaking all of this down. It was very helpful!

My vote goes to Janick. 🎸🤘

this so interesting to me, besides the fact I'd always wondered how they divided up solos etc. you explained it very well, thanks ..i like all 3 guitarists but each has their own style, And it sets them apart so easily..

I love to rewind the parts where the solos are.I think the solo is a jewellery in song.

Always leaned towards Dave as my favorite of the three, but Adrian is less virtuoso and more dirty in his playing which is phenomenal. Janick is a a beast all on his own. He seems to borrow from both while staying uniquely himself. When I saw them in ‘91 after Adrian had left and Janick was the number two, I felt a little cheated because the on-stage chemistry was not the same. However, Janick kept them going with some great work and when they kept him after Adrian came back, it was a genius move. Just saw them in Tampa last week, another amazing show.

A different and interesting video!

As a non player and a huge Maiden fan I really enjoy watching this. It gives so much more depth to listening to Maiden. Thanks. By the way, Amith to me is a bit more of a bluesy and rythm guitar player, but that's just an impression.

Man that's a tough one. I think my favorite largely depends on the particular song and the mood it conveys. I absolutely love Jannick's acoustic passages. The fact that you have to really listen and think about the solos to figure out who is playing what is really amazing. It's easy if you get to watch them play, but just listening it's hard to tell at times. When I was new to the band, I didn't know different people did the solos. They flow so well that it felt like it was one player.

Great video! Very immersive!

Did anybody else catch the little bit from Afraid to Shoot Strangers in the pacing section for Janick

Like Daves solos the most! The best solo combo is imho the 90s cast!

My fav is all 3 of them none above the other and all essential to the Maiden Identity.

An element to this central to Iron Maiden at large that could(should) comprise another video is narrative. All three have their own way at prescribing narrative to the song

another tip if you struggle to see who plays what during a Maiden concert. Adrian: Rythm and Lead guitar. Dave: Rythm and Lead guitar Janick: Goofy dance moves.

Adrian is my favourite to listen to, Janick is my favourite to watch and Dave is my favourite to play

If I could sum up each of their styles in one word it would be: Dave - Fluid Adrian - Precise Janick - Erratic

Adrian all day everyday he is the most unique and there is no mistaking its him.

No one can touch Dave. He's so underated in the world of guitarists.

Excellent lesson , love maiden 🎸

As a long term Iron maiden fan (and a long term guitarist :-) you totally nailed it