Adrian Smith and Dave Murray form a perfectly complementary guitar duo in Iron Maiden, with unique styles. Before the band, they played together in Urchin , where Smith learned hands-on, inspired by artists such as Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple and Status Quo . His focus has always been on being in a band and composing, rather than pursuing formal training.
They are the perfect combination of guitars; both possess unique styles that complement each other within Iron Maiden . In this regard, we cannot fail to mention Janick Gers , who completes the greatest guitar trio of all time.
Smith has shaped his style over the years, but, as he himself mentioned in a recent interview with Radar Music ( via Whiplash! ), his beginnings were like those of any guitarist, mirroring his heroes: “When I started, my hero was Ritchie Blackmore . But, obviously, you can't play like him right away.”
Interestingly, the Smith/Murray duo didn't start out in Iron Maiden! The guitarists are longtime friends and, before playing together in the band that made them famous, they were part of the English hard rock band Urchin. During that time, they both began challenging each other on the guitar, and the rest is history.
According to Adrian: “We were playing stuff by the [ Rolling ] Stones and the Beatles , plus a lot of Status Quo. Dave taught me barre chords, which is what Quo played. When I perfected that, I thought, 'well, if I can play one chord, I've got them all.' But my dad said, 'You're going to learn it right,' and sent me to a teacher. He'd say, 'Play an open C.' I didn't have the slightest idea how to play any open chord. The guitar lessons didn't last. But Status Quo was the way to go when I was a kid, because you could play, you could make something happen, it was very simple.”
However, learning music in a didactic way, like in a conservatory, wasn't the style that best suited the guitarist. “You have guys who have been playing guitar since they were kids, taking formal lessons, practicing three or four hours a day. I never did that. I wanted to be in a band. I wanted to sing, I wanted to play, I wanted to compose. I didn't necessarily want to be a virtuoso.”
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