Artist: Iron Maiden (written by Steve Harris)
Title: Blood Brothers
Album/Source: Brave New World
Tab Author: Colonel Psycho (psycho@TarantulaDev.com)
IRON MAIDEN -- BLOOD BROTHERS
-----------------------------
This happens to be the first tab I've written and posted, which may
explain why I have made an effort to lay out the tab neatly, :)
The first scales I learnt were G major and G pent. so I was playing
around in these scales and accidently played the lead melody riff.
Since I reckon Iron Maiden are great, and Brave New World is, like,
one of the best metal/rock albums of all time, I HAD to try and play
the whole thing. Eventually, I got everything except the first solo
(it's way too fast for my ears to catch, never mind play!). But,
you'll be pleased to know the awesome second solo (near the end of
the track) isn't as hard to play as it sounds, you just have to get
the string-bends and timing right.
Note: this tab does not ACCURATELY portray timing. Listen to the
song, as the tab notes are layed out to ROUGHLY portray timing!
This song is in the key of G-major, and frequently uses the scales
Gmaj 4 and Gmaj 5. Below are these two scale positions. Learn them
well if you don't know them already, in both directions!
G-major scale: position 4
e |----------------------------------------10-12---------|
b |-------------------------------10-12-13---------------|
g |-----------------------9-11-12------------------------|
D |---------------9-10-12--------------------------------|
A |-------9-10-12----------------------------------------|
E |-10-12------------------------------------------------|
G-major scale: position 5
e |-------------------------------------------12-14-15---|
b |----------------------------------12-13-15------------|
g |-------------------------11-12-14---------------------|
D |-------------------12-14------------------------------|
A |----------12-14-15------------------------------------|
E |-12-14-15---------------------------------------------|
BACKGROUND INFO
---------------
It is designed for 3 guitars. "Guitar A" refers to an acoustic,
"Guitar B" refers to the first electric (always with strong
distortion), and finally "Guitar C" refers to the second electric
(typically clean using rear pickup, occasional light distortion).
The song contains 12 riffs. Here's a short description of each,
in order of appearance:
RIFF A -- Intro: Guitar A
RIFF B -- Intro lead and misc melody: Guitar C
RIFF C -- Same as Riff A, but slightly different rhythm!
RIFF D -- Verse rhythm: Guitar B, also bkgnd orch strings
RIFF E -- Chorus: Guitar A and B
RIFF F -- Break: Guitar A and B
RIFF G -- Pre-solo interlude (mutation of Riff B): Guitar C
RIFF H -- First solo (NOT TABBED!) -- Guitar C
RIFF I -- Post-solo interlude: Guitar C
RIFF J -- 2nd verse rhythm: Guitar A
RIFF K -- 2nd verse lead (over Riff J): Guitar C
RIFF L -- Second solo riff: Guitar C
SONG TABS
---------
[ KEY ]
- h = hammer-on (do note without picking string)
- ^ = string bend
- ~ = tremolo (fingered or with wh. bar; your choice)
- / = slide (up or down)
- etc = placeholder for rhythm pattern in chord
RIFF A
[ This sounds odd at first, like the guitar should
be playing the end bit lower (ie tuning it all
down). But believe me, the bass goes lower not
the guitar. ]
.
.
D |---------------------------5---5------7------|
A |-----2---2------5------3-----3-----5-----5---|
E |-0-----0-----3-----3-5-----------------------|
repeat above 3 times, then this...
. (same, but last two pwr chords in opposite order)
.
D |---------------------------7---7------5------|
A |-----2---2------5------5-----5-----3-----3---|
E |-0-----0-----3-----3-5-----------------------|
RIFF B
e |---------------------------------------------|
b |------------13----12-10-12----10----10-------|
g |-9-------------------------------12----12-11-|
D |------10-12----------------------------------|
A |---------------------------------------------|
E |---------------------------------------------|
e |---------------------------------------------|
b |------------13----12-10-12----10-------------|
g |-9-------------------------------12----12-11-|
D |------10-12-------------------------12-------|
A |---------------------------------------------|
E |---------------------------------------------|
RIFF C
[ same pwr chords as riff A, just a different rhythm ]
RIFF D
all palm-muted
e |-----------------------------------------------------|
b |-----------------------------------------------------|
g |---------------------------5-5----5---5-7-7----7---7-|
D |-2-2----2---2-5-5----5---5-5-5----5---5-7-7----7---7-|
A |-2-2----2---2-5-5----5---5-3-3----3---3-5-5----5---5-|
E |-0-0----0---0-3-3----3---3---------------------------|
repeat above 3 times, then this...
(same, but last two pwr chords in opposite order)
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/i/iron_maiden/blood_brothers_tab_ver_3.html ]
e |-----------------------------------------------------|
b |-----------------------------------------------------|
g |---------------------------7-7----7---7-5-5----5---5-|
D |-2-2----2---2-5-5----5---5-7-7----7---7-5-5----5---5-|
A |-2-2----2---2-5-5----5---5-5-5----5---5-3-3----3---3-|
E |-0-0----0---0-3-3----3---3---------------------------|
RIFF E
Chorus riff. Get the rhythm right by listening to the song.
The chords are, curiously, the same as the chords for
The Wicker Man (from the same album)...
e |-----------------------------------------|
b |-----------------------------------------|
g |-9---------5--------------------7--------|
D |-9-etc-----5-etc-----5----------7-etc----|
A |-7---------3---------5-etc------5--------|
E |---------------------3-------------------|
RIFF F
The break riff ("There are times that I feel I'm afraid for
the world, there are times I'm ashamed of us all...")
e |------------------------------------|
b |------------------------------------|
g |-7--------9-----------------5-------|
D |-7-etc----9-etc----5--------5-etc---|
A |-5--------7--------5-etc----3-------|
E |-------------------3----------------|
RIFF G
Same as Riff B, just different timing.
RIFF H
The impossibly fast solo-riff...
I can't tab this. If anyone can, let me know and POST IT!
RIFF I
e |---------------------------------------------|
b |-----12---10---12---------13---12------10----|
g |-9----------------------------------------12-|
D |---------------------------------------------|
A |---------------------------------------------|
E |---------------------------------------------|
repeat a whole bunch of times, then slide the first
note -- the 9th fret on g -- down to second fret at
the end (you'll hear it when you listen to the song)
RIFF J
.
.
D |---2-2---2-2---7-7---5-5-|
A |-0-----0-----5-----3-----| (x2)
E |-------------------------|
.
.
D |-------------------------|---2-2---2-2---2-2---2-2-|
A |---2-2---5-5---2-2---5-5-|-0-----0-----0-----0-----|
E |-0-----3-----0-----3-----|-------------------------|
RIFF K
The lead that kicks in after over Riff J after J has been
played once. This is very difficult and takes practise;
in my opinion it is harder than the second solo riff.
Each "|---" to "---|" is three eighth beats, but the tab
is only rough; it's just to give some idea of the timing.
e |------------------|--------------|-10---------|
b |---------------10-|-12---10---12-|------12-10-|
g |-9-11-12-11-12----|--------------|------------|
.
. ^^^^ FAST BIT!
e |-------------|--------------|-----------|
b |-12----------|-10----h12~~~~|~~-10---12-|
g |------10-----|--------------|-----------|
D |---------12--|--------------|-----------|
.
.
e |-10----------|-------------|-----------|
b |-------12-10-|-12----10----|-10~~~~~~~~|
g |-------------|----------12-|-----------|
.
.
e |------------|----------------|--------------|
b |~~~-----10--|-12/13---12--10-|-12----10-----|
g |----12------|----------------|-----------12-|
.
.
e |------|------------|------------|------------|---------|
b |------|------------|------------|------------|---------|
g |-9~~~~|~~~~-9---11-|-12----11-9-|-11----9----|-9-------|
D |------|------------|------------|---------12-|-----9~~~|
A |------|------------|------------|------------|---------|
E |------|------------|------------|------------|---------|
e |----------|-----------|-----------|-------|---------|
b |----------|-----------|-----------|-------|---------|
g |--------9-|-12---11-9-|-11---9----|-9-----|----9-11-|
D |~~~-12----|-----------|--------12-|-------|---------|
A |----------|-----------|-----------|-------|---------|
E |----------|-----------|-----------|-------|---------|
e |-----------|-----------|-------|--------|
b |-----------|-----------|-------|--------|
g |-12---11-9-|------9-11-|-9~~~~~|~~~~~~--|
D |-----------|-12--------|-------|--------|
A |-----------|-----------|-------|--------|
E |-----------|-----------|-------|--------|
RIFF L
The second solo-riff, near the end. Light distortion, but
plenty of gain will get that 'naturally semi-harmonic'
sound you want for this. Timing note: each | to | is one
whole bar (2/2).
e |-12---12~~~~10-|-12---10-h12---12---14-|
b |---------------|-----------------------|
.
.
e |-15---14-12-------12-14-|-12~~~~~--18/19~~~~|
b |------------15----------|-------------------|
.
.
e |-19~~~-17-15-14---15-14-|---------12-14-|
b |------------------------|-15~~~~--------|
.
.
e |-14/15---14-12-------12-14-|-12~~~~~~-----12^---|
b |----------------15---------|--------------------|
.
.
e |----------------------12---------12----|
b |-14-12----12----12-14-------15---------|
g |-------14----14------------------------|
.
.
e |-12~~~~----19~~~~~-|-19-15-17-15-17-19-17-15-19~~~~-17-15-17-|
b |-------------------|-----------------------------------------|
.
.
e |-12~~~~~~~----|---12--------------|
b |--------------|-------------------|
.
. ^^ slowly dive with the whammy bar
(or slide, but the bar is better)
SONG STRUCTURE
--------------
If you make head from tail of my tab by listening to the song,
the structure is pretty self-explanitory based on the short
descriptions at the top of this tab (the "background info"
section)
