
riff 1
  Theres an evil virus threatening mankind
G||———————(11)————————(14)———————(11)—————————(14)—|
D||————(9)————————(12)————————(9)—————————(12)—————|
A||——7—————————10———————————7——————————10——————————|
E||————————————————————————————————————————————————|

  |———————(11)————————(14)——————(11)————————(14)—||
  |————(9)————————(12)———————(9)————————(12)—————||
  |——7—————————10——————————7—————————10——————————||
  |——————————————————————————————————————————————||

Play five times

riff 2
   Rape of the mind is a social disorder
G||————————————————————————————————————||
D||————————————————————————————————————||
A||——3——3—3———3——3—————3——3—3————3—3—5—||
E||————————————————————————————————————||
 
   play two times

repeat all of the above


then play riff 1 twice  riff 2 twice and then riff 1 two times
then play

riff 3
G||—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D||—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A||——7—7—7—7—7—7—7—7——7—7—7—7—7—7—7—7——3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3——3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—|
E||—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

  |—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
  |————————————————————————————————————5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5——————————————————|
  |——5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5——5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5———————————————————5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—|
  |—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

play this twice

riff 4
     When every good things laid to   waste with all the jealousy and 
G||—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D||—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A||——7—7—7—7—7—7—7—7——7—7—7—7—7—7—7—7——3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3——3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—|
E||—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

     hate       by all the acid wit and rapier          lies
  |——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————||
  |—————————————————————————————————————5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5——————————————————||
  |——5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5——5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5———————————————————5—5—5—5——————————||
  |——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————5—5—5—5—||

play this twice

riff 5
     All   in    your mind      all   in    your
G||———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D||——————————————————5—5—5—4—4—4——————————————————————5—5—5—4—4—4—————|
A||——7—7—7—7—7—7—7—7—————————————5—5——3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—————————————5—5—|
E||———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

     head            try   to     relate               it
  |————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————||
  |——————————————————5—5—5—4—4—4———————————————————————————7—7—5—5—4—4—||
  |——7—7—7—7—7—7—7—7—————————————5—5——3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3——5—5—————————————||
  |————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————||

play riff 5 twice

now play riff 4 two times and then riff 5 twice
but on the last time you play riff 5 you play it like this
to cross over to riff 6

riff 5  (last time)
G||———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D||——————————————————5—5—5—4—4—4——————————————————————5—5—5—4—4—4—————|
A||——7—7—7—7—7—7—7—7—————————————5—5——3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—————————————5—5—|
E||———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

  |—————————————————————————————————————————————————||
  |————————————————5—5—5—4—4—4——————————————————————||
  |——7—7—7—7—7—7—7—————————————5—5——3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—||
  |—————————————————————————————————————————————————||


riff 6
G||————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D||————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A||——5——5——5——5—5—5——5—5——3——3——3——3—3—3——3—3——7——7——7——7—7—7——7—7—|
E||————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

  |——————————————————————||
  |——————————————————————||
  |——5——5——5——5—5—5——5—5—||
  |——————————————————————||

play this ten(?) times

and then riff 6 four more times during the "rats in the cellar" part

finally you play this

outro
     Watching beginnings of social decay
G||———————(11)————————(14)———————(11)————————(14)———————(11)————————(14)—||
D||————(9)————————(12)————————(9)————————(12)————————(9)————————(12)—————||
A||——7—————————10———————————7—————————10———————————7—————————10——————————||
E||——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————||

About Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden are a British heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975. The band is directed by founder, bassist and songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the group has released a collective total of thirty albums: fourteen studio albums; seven live albums; four EPs; and five compilations.

How to Read Bass Tabs

Bass tablature (tabs) is an easy way to learn songs without needing to read traditional sheet music. Here’s a quick guide to understanding the symbols and techniques commonly found in tabs:

1. The Basics

Strings and Frets:
Each line in a tab represents a string on your bass:
- The top line is the highest-pitched string (G on a 4-string bass).
- The bottom line is the lowest-pitched string (E on a 4-string bass).
Numbers on the lines indicate which fret to press. For example:
```
G|-------------------|

D|-------------------|

A|---3---------------|

E|-------------------|

            
```
This means you play the 3rd fret on the A string.

2. Common Techniques

Hammer-On (h):
Play the first note by picking it, then press down on a higher fret with another finger without picking again.
```
G|-------------------|

D|-------5h7---------|

            
```
Pull-Off (p):
Pluck a note and then "pull off" your finger to let a lower fret ring.
```
G|-------------------|

D|-------7p5---------|

            
```
Slide (/ or \):
Move your finger up (/) or down (\) the fretboard while maintaining pressure.
```
G|-------------------|

D|-------5/7---------|

            
```

3. Advanced Techniques

Bend (b): Push the string up or down to raise the pitch. Example: G|-------7b9---------|
Vibrato (~): Shake the string slightly after playing a note to create a vibrating sound. Example: G|-------7~----------|
Muted Notes (x): Rest your finger lightly on the string without pressing a fret and pluck for a percussive "click" sound.

4. Rhythm and Timing

Tabs don’t always indicate timing, so listen to the song while reading the tab. Wider spaces between numbers mean longer pauses, while closer numbers indicate quicker notes.

5. Slap and Pop

Slap (s): Strike the string with the side of your thumb for a percussive sound.
Pop (p): Pull the string away from the fretboard and let it snap back.

Practice Makes Perfect

Tabs are a great tool to learn songs, but mastering the techniques takes practice. Listen carefully to the original track and play along to lock in the rhythm. Don’t rush — smooth, accurate playing is more important than speed. Happy jamming! 🎸

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Iron Maiden — Virus bass tabs