The RIFFS of Piece Of Mind

[@freddyferrillo9704]

This channel is like an Iron Maiden music encyclopedia. It's even better actually!

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Hey thanks so much man!

[@freddyferrillo9704]

No man.....thank you! Your channel and your knowledge of Iron Maiden music has answered so many things that I've been wondering about for 35 years! And I mean that. I'm not exaggerating. Peace bro.

[@HolyDio666]

@@freddyferrillo9704 Well said, same here.

[@johnross2924]

The trooper is where it all began for me back in 1983 🎸🇬🇧

[@TheEricthefruitbat]

Piece of Mind is my favorite Maiden album. Most consistent from beginning to end, and just freakin' great all around.

[@dudleyhamby2029]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for making these videos. My favorites MAIDEN albums are Piece Of Mind, Seventh Son and as strange as it may be No Prayer For The Dying. I wore these cassettes out during my teenage years during the 90s. Hearing you play these songs takes me back to a much simpler sweeter time in life when the world wasn't so complicated. So THANK YOU so very much once again for the great music and bringing some wonderful memories back for me from my life. You are AMAZING my friend. Be well and keep it up.

[@tomjut9761]

I battle myself constantly if this or Somewhere in time is their best album. ❤

[@petrosgentilini]

Jesus mate!! Great explanation

[@panossamaras9160]

Dude I'm totally impressed. All your videos are so interesting. Very cool, "sophisticated" point of view on Maiden's guitar playing , with very polite and humble style by one great guitar player. Nothing else to say my friend, just a big BRAVO

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Efharisto poli my man 🙏 Your kind words are encouraging and very much appreciated! Really means a lot 🤜🤛

[@robertbarnes8327]

Just road-tripped Sydney-Melbourne-Sydney with a few fresh Iron Maiden CD's (Incl. Piece of Mind), so your insights have really helped a lot and made my appreciation for Iron Maiden all the more worthwhile! AirCon not working, windows down in 34 C at 110 km/hr, but Iron Maiden at max volume helped me get through and made my road trip very special. Despite the conditions of heat and no air-con: the wonderful guitars of Murray, Smith & Gers made my trip a pleasure. Love your vids.

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Considering it's the dead of winter here with -15⁰C outside, the thought of driving with 34⁰ and the windows down sounds VERY appealing right now 😄 Glad you enjoyed the video, my man! Up the irons 🤜🤛

[@jasongeorgeson8551]

The flight of icarus is the song that started my lifelong love affair with maiden and the guitar. I remember the day I first heard it even now, it’s burned into my memory. Absolutely loved this video mate I can’t like it enough. Your show gets better and better. Maybe periodically you could do a breakdown like this of all their albums.

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

It's incredible how you never forget the first time you hear great, impactful music! Thank you so so much for the encouraging words. I will definitely make more of these!

[@olgak.1139]

The videoclip of Flight of Icarus introduced me for the 1st time,ever, to the Iron Maiden's epic realm.

[@sjbelias]

Always thought this was their Heaviest album! Some of the best songs ever!

[@benedictdonald4338]

Same with me. Song knocked me over…still one of my favs.

[@dudleyhamby2029]

The Trooper & Where Eagles Dare are AMAZING!!!!

[@suetruett3812]

I've always thought Steve Harris to be a genius, his lyric's are incredible and to my mind there isn't a song that lets you down. He draws you in and then keeps you right there with him in the song. I really like this song too. Seeing your guitars is cool tooo Nico..

[@Harry_van]

How those guys could create so deep and remarkable songs? My ears definitely can't recognize so many details like yours Nicko 👏👍

[@zbudgiez]

Yes this is how great albums are made. Thanks for sharing the introspection of the riffs.

[@rodoglez11]

I followed you since you started on Instagram and it's the best channel for Maiden fans who are guitarists. To me Piece of Mind is the perfect Iron Maiden album. You should do a riff analysis for Somewhere in Time next!

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

That means a hell of a lot, man! Thank you for supporting me all this time and I do plan on doing a whole thing on Somewhere In Time later in the year. I will take my time with it because I want it to be something really cool as it's my favourite Maiden album 😊

[@vozmajster1011]

I'm so glad you included the Die With Your Boots On chorus riff! I love it so much, one of the classic ones that made me love Maiden even more when I first heard it! You said those riffs weren't so noticeable within the whole songs, but especially with this one I heard it instantly and just loved it, no questions asked! I only just found your channel recently and it's so nice to see someone who shares the same passion for Maiden's music as I do, props to you, brother! Up The Irons! 🤘🏻

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

I'm glad you're glad! And I don't remember if I played it correctly on this video but I go into a lot more detail (including Dave and Adrian's complementary parts) in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJ67qGiFh9GGiZY

[@vozmajster1011]

@@LicksOfTheBeast Gonna watch it for sure as soon as possible! \m/

[@ivan666waste5]

I like so much how he tunes the guitar tone carefully in the videos, to sound like in the album. Great discover for me this channel; dedicated guitar videos with the love, admiration and respect to Maiden. Great job!

[@thehighdeath5562]

Definitely. POM has such a mid heavy guitar sound and overall production too. Very distinct.

[@LuisMiguelCostaVideos]

This gentleman is a Guitar "beast"!! Bless him!!

[@thorstenriedel3152]

It is absolutely unbelievable what Iron Maiden has created........Even after 40 years it is so fresh and powerful.......not of this earth.........

[@marcianojuniormaraschin5080]

You are the beast, Nico. Thank you!!!

[@marianoperez8079]

Awesome video, man! Piece of Mind was the first album of Maiden I bought... Blew/blows my mind! To Tame a Land, I believe, it's based on the movie or the book Dune... Don't know if it is official... But lyrics referes to it! Thanks, mate!

[@fbomb7184]

I was so looking forward to hearing your take on the “Flight of Icarus” riff but instead you turned my wings to ashes, to ashes my grave.

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

It's not much of a riff... It's literally just chugging on one note 😁 I do have a cover and a tutorial of the song though... And I talk about the chorus riff towards the end of this video. That's a lot of Icarus!

[@alexhollon7526]

What sells Revelation to me is actually the melody overtop that riff. The riff has a bluesy quality to it, but Bruce's melody, though so simple, is weirdly magnetic. Probably because of the way he controls his breathing, giving the melody a calming tone. Don't know how else to explain it.

[@darrenc8776]

The guitar tone you have here is absolutely perfect.

[@PedroCaminoMUFC]

Loved it! You even got the guitar tone from the record.

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Thanks man! It came out a bit more compressed sounding than I would have liked but at least it's in the ballpark 🙂

[@danielprinse1471]

Piece of mind was the first album bought and ignited my love for Iron Maiden.

[@Shazeen82]

I bought Killers first and Piece of Mind as secound. I loved the snairdrum chain rattle in Revelations!

[@prz2]

love this channel, Maiden is my favorite band so I enjoy all this stuff, new fan from Mexico!

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Muchisimas gracias! I really appreciate your support 🙏

[@PolarisCastillo]

Made in Mexico! 🇲🇽 Maiden Mexico!

[@ryant3600]

My all time favorite Maiden album. Not a bad song on it. Especially for that time period.. it still stands up for sure. I have so many great memories of just sitting in my room listening to this album over and over and looking through the art work and cover etc..

[@taahod]

Great vid again man. Piece of Mind is my ‘default’ IM album. The tone just hits me right in my happy spot every single time, especially that opening Revelations riff. I was worried Flight of Icarus wasn’t going to get any love because that chorus riff is a big favourite for me too so glad to see it make its way into your montage at the end!

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Thanks a ton! Revelations is actually one of my very favourite IM songs. And yeah the chorus to Icarus has so much drive and momentum... I couldn't not mention it ☺️

[@jongolsteyn7031]

Great video of my favorite Maiden album.

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Thank you!! Cheers 🤘🤘

[@lucabriguglia9785]

Piece Of Mind and Seventh Son are on top of my list!

[@renzo4296]

Absolutely amazing explanation of their arrangements and composition to this phenomenal album, piece of mind is probably my favorite album by Iron Maiden ever, they are masters of their craft and there's so much composition involved in their music, I always noticed that there are distinctive sounds when they played but never understood how they could highlight each other, Dave and Adrian , or how they could play in such a way that Steve's base lines would highlight Dave and Adrian's rhythms and riffs, absolutely genius composition and proportion. You're an excellent teacher and you understand completely how all of this works. Thank you so much.

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

1000 thanks my man! I'm so glad you're finding value in these videos. I'm enjoying discovering some cool little things in their songs now after many years with more experience and knowledge than I had back when I was first learning them as a teenage guitarist and I'm glad it's fun and interesting to others as well 🙂

[@sabrepax9012]

Great analyse. Piece of Mind is definitly the quintessential Iron Maiden opus. It s the one I would bring on a desert Island if I had only one permitted. I think its strenght is mainly because of the imput of the Lennon/McCartney type musical composition, i.e. the Smith-Dickinson/Harris balanced great standard composition that took off with the realisation of that album. You now had "conventionnal structured rock songs", almost catchy created by Smith and Dickinson and thst let more room for some prog or unorthodox Harris creations. That forte litterally vanished when Smith left the band in 1989 and of course when Bruce wasn t up to it in the early 90s. I think the sound of Piece of Mind settled the guitars unmistakingly and Nicko s style but unfortunatly blended and faded a little bit the one of Steve 's bass... In Killers and even more the eponym album it was so awesome and the backbone of the songs !😁 Die with your boots on is somehow an epic and tragic song with melancolic solos melodies that works a lot live (like Children of the Damned) I remember seeing it in 1991, 2003 and 2005 and the Québec coliseum wanted to explose, so much feeling and efficiency !

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Thank you so much for your kind words and great input! I caught the 1991 show in Montreal and Die with your boots on was a definite highlight for me ☺️

[@yanikem6655]

Absolutely right - ‘Iron Maiden’ vanished when Smith left. Gers wasn’t fit to lace his boots.

[@leo-.-258]

Best album of Iron Maiden

[@pakdediamond1396]

To tame a land is my first favourite song from Piece of Mind.

[@poppyhimbo]

it is bad ass. Epic song....kinda like Phantom of the Opera and Infinite Dreams.....

[@nestorgomez9006]

I'm really enjoying this!!! Thanks!!!

[@lukabiljak4679]

Oh man! Thank you soooooo much for this channel! I consider myself as a true fan of this channel.

[@enriquesoto6534]

Great video! Thank you for sharing! POM is a great album. The band should include “Sun And Steel” and “Dune” on their Senjutsu World Tour; both songs having a lot to do with the current state of affairs, and historic reasons! Cheers!

[@ioannisdenton]

Man what an amazing Channel you have! Still lifes riff is so amazing!! I dog that all these obscure riffs gets mentioned!

[@CC-qb9sm]

Classic album! Awesome lesson!

[@MarcoMastra]

Great video Nicko! Up the Irons 🔥👏🏻

[@RottingChristTributeOriginal]

10:01 at first listen i thought it was The Red and the Black! Just found your channel...you deserve the best, excellent work 👍

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Haha well at exactly 10:01 I am playing The Red and the Black just to show the similarity between that riff and Quest For Fire. Thanks so much for the well wishes man! Truly very much appreciated!!

[@rsbreth]

Thank you - Great rundown on probably my #1 Maiden album.

[@wojciechm2428]

Thanks for clear explanation of these great riffs!

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Thank YOU for watching!

[@calebavendano8863]

love this video so much, piece of mind happens to be in my top 3 maiden albums but will we ever see a somewhere in time “The Riffs” video?

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

There will definitely be a SIT video...maybe more than one 😃

[@ligamentpull1]

An Absolute iconic masterpiece of an album. Dave and Adrian's solos were epics as well as the Band's overall performances. The tradeoff solo's on Revelations is one of my all-time favorites.

[@andybroon3317]

man... much respect for your channel. phenomenal work.

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

HUGELY appreciated my man! Big THANKS!! 🤜🤛

[@joshl.8950]

Another great video. This one is nice to just put on and listen to while you work on something. Really well played and researched!

[@straati]

As a long time Iron Maiden fan, this was super interesting. Please, do more videos like this!

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

So glad to hear that! I definitely plan on making more of these. Cheers!

[@SkyfallHD36]

Amazing effort and detail. Keep it up and rock on

[@Jason-uf2ek]

You're an incredible player. I big problem for me has always been solos. Could you put together a soloing fundamentals vid for us? pls pls

[@TheMarlinspike]

This was great, thanks

[@housein99]

Brilliant synopsis Nicko. Very insightful. You're exactly right. Where Eagles Dare (and others) show new, heavy, steady and confident hard driving riffs - which represent an audible change in the band's music. A foundation of what was to come. Great "revelation" for me - as a lifelong fan.

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Thank you! Really glad I could provide a little more insight into this album. It's definitely got a lot of depth and big time staying power!

[@fasteddierocs]

Great playing and tone !!

[@giuseppecavone9400]

Stupendo come sempre. Aspetto il video su somewhere in time🤘🤘🤘Up the irons

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Grazie tantissime! 🤘

[@fishstickkitty8068]

Piece of mind was a game changer for me!! Your guitar sound was like nails on a chalkboard but I still loved it 😀

[@DtB171]

Awesome video mate! Subscribed!

[@NagareboshiFin]

I love all of your videos and keep learning new stuff everyday! Could you make a riff tutorial of The sun and steel please!?

[@quik65afx56]

PLEASE .

[@Micjal100]

My earliest memory of iron maiden was finding piece of mind in my step dads room at 13 years old on vinyl and being so intrigued! Got into them a few years later and they’ve been my favourite band ever since!

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Derek Riggs' illustrations were such an incredible part of their allure in the 80s, weren't they? Those covers would draw you in like nothing else! Thanks for sharing man!

[@ed-hunter1446]

Awesome video as always Niko!! It would be awesome if you made this riff video with other albums, keep it up man!

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

I like that idea and I will definitely do more! Thank you very much 🤜🤛

[@Watergrovey]

Love your tone! Sounds like you have a wah on.

[@rong5666]

In my humble opinion, this is their best album. My first album was Iron Maiden, yep, I'm an old dude. UP THE IRONS🤘

[@ridefreely5379]

Owww yes!! Great video as always 👍🏼

[@nucleardirk]

Thank you so much!

[@broony77]

Great video again. Thanks a lot.

[@CharliesMaidenCovers]

love your videos and playing, all your content is great however i gotta say you play die with your boots on wrong, i played it kinda wrong too, but there is this low E note you're missing there and also in that after solo melody, some notes wrong in dave's part, but that doesnt matter, you demonstrate it perfectly and your tone is spot on

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Yup... I went into autopilot mode and played it like I learned it (incorrectly) years ago... Missing the low E in the main riff and I played an F# instead of an F in Dave's harmony. Oh well... Wasn't a tutorial anyway 😁

[@CharliesMaidenCovers]

@@LicksOfTheBeast yep, i needed to point this out just because i know how well and correctly you play all the maiden stuff, almost everytime watching your videos, i find some little thing ive been playing wrong. But I know what you mean, sometimes i cant get rid of some way playing the riff because i learned it like that many years ago when i was beginner

[@elinino5275]

My fav Maiden album

[@samus88]

My favorite Maiden album.

[@prz2]

please a video to get this tone! i know there are many videos for that, but this tone sounds great!

[@taahod]

Yeah second that

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Easy: Get Bias FX II and download a pedalboard called Iron Maiden POM Match. I use it for all my Piece of Mind stuff and it works great. I like to tweak it a bit (I add a bit of mids, remove some treble... that sort of thing) but otherwise it's really cool!

[@prz2]

Great, thanks!

[@fabianlijtmaer4786]

Brilliant!!!!! 🔥🦇🔥🤘🏼

[@thibeauclaes2526]

Awesome video! Ever think of doing a similar video for the final frontier? The guitar parts on that album have always been my favourites. Cheers from Belgium 🇧🇪

[@jorgeeduardozamoraacosta8627]

Piece of mind = perfection

[@The_Macaroon]

Totally agree with this. Have you done a video on Poweslave? (Their best album)

[@fredericadda]

I like your videos because I can feel you’re as much of an Iron Maiden fan as I am (with better guitar skills for sure 😅)

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Oh this channel is most definitely a labour of love. 1000%!!! 😊

[@madretsma6667]

Thanks again for another great video 🤘

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Thank you so much for watching!!

[@biorythmicshifter]

What is just as awesome is you can peel the guitars away and just the bass alone with the drums could carry the songs. Such is the genius of Steve Harris.

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

That's a good point I should have mentioned: the fact that many of these riffs were written on bass really adds to their uniqueness and and ensures they are rhythmic and groovy.

[@HenriqueSouzahenriquerbsouza]

Really wanted to see you talking about the riff before the solo in To Tame a Land. It's a riff "heavily inspired" by the main riff of the song Asturias.

[@kurtzcol]

so many great albums by maiden

[@barbarianblood2316]

I love your channel man! Awesome guitar player! Piece of mind is what got me into Metal way back then. Which album is your favorite? Thanks for sharing. Piece out!✌️

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Much much appreciated man! Thank you. My absolute favourite is Somewhere In Time.

[@barbarianblood2316]

@@LicksOfTheBeastYou’re welcome and great pick. Somewhere in time is excellent also! ✌️

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

I'm sure you can imagine how much I envy you for that!! 😂

[@ryanhoskins01]

Excellent video.

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Many thanks!! 🙏

[@alexiscastrilloquevedo7989]

Gran canal ,me gustaría ver el álbum somewhwere un time

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Muchisimas gracias! Somewhere In Time lo haré seguro 😃🤘

[@yvesacj]

great channel

[@everythingque4635]

Love this channel

[@jonnas_senna]

more videos like that 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

I plan to! Glad you enjoyed this one ☺️

[@Fluffykeith]

I had a friend in high school who hated Where Eagles Dare when he first heard it, and immediately gave up on the whole album. He wouldn't listen to it. I could only sort of stare at him in shock. It's such a great album.

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

To each their own but... That might be a bit extreme 😄

[@RobertDoran-ln7xp]

Nico, Your tone in this video is spot on. What did you use?

[@rabarebra]

It's crazy how much better they were in the old days. Great video! Subscribed.

[@Shazeen82]

Yes, the tail not harmonises in the Trooper. And thank you for the Icarus refraine riff! 🙂

[@neilgibson8]

Great insight into this classic album. Great video and monster guitar sound. Thanks Nicko

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

1000 thanks!!

[@MatteoAn93]

Brilliant!

[@iacopomaiden]

Grande come sempre 👏👏👏

[@ImYourOverlord]

First Maiden album I ever bought 😁

[@Justmeyes]

In my opinion album with best distortion. Incredible tune. Open E string is played on Where Eagles Dare along with Riffs. I always play To Tame a land riffs combining with bass parts, it's more interesting to play it that way, more energizing

[@timp.9582]

You got the “money for nothing” tone! Unique in its own right

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

I never even thought of Money For Nothing but I totally see what you mean. It's that hollow, kinda stuffed up crunch. Gonna have to try out that riff with these settings + a Wah 😁

[@thebeastsworldcovercollab1880]

First IM album I listened to 🤘😎🤘

[@rocktopuss9279]

One of my favorite channels. My only question is when will the tabs be available? 😉👍🏾

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Thank you so much! Perhaps at some point in the future I might make tabs for all this stuff but for the time being I really don't have the time to create tabs for everything. But also I really think they take away from everything else and they hold back your ear training.

[@rocktopuss9279]

@@LicksOfTheBeast Fair enough...but would u be able to give just a bit more closer detail to the “Now you see me...now you don’t...” part of the Prisoner? I’ve been wanting to play that part correctly since the goddamn album first came out! LOL

[@ryanhoskins01]

@@rocktopuss9279 Hey mate, sorry to interupt, but I was also wondering about that part when I was learning the song, this helped me: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmOZZYB-m694mpY

[@nikdsh]

Dave's harmony in the The Trooper's intro is transcribed wrong here, it is a descending sequence in Em: g g g f# e, f#f#f# e d... and so on. Other than that you have an amazing concept here, and while I feel like you give them too much credit for some of the thought that goes into these riffs, it really makes for a compelling look into their music. Respect! :)

[@Ced-Gauche]

The 'Die with yout boots on' chorus riff is typical Adrian...also "reused" partially in some parts during Moonchild (Intro, after first solo)

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

So true! That's definitely an Adrian progression!

[@lukaszkoziol8302]

My favourite riff is Adrian's harmony in Revelations - after the solos \m/

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

That one has always been a big favourite of mine too!!

[@lukaszkoziol8302]

@@LicksOfTheBeast yeah \m/

[@bghammock]

Recent subscriber .. great stuff! How do you get your Maiden tone? Sounds dead on.

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Thank you very much! I usually don't go too crazy trying to copy their sound - also because it changes from album to album and that would be too time consuming to figure out! 😊 I work more on trying to figure out the exact phrasing, little subtleties in things like the angle of the pick etc. But on the Piece of Mind stuff I use a preset in Bias FX II that is a pretty close match to the overall sound of that album.

[@TheLarryburns84]

as always a good video. also, where the heck was POM a gatefold? my vinyl copy is just a standard jacket. was the gatefold for the UK release? I also agree this is where Maiden *really* became Maiden

[@LicksOfTheBeast]

Hmmm I'm really not sure because this is not an original pressing. Could be they made it a gatefold later on.