Somehow both no-nonsense bloke and consummate showman, Steve Harris has become a master of role-play in his 50 years living heavy metal.
Bassist, lyricist, businessman, rock star, athlete, and family man – he is all these and more. Of course, he is known mostly for one especially grand role: father of metal's most beloved group Iron Maiden.
Among bassists, Harris distinguished himself as one of rock's most intense performers, ably contributing to our technical playbook. In a genre rife with bland eighth-note pounding and rote pentatonic riffs, his agile finger-style galloping, swift melodic runs, and multi-part compositions have inspired legions of bass players to improve their game.
Yet Harris is quick to point out that he is no bass hero – in his mind, he simply plays his part.
“People tell me that I invented that rhythmic gallop, but I'm sure it was around before I was,” Harris told Bass Player in 2012. “I just brought it more to the fore, but speed was never important to me when I first started playing.”
The opening moments of The Trooper are one of Iron Maiden’s great calling cards. A highlight from the band's fourth album Piece Of Mind, Harris altered the concept just enough to fit Maiden's raw power.
“In the case of The Trooper, it's just what the song needed, since the song is about Alfred [AKA] Lord Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade. Hallowed Be Thy Name from The Number of the Beast is another fun one because it has those big, ominous, low E sounds in the beginning.
“Some songs are fun to play because they are technical, and other songs are fun because I don't have to think about them; I can just let myself go.”
There’s no disputing the fact that Harris really has seen and done it all in a career spanning five decades – so did he have any advice for those bass players who want to follow his path dominating live stages?
“Always hit people hard and fast in the first few songs. That also gives more leeway for the soundman to get things in order. You can't play anything big and dramatic first. Plus, it just feels good to do that. You can just go crazy, get the adrenaline going. But you do need to psyche yourself up before you go on.
“If anything, I think hanging around too long on the day messes you up. If you're off doing something completely different – being a tourist, or whatever – it's more spontaneous when you get there and go on. I find it much better if I play a round of tennis or some football or something on the day of the show. I'll do a few exercises just to loosen up. Then I'm much more fired up.”
Harris’s bass style has lead to him relying on a fairly unchanged gear line-up over the years.
“I don't mess with my sound too much, and I’m not into the technical side of things. I've tried other bass guitars, other rigs, and God knows what else. You name it, I've tried it. It may not sound very adventurous, but I don't care about being adventurous. A big part of my sound is simply the way I play.”
While his bandmates may claim that his volume levels border on the excessive, Harris needs all the help he can get to fill the arena-sized venues that Maiden play.
“I have to be pretty loud to cut through the guitars. But I've actually cut back a lot; it's not as loud as it used to be. All I’ll have in the monitors is a bit of kick, snare, and toms. And there are points in the set when I'll come back to my little space onstage next to my amp. I like having my own pocket of sound.”
Performance aside, Harris remains a living example of the vision required to make it in music. From the beginning, his single-minded drive has powered Maiden. In fact, Harris has accomplished much in his life by being a strong leader and a determined (some would say stubborn) visionary.
“Sure, you make some mistakes that way, but being stubborn isn't such a bad thing. It gives you a directness, and I like that. There's no messing around. If you've got a strong focus on what you're doing, people will go, ‘Right – let's do it.’
“If you start second-guessing things, people are going to wonder what's going on. That kind of fear filters through to everybody involved. People feed on positive thinking, not indecision.”
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