I remember notable music related moments with the clarity of a recent memory. Joe Satriani's CD Flying In A Blue Dream was much awaited as it was his first CD since his iconic Surfing With The Alien. The first track of Flying In A Blue Dream (titled Flying In A Blue Dream) catches your attention within about 3 seconds and does not let go. It is the sort of song that can only come from inspiration. And having read an interview with Satriani about the song, it was fascinating to learn that the voices in the intro were the result of radio signals accidentally being picked up by the studio recording equipment. You just can't plan that. And those opening voices really do set the mood of the song with their dreamy quality.

Joe Satriani is known for his smooth legato style, and the solo section in Flying In A Blue Dream showcases his legato talents - most notably the very beginning. So in this first part of the lesson, we will focus on that smooth legato opening. You'll definitely want to practice your legato skills if you want to nail this solo. I have several legato guitar lessons that should help get you in the mood!

Above is the tab for the first 8 measures of the solo. The tab is identical to tab I found online at this site. As with any guitar solo, do not worry about playing this note for note. It is the essence you want to capture. So when the solo undergoes a barrage of 50 notes in a legato run, don't worry about the exact notes - just play in the same spirit. As you listen to my recording and compare to Satriani, it should sound fairly similar but is by no means note-for-note.

Most of the legato lines are based on the G Major scale. So the best way to mimic Satriani's legato style is to simply play flurries of notes in the G Major scale. If you do this, then you will find it much easier to nail this solo as opposed to concentrating on the exact notes in the tab.

Note: I used the backing tracks from this site for my recording.

I suggest you listen to Satriani's recording. You can find it on Rhapsody. Listening to Satriani will not only help you get a feel for the solo, but it will help you get a feel for timing. This isn't one of those solos where every accented note is falling predictably on down beats. Satriani gives himself as lot of breathing room in the solo and that makes for a very personal feel.In fact, trying to match Satriani's timing was the most difficult aspect of the piece for me.

We will go over the rest of the solo in upcoming guitar lessons.

Enjoy!

Brian