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.
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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.
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.
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We will go over the rest of the solo in upcoming guitar lessons.
The first 8 measures of the solo to Flying In A Blue Dream feature extensive use of legato technique. In this guitar lesson, we look at the next 16 measures. Unlike the first 8 measures, these next measures are not characterized by one dominant technique. These measures instead feature a wide variety of approaches to phrasing. It is this variety of phrasing that makes the solo so memorable.
Above is the tab for the next 16 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. As you listen to my recording and compare to Satriani, it should sound fairly similar but is by no means note-for-note.
Note: The audio for this portion of the lesson starts at about 23 seconds into the audio clip.
The first two measures of this section of the solo feature a nice descending arpeggio run, which is a typical Satriani technique. From here he goes on to some whammy bar phrasing in measures 57-59 followed by some slow, fluid, melodic lines in measures 60-62. In measures 63-65 he plays a repeating pattern that goes up two octaves. The pattern consists of 3 half step pairings of notes: F# and G; A# and B; D# and E. He plays this sequence of notes 3 times and this leads him to a nice high bend at measure 66. In measures 67-68 Satriani employs yet another phrasing technique, this time opting for a wide interval lick that repeats 7 times before leading into some melodic lines that segue into an ascending scalar run. We'll pick up at this point in the next lesson.
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.
Click here to get a free 14-day trial of Rhapsody.
We will go over the rest of the solo in upcoming guitar lessons.
In the first part to the guitar lesson we saw a lot of legato phrasing from Satriani. In the second part of the lesson we looked at the middle of the solo which featured a variety of slow, melodic phrasing. In this last part of the solo, Satriani continues his wide variety of phrasing approaches and also returns to his use of legato passages.
Above is the tab for the next 16 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. As you listen to my recording and compare to Satriani, it should sound fairly similar but is by no means note-for-note.
Note: The audio for this portion of the lesson starts at about 54 seconds into the audio clip.
The first two measures of this section of the solo feature an ascending Ab Lydian scale passage. In measures 76-78, very typical of Satriani, there is a descending legato run. This legato run is essentially based on G Major. So don't worry about playing it note for note - just start at the 14th fret and descend while staying in the key of G. In measures 82-91 Satriani switches to Rock Pentatonic lines using C Minor Pentatonic. To end the solo, Satriani once again plays a descending legato passage. This time the legato run is based on F Major. So again - don't worry about playing it note for note. Just play a descending run in the key of F.
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.
Click here to get a free 14-day trial of Rhapsody.
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