Joe Satriani - Flying in a Blue Dream - Guitar Solo Tab

Flying In a Blue Dream

1989 5:22

Listen on Spotify

About Flying in a Blue Dream

Few guitar pieces balance raw emotion with technical demand quite like this one. Joe Satriani wrote it as a tribute to his late father, and that grief comes through in the long, singing lead lines that sit at the heart of the track. In G major and E Standard tuning at 120 BPM, the tempo is comfortable enough that your fingers can breathe, but the challenge is in making every note speak with real feeling rather than just hitting the pitches cleanly. The signature melodic phrases ask for controlled vibrato and smooth legato technique, particularly in the higher register where small inaccuracies are exposed immediately. Getting the tone right matters too: a warm, sustain-heavy lead sound helps the notes bloom the way they need to. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the longer melodic runs slowed down until your picking hand and fretting hand are perfectly in sync before bringing it back up to tempo. This is as much an exercise in phrasing and dynamics as it is in technical facility, and that is what makes it worth the time in Instrumental Rock.

• The piece sits in G major in E Standard tuning at 120 BPM, giving the long melodic lines enough space to develop without rushing your fretting hand.
• Controlled vibrato and legato phrasing are the core techniques here, as the vocal-style lead melody demands expressive touch rather than speed.
• Looping the high-register phrases slowed down with the Practice Toolbar is the most effective way to lock in smooth string transitions before playing at full tempo.