Joe Satriani - Back To Shalla Bal - Guitar Solo Tab

Flying In A Blue Dream

1989 3:15

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About Back To Shalla Bal

Named after the Silver Surfer's eternal love from Marvel Comics, "Back To Shalla Bal" carries a longing, melodic quality that runs through every phrase Joe Satriani plays. The song lives in D minor and sits at a steady 120 BPM, which gives it a spacious, unhurried feel. That tempo is deceptive though: Satriani's phrasing leans heavily on expressive, sustained bends and vibrato that need to feel emotional rather than mechanical, and rushing even slightly will flatten the mood. In E Standard tuning, focus on keeping your bends in tune and your vibrato controlled, since those are the two things that will make or break the lead lines here. The melodic passages are not technically brutal at this speed, but nailing the tone and phrasing is the real challenge. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop any phrase slowed down and listen hard to where each note peaks and releases. This kind of instrumental rock rewards patience with phrasing far more than raw speed.

• The song is in D minor at 120 BPM in E Standard tuning, giving the lead lines a spacious, song-like feel that rewards expressive vibrato over speed.
• Controlled string bending is the central technique here: each bend needs to reach the correct pitch and sustain cleanly for the melodic phrasing to land.
• Practising the main melody slowed down with the Practice Toolbar helps you focus on matching Satriani's vibrato width and release timing before adding full speed.