How to Play 'How to Fly' by Sticky Fingers on Guitar
Master the reggae-rock groove of How to Fly on guitar, covering the signature intro riff, off-beat skank rhythm, chord progressions, and tone setup.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Electric or acoustic guitar
- ✓ Digital guitar tuner
- ✓ Guitar amplifier
- ✓ Metronome
- ✓ Guitar pick (0.73mm to 1.0mm)
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Guitar tab or chord chart for How to Fly
- ✓ Fresh set of electric guitar strings (nickel wound .010-.046)
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Keep wrists straight and relaxed to prevent repetitive strain injury during repetitive reggae skanking.
- • Ensure amplifier and audio cables are properly grounded to avoid electrical hum and shock hazards.
- • Take regular five-minute breaks every thirty minutes to avoid finger fatigue and cramping.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (5 Steps)
Tune and Dial in the Clean Reverb Tone
Tune your guitar to standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E) using a digital chromatic tuner. Set your amplifier to a clean channel with moderate treble, rolled-off bass, and a touch of spring reverb or slapback delay. Switch your guitar pickup selector to the middle or bridge position to achieve a bright, percussive attack suitable for reggae-dub chords.
- • All six strings read in green/center on the chromatic tuner.
- • Amp produces a crisp, percussive clean snap without distortion.
- • Using excessive overdrive or gain which muddies the clean chop sound.
- • Tuning flat due to skipping the final peg tightening step.
Learn the Main Barre Chord Progression
Position your fretting hand to cycle through the primary chord progression: F# minor (9th fret barre or 2nd fret barre), A major, and E major. Practice transitioning cleanly between these shapes using standard barre fingerings. Keep your thumb centered on the back of the neck to maintain even pressure across all six strings.
- • Clean ring-out from every string without accidental buzzing or muting.
- • Fretting fingers land simultaneously on the target chord shape.
- • Collapsing the thumb over the top of the neck, causing fret buzz on inner strings.
- • Letting fingers drag during transitions instead of lifting cleanly.
Master the Reggae Skank and Palm Mute Rhythm
Isolate your strumming hand to master the characteristic off-beat reggae chop on the 'and' of beats two and four. Use a swift downward stroke followed immediately by releasing fretting pressure to deaden the strings into a tight 'chick' sound. Combine this with light right-hand palm muting across the bridge saddles to control string resonance.
- • Strumming creates a percussive, sharp off-beat strike without lingering ring.
- • Fretting hand relaxes instantly after each strum without losing the chord shape.
- • Playing on the downbeats instead of strictly accenting the off-beats.
- • Failing to release fret pressure, producing a sustained rock strum instead of a chop.
Practice the Signature Intro and Lead Riff
Fret the opening melodic line on the G, B, and high E strings, focusing on smooth hammer-ons, pull-offs, and subtle slides. Articulate each note clearly using alternate picking with your plectrum. Keep your index finger anchored across the higher frets to allow quick transitions back into the rhythm pattern.
- • Clean pitch transitions during slides without pitch overshooting.
- • Notes sustain smoothly into the rhythmic verse entry.
- • Rushing the timing of the melodic slides relative to the metronome click.
- • Muting adjacent lead strings with lazy finger placement.
Assemble Verse-to-Chorus Dynamics and Full Song Flow
Play along with a metronome set to roughly 76-80 BPM, transitioning seamlessly between the intro riff, the verse skank, and the wider, more open chorus strums. Increase strumming width and fretting sustain during the chorus to match the track's dynamic lift. Re-engage the tight percussive muting immediately when returning to the verse sections.
- • Transitions between verse muting and open chorus strumming occur on beat one without hesitation.
- • Rhythm stays locked to the metronome tempo through the entire song cycle.
- • Dragging the tempo when opening up the chorus strumming pattern.
- • Losing track of the song structure during verse-chorus transitions.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by STI FI hq — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Digital chromatic tuner? Smartphone guitar tuner app
- No Guitar amplifier with spring reverb? Audio interface and digital amp plugin
- No Guitar pick / Plectrum? Index fingernail and thumb pinched together