How to Play Måneskin – HONEY (ARE U COMING?) on Guitar

“Måneskin – HONEY (ARE U COMING?)” has one thing every guitarist feels immediately:
a tight, aggressive, catchy riff that sits perfectly under your fingers — if you know how to approach it.

In the video I show you exactly how to play the riff, with a backing track so you can jam along.
In this lesson we’ll go a bit deeper into technique, timing, sound and practice tips, so you can really master it.

1. What makes this riff so strong?

The riff combines:

fast slides
small position shifts
palm-mute variations
staccato accents
a tight 16th-note feel

It sounds heavy, tight and modern — but the building blocks are surprisingly simple.

That makes it a perfect riff for intermediate guitar players who want to improve their control.

2. Start slower than you think

Most guitarists try to play this riff at full speed right away.
Result: tension, mistakes, messy picking.

A better approach:

stay at 50–60% of the original tempo
focus on perfect timing
make sure your slide movements stay relaxed
keep your hands loose
only increase the tempo once it feels effortless

Speed is a by-product of control — never the other way around.

3. The crucial technique: small movements

This riff only really works if you:

keep your picking hand compact
keep the distance between pick and string as small as possible
mute very consciously
keep your fretting-hand movements as efficient as possible

Big movements = no groove.

4. Common mistakes

I see the same issues over and over:

1. Too much pick contact
→ The riff starts to sound choppy and uneven.

2. Not enough muting
→ Notes bleed into each other and the riff loses definition.

3. Pressing too hard during the slides
→ Everything feels stiff and out of tune.

4. Starting at full speed
→ The fastest way to get stuck.

5. How to practice this riff efficiently

My recommended practice plan:

Play it at 50% tempo without a backing track.
Focus on comfort and relaxation.
Go to 70% with a metronome.
Pay attention to micro-timing and tight palm-muting.
Play along with the backing track.
This is where you develop dynamics, feel and attack.
Only then go to full song tempo.
Speed comes last, not first.

6. Sound & gear: what do you actually need?

You don’t need any special gear for this riff.

But it helps to use:

a bridge humbucker
medium gain (too much gain kills your attack)
a tight noise gate
a 1.0–1.5 mm pick
light palm-muting close to the bridge

It’s your right hand that makes this riff work — not the amp.

7. The things you really need to remember

This riff is about feel, not brute speed
Less gain = more clarity and punch
Smaller movements = better timing
Slower practice = faster progress

8. Use the free backing track on YouTube

Want to really nail the riff the way it sounds in the video?
Use the free backing track linked in the YouTube description and start jamming.

Conclusion

“Måneskin – HONEY (ARE U COMING?)” is a modern rock riff that’s perfect for improving your:

timing
muting
slide technique
fretting-hand efficiency

Follow the steps above and your version will sound tight, heavy and professional.

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