Steve Vai
Forum
Iam tellimg you right now before you go to sleep put on head phones and put in Fire Garden you will have one big trip. Its a feeling like nothing else. In this cd Steve puts you far out of this universe. His music is such a strange but nice sounding mix.I find that makes people ignore his technical ability.We all know that malmsteen is far past great.But he cannot make you feel the music like Steve can.He is a modern musical genuis.And nothing else.
>>By Aaron (Monday, 5 May 2003 01:04)
Yeah, that's a pretty cool album, but here's a better suggestion:
Slip in Joe Satriani's 'Crystal Planet' album, sit back and listen. You'll see why Satriani rises above Malmsteen, Van Halen, and even Mr. Steve Vai.
Still, props to Vai, he's one of the best.
>>By The One Who Knows (Monday, 5 May 2003 09:06)
Hes the best guitarist in the world as far as am concerned!!!! I luv his music specialy Bad Horsie! 2 of me m8s can play it which i fink is cool as seen as its 1 of me fave songs!!!
>>By Gash (Friday, 16 May 2003 22:26)
here is my personal opinion on recommended vai's song :
- warm regards (fire garden)
- Ooooooh (ultra zone)
- blood n tears (u z)
- ballerina n, for the love of god (passion n warfare)
- bad horsie
- rescue me or burried me (vai)
and my fave - touching tongue (vai) n crying machine (fire garden)
all u have to do just listen to those songs, and you can give your opinion later....
:)
>>By tera (Monday, 26 May 2003 08:37)
I have never seen Joe Satriani or Malmsteen live. Not even Vai. Yet, from tapes and videos alone, Steve Vai is the only musician that expresses emotion with every note. Neo-classical is a style that I beleive is releated to orchestral music. Which if I close my eyes I can imagine an orchestra playing Malmsteen's instrumentals. However the guitar is nothing more than an interpeting the notes of a written melody. Vai creates something more unique. It's like every note is a color, every song is a portrait, and every album a collection. He truely is an artist. His musical skills allow him to express greater emotion through his art, therefore giving his work greater meaning. If I had anything to say to Steve, it would be thank you for inspiring me to become a true musician. One that can appreciate the beauty behind its art.
>>By Danny Chaos (Tuesday, 27 May 2003 11:35)
The race of becoming a great guitarist is not against others, but with yourself. Like someone quoted Vai, "achieve higher goals". Try out doing yourself every time you record or write music. There is no telling how far you can take guitar playing. I bet Steve hardly considered himself the future guitar god that he became among all lead guitarists.
Ps. All music is simple and goes in loops. Whether it's Metallica passages or Blink 182 riffs. It all remains the same. No one can play alike. It all varies from the way you hold your guitar to the picking style you obtain. {Ex.} Down picking while sluring(satriani, playing triplets while laying your fingers on the guitar fret-board in your solos instead of alternate picking(petruci), etc.
>>By The Chaos Theory (Tuesday, 27 May 2003 11:58)
- Vai has a strong musical character, knows notes very well and know how to experiment learned notes with sophisticated effects (Massacre, So Happy, Voodoo Acid the humming bees)
- Satch's coolness, shade-wearing, bald groovy attitude while emoting a unique 'feel' on the axe sends you far beyond space. (The Journey, Time, Raspberry Jam Delta V)
- Michael Angelo is darn fast, I love his complex scalings as well as Yngwie's but I seem to listen then and get bored of their lightning-speed arpeggios.
- They tend to overplay a lot, there is a big difference between playing fast and playing/letting go of your emotions all of a sudden. Satch and Vai may upstage one another and let the crowd be enthralled because they can understand human gestures and communicate through the guitar without saying a foul word, or spitting or banging a microphone or cursing grunge magazines. They let their guitars speak for them, while Satch sends you beyond somewhere, Vai sends you on a different realm.
- This is not taught in musical theory, this is another level. Satch and Vai thank you for giving new generations this level.
>>By noise_over_melody (Friday, 6 Jun 2003 10:01)
Steve is a genius.,.,.,!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>>By Ultrazone (Thursday, 19 Jun 2003 01:24)
Steve Vai is amazing, I tired to lean Passion and Warfare song by song once, but after i got to The Riddle, i gave up, no one can ever do him justice for how good he is
>>By Bob (Tuesday, 1 Jul 2003 21:28)
Reading some of the comments posted here, I think that the most important thing is how Steve is like a man. Above his guitar player skills, is the music coming out from his soul and this is, according to me, in strong connection with the man who is Steve Vai. I think that he find his equilibrium and internal peace. And, as a consequence of this fact we are lucky to have his music.
All what I wish to him is to never stop writing this music.
>>By Alextruf (Wednesday, 2 Jul 2003 10:55)
steve vai is not that great sure his technical abilities are good but thats about it, angus young and slash are the best in my opinion, they both made their careers skyrocket.
>>By orange man (Monday, 14 Jul 2003 01:53)
I don't belive that Steve is from this planet... He is the best and if someone is saying that it's not true, that means that he haven't heard Steve play.
>>By Mr. Purple (Wednesday, 16 Jul 2003 18:58)
i've heard him play but i just think he doesnt make great rock music, sure he's good i'll give him that but i dont think he's some god of the guitar,you all think he's at some unachievable level or something
>>By orange man (Wednesday, 16 Jul 2003 21:38)
I think it's not wise to compare one mucisian against another. After all, music is not a race nor a fight. So no one really is BETTER than other. Everyone is unique and special. And one mucisian (a good one) will lay some new ground for others to follow and expand. So just like in science, one learns from the predecessor, and expand the music further.
Take the early guitar masters like Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page, or Jimi Hendrix. They opened the world's eyes about how to play rock guitar. Fast and hard. Then came along Eddie Van Halen, with some new techniques and experimental guitar. The speed and level of exploration have already increased. Then we see Yngwie Malmsteen with unbelievably fast, accurate and neoclassic-based playing. Some people didn't think that a man can play as fast and rich before Yngwie showed up. Now that it's done, Joe S and Steve V expand the music vocabulary even further with their mastery and achievement.
And you can bet someday soon, someone will step on the ground those masters have laid and bring us even higher and richer music. That is music and life all about...
>>By darth V (Thursday, 17 Jul 2003 10:17)
Vai is definately a god. I heard in College he spent a good 5 Hours a day just listening to music, and thats why his ear is so well trained now. Theres definately no filter between what hes feeling and what we are hearing, he definately conveys his emotions in an amazing way.
>>By Johnny K (Saturday, 19 Jul 2003 20:32)
steve i think is one of the most influencial plays of this centery, along with hendrix and SRV, vai has something different to offer as well as hendrix vai has elongated finger which help considerably to his paly abillity, steve performes like one other his live concert are breathe taking you can see that he is serious about what he does things must be the way he wants. I think steve is up there with the likes of Bach, Mozart and Beethovan, like them all there are few and far between someone lie this would come around in the generations, steve vai is one of a kind and has and will keep on doing changing the world of music today
all respect steve
jimmy
>>By jimmy (Thursday, 24 Jul 2003 14:25)
Hey, great message board, and interesting contributions. Thank you all so much for your thoughts.
Its so difficult now to say something new about the many admirable guitarists mentioned who each have their own STYLE, preferences, and ways in which they choose to EXPRESS themselves. Thats what good music is, being able to express yourself clearly using your own language.
I don't know too much about the technical side of the playing (i'm not a muso, but i'm one of those fold-your-arms-close-your-eyes-music-appreciator people), but music in terms of notes, scales etc speak to me directly.
Some of the bands I admire because of their guitarist are Andy Timmons, Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme), Ugly Kid Joe, Achard Cyril, Paul Gilbert, Tony MacAlpine, Greg Howe, Neil Zaza, Jeff Beck, Steve Moorse, Marty Friedman, Vinnie Moore, Jason Becker, George Bellas, Yngwie Malmsteen, Van Halen, Mr Big, Racer X, Planet X, Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Joboj, Dweezil Zappa, Frank Zappa, Igor Belsky, Impellitteri, Jennifer Batten, The Great Kat, Jay Foucher (all 3 great women players who match up to the guys!), Michael Harris, Dream Theater, Iron Maiden, Richie Kotzen, George Lynch, Uli Jon Roth, Richie Blackmore.....and on and on and on.
Although some I have heard of more or less than others, my PERSONAL fave is probably still Steve Vai. There are some really fast guitarists out there, some melodic ones, exotic scale guitarsts for sure, but for me no one speaks so clearly musicaly, in their own language as well as Steve Vai. He has made his own way of expressing himself, in a way that is very engaging, emotive, sensitive, in a really voice-like way that is so amazing, so precise. His guitar is his voice, and what he does on it is precisely want he wants it to do. He doesn't need to filter it through a certain language, like neo-classical guitar, or stick to a certain given style, he is himself more than anyone else I know guitar wise. He may be a former pupil of Joe Satriani, and perhaps not as fast as Yngwie Malmsteen (on average), but he says so much more with every note, as he controls his instrument than the guitarists mentioned above, in my opinion. You can really see his soul speak, in a clear voice and its like seeing an angel. Maybe I'm getting a bit carried away. LOL.
I get bored of music very quickly, and have stopped listening to Satch (other than him the band is pretty plain) , and got bored of Malmsteen (but recently went back to taste his work again), but I still can listen to Vai. Maybe because I like more experimental work, and prefer not to have too much ego/machoism in it (like maybe Mr. Big) and just pure and raw speaking from the heart music not clothed in some kind of big attitude, if you guys n girls get what I mean.
And remember guys n girls, Vai also worked together with genious Frank Zappa, meaning he had two great teachers (one being Satch). Sometimes the student does 'surpass' the teacher, and incoporporate their ideas into their playing. Vai does this beautifully. He definately is, like Frank Zappa said, a stunt guitarist extraordinare.
Thanks ya'lls I've had my say. Hope that name dropping will send off some guitar fans checking out some new guitarists, and that my post will stimmulate more conversation. Remember folks, this is all my personal opinion, you may differ, and its not a bad thing!!
Adios.
stevie69_m@hotmail.com
>>By Savvy_stevie (Thursday, 29 Jan 2004 10:44)
Hi Matthew
I wanted to commend on what you said about vai and satch et al.
I agree with you on Vai being more appealing personally than the other guitarists. Hes my fave too, but I have to step in for Mlamsteen for a second. I really didn't know that he can't read notes, BUT he doesn't have to because he has perfect pitch. If you play something on guitar, or any instrument, he can reproduce the notes just like that from hearing. Only very few people have that talent. All people who have it usually have great success with music if they use it (eg Stevie Wonder). I think they can also think in music directly and know how something will sound like before playing it. They can reherse in their heads first before playing, and I think thats how Mozart and some other brilliant classical composers came up with their music. So in other words, its not required that Malmsteen can read sheet music. His grasp of music goes further than that, its automatic and natural.
A sprinter doesn't necessarily need to know about anatomy to be able to run fast, and the same goes for musicans. I hope that anology helps. However, I think if you know about music theory etc, it definately gives you a bigger musical vocabulary and more to draw from in a sense that you're able to transform ideas into something musically suitable. It does shine through, but classical training is not compulsory to be able to play well. Jimi Hendrix is another example (although he hasn't got perfect pitch).
>>By Savvy_stevie (Thursday, 29 Jan 2004 15:23)
Steve Vai is amazing as a guitarist, and overall as a musician. However, those who says he is the best in the world need to broaden their horizons a wee bit. First of all, those of you who think that he is the best in the world, check out Ron Thal from "Bumblefoot" whose technical skills with the guitar are second to none. Also, it is very difficult to decipher true superiority between various guitarists having different strengths and weaknesses. The diversity of John Petrucci, the flow of Al Di Meola, the baffling technicallity of Michael Romeo while improvising (by the way, he does all of his solos for Symphony X on the first 3 takes without solo rehersals). So, while saying he is not the best, he is still amazing and should be revered as a great musician of our time. Just please dont go around telling everyone around you that he's the best on the planet without any research into the issue. Thank you.
>>By Dies_Irae (Saturday, 11 Sep 2004 03:10)
I also noticed that Bumblefoot wasnt on Savvy_stevie's list of great bands due to their guitarist contribution. Check Bumblefoot out! Phenomenal. some tracks that would be good to get a hold of: "guitars suck" , "Don Pardo Pimpwagon" , "Lost" , "R2" are just a few suggestions.
>>By Dies_Irae (Saturday, 11 Sep 2004 03:15)
Steve really is an extraordinary guitarplayer. And his music always sounds fresh. But i don't think he's the best in the world orso. He's at least one of the best, but i've heard others in jazzmusic who are extremely talented but who just not receive credits because jazz is not that popular as rockmusic is.
I don't think it's about who is the best. For example the greatness of Steve is really to be found in his experimantal way of playing but i find the easier sound of Joe Satriani more comfortable to hear and Stevie Ray Vaughn because of his more blues-orientated sound. All great in a different way.
But to stick with Steven: got one fave that really turns me upside down......the song 'Bangkok' followed by 'Fire garden suite' on 'The fire Garden'. Awesome..........
>>By Sanvean (Thursday, 29 Mar 2007 07:41)
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