VAI.COM

Rafa Moreira is a friend of mine. We went to GIT together. One of the best guitarists out there, and one of the nicest guys as well. It was a proud moment when I saw him play the AMA show with Pink.

I can`t say it was "fear", per se, that had him playing like that. Zakk has proven his worth plenty of times over the years. What I think it was is a lack of patience for the situation. It takes a lot of restraint and self control to back off the throttle when you`re mainly a shredder, and if the mo...

I find this far more inspiring:

Have you got any links so we can hear you? :D Man, I had some stuff linked here a while back. I had my old website with about 12 tunes on there and some candid live videos. My computer that it was hosted on crashed and I just haven`t gotten around to getting it in for retrieval. Guess I should...be...

KInda glad I looked at this question. It made me think of a decent answer. Here`s what`s so hard about "playing like Steve Vai": He doesn`t have one "signature" technique or sound, per se. If you sweep pick you`ll be compared to Yngwie (ask me how I know). If you use a lot of legato, you`ll be compa...

Yes, teaching music can be very rewarding. But some students make it hard work. Not every one is a dedicated passionate guitar player. Some just go through the motions, some want everything done for them, some just simply don`t get it. I`ve fired a few students over the years. But yeah, the ones who...

Ahhhh modes. I hadn`t posted here in six years until yesterday, nice to see the topic still stirs up the dust around here LOL. (1): Modes are like different seasonings for food. Major and minor are like salt and pepper. They do the job, and find a place in every dish. The modes are like garlic, ging...

Haha...........man that was SWEET. What software did you use to "overdub" yourself? I only ask because my girl does digital media and graphics editing and it looks like something she would dig....

Thanks,
JB

I have explored some deep, deep spiritual motivations and inspirations for music. When I was recording a lot I`d stay up for far longer than was probably healthy, to the point of sleep deprivation. Once you get past a certain point, things DO start to happen that would be considered "weird" by the g...

One of my good friends and mentors at GIT was from Australia. A guy named Brett Garsed. He and I jammed together many, many times. I dream of visiting there!!! As far as the cost, if I remember properly the tuition when I was there was about $15K a year. I`m sure it`s gone up at least a little since...

Speed is a byproduct of accuracy. There`s not really one way to learn to play fast, and no equipment better than another for it. Playing with a metronome is a fantastic idea, but (and with this I am NOT being argumentative, just illustrating an idea) it`s only worth your time and trouble if you are ...

I use the Dunlop Jazz III`s. Been using the black ones for about 19 years, just got some of the carbon fiber ones and love them. Like some others have said, try not to let your equipment determine your playing. Use a pick you`re comfortable with and stick with it. I can play anything with a soft pic...

Wow, I can`t believe it`s been so long since I`ve posted here!! Not to mention I remembered my login info on the first try LOL. Anyway, I REAAAAALLLY hope it`s not against the rules to post this, but I recently reopened my lesson studio in Arlington , Tx and I have room for several more students. I`...

Last year was really cool. they had tracks covering four or five general styles, and it was up to you to be as original as you could with what you chose. I have a recording on my website using the track I won with. I recorded it unrehearsed, and in one take the day I found out my wife was pregnant. ...

I won the first two rounds last year before losing interest. It`s a realy great event, but I`ve pretty much already done most of what I set out to do with a guitar as far as playing experiences go. There were some guys up there that had never played infront of anyone before, and you could just tell ...