String Theory is a web series from Ernie Ball that explores the sonic origins of some of music's most innovative players.
Today we’re happy to bring you the latest episode in the series, which stars Steve Vai. In the clip, which you can watch below, Vai shares many stories, including how he started playing guitar, his introduction to Ernie Ball strings, his influences and more.
In fact, he reveals the following surprising factoids:1. Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker" was a true turning point (2:37): "The moment I heard 'Heartbreaker,' the fantasy of playing the guitar, it switched from wishing I had a guitar to desiring to play one to ... 'I'm gonna play the guitar'."
2. He's not a natural (3:15): "I'm not really a natural at playing an instrument, oddly enough. I had to work really hard at the guitar."
3. The first strings he bought were Ernie Balls, and Joe Satriani showed him how to put them on his guitar (4:30): "They weren't cheap strings, but I got them anyway. And the first time I got them, I didn't even know how to put them on. I took them to Joe Satriani and he showed me how to do it."
4. He's got a lot of respect for Kurt Cobain and Billy Joe Armstrong (7:35): "People say someone like Kurt Cobain wasn't a great guitar player. Well, was he a virtuoso? You can argue not. Was he effective? Try to play like Kurt Cobain. It's not that easy. Or [Green Day's] Billy Joe Armstrong. Did you ever see him play? It's visceral; every note and every chord pops. It sounds like a giant orchestra. That's hard to do."
5. Everything in his career came to him (9:15): "I didn't go out and look. All I did was follow the one thing that was most thrilling and exciting to me. And that was creating music when a new idea came up. No concern about the future, really. And the future took care of itself—beautifully—better than I ever could have possibly orchestrated it. Find what you love and throw yourself into it."
Of course, these are just five facts pulled from the clip. Be sure to watch the entire episode below.
For more information, visit ernieball.com.
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