Steve Vai
Latest about Steve Vai
“It’s like John Scofield took acid”: Steve Vai’s tech shares the story behind the virtuoso’s psychedelic semi-hollow
By Jonathan Horsley published
Scofield's signature model has had a radical makeover for Vai’s semi-hollow moment – and we're not just talking about that stunning swirled finish
“Reuniting the original G3 lineup is a dream come true”: Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Eric Johnson are hitting the road for a G3 reunion tour next year
By Matt Owen published
The three fretboard heroes will link up early next year almost three decades after they launched one of guitar's most influential events back in 1996
“Rhythm playing is the backbone of what a guitar player is trying to say – and it’s become deeply undervalued today”: Adrian Vandenberg is back with one of this year’s biggest rock guitar albums – where melody and rhythm are king
By Andrew Daly published
The Dutch guitar icon on what helped him come to terms with Steve Vai recording his Whitesnake guitar parts, why the Peavey Vandenberg is making a comeback, and how his wrist injury forced him to develop a new picking technique using his fingernail
“Everything about the design appeals to me”: Jacob Collier on why he created his wild 5-string Strandberg – and how he unlocked a new musical language with its unusual alternate tuning
By Matt Owen published
The multi-instrumentalist is dipping his toes into rockier waters for his upcoming album, and he’s got the perfect axe to do so. Here’s how one of 2023’s most unorthodox custom builds came to life
“I am fascinated by their talent, technique and creativity”: Steve Vai taps this generation's most innovative players for Vai Academy 7.0
By Matt Owen published
Tim Henson, Yvette Young, Ichika Nito and Mateus Asato will all feature at the event, which puts the spotlight on guitarists defining the future of the instrument
“He’s the funkiest dude in the shredder family tree”: The world’s greatest guitarists explain why Nuno Bettencourt isn’t your typical guitar hero
By Richard Bienstock published
Brian May, Zakk Wylde, Steve Vai and Tom Morello join an all-star cast to explain what makes the Extreme virtuoso one of the guitar world’s most valuable players
John Frusciante’s guitar teacher once told him he wasn’t a good guitarist – so he learned to play like Steve Vai: “No-one was going to say that to me again”
By Michael Astley-Brown published
The Red Hot Chili Peppers guitar hero recalls being criticized because he couldn’t play the blues scale fast enough: “It was about the worst feeling I could imagine”
Joe Bonamassa called him his new favorite player and Steve Vai hailed him as the evolution of guitar: how Matteo Mancuso developed a technique like no other
By Matt Owen published
The Italian virtuoso unpicks the inspiration behind his eye-opening approach, and explains why he never wanted to become a lead guitarist in the first place
Steve Vai rocks up to Mexico gig to find street performer playing For the Love of God… on two guitars
By Matt Owen published
Rafael Flores spent three years working on his hypnotic arrangement, and finally had the chance to flex his two-hand tapping chops in front of Vai himself
Meet Dante Frisiello, Steve Vai's new guitar sideman who went from law school to playing with his hero
By Andrew Daly published
The guitarist reflects on his disastrous solo on the first night of his new gig, the hardest part about playing with one of the world's leading virtuosos, and why the Abasi Larada is his favorite guitar he's ever played
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