Steve
Vai Style
By
Nick Kellie
American
guitar hero Steve Vai first rose to fame in the early 80’s
when legend Frank Zappa noticed his formidable skills on the guitar
as demonstrated on a cassette tape Steve sent to him. Ever since
then, Steve has enjoyed a varied career appearing with the likes
of Whitesnake and David Lee Roth to name just two. His style encompasses
mind-boggling technique, astounding knowledge and use of rhythm
as well as a great sense of harmony, including the use of modes
as we see in this month’s article. Vai’s recent outings
show his familiarity with many world music styles and often emulates
other instruments such as the sitar by making liberal use of grace
notes and whammy bar techniques, which shows his open mindedness
to instruments outside the realm of guitar (Nick Kellie)
Lick
Breakdown:-
The
first lick shows the use of Steve’s favourite mode –
The Lydian mode. Here is a classic example of how he might use
hammer ons and pull offs to create lightning speed licks. Smokin’!
Click
here for Audio (mp3)
This
lick sees the use of playing a scale in the left hand using hammer-ons
whilst adding a tap above with the right hand. The hard part is
not the speed, but maintaining a good muting technique enabling
the notes to jump out.
Click
here for Audio (mp3)
In
this lick we see the use of a quintuplet rhythm utilising left
and right hand tapping along with string skipping. This is not
for the faint hearted. Again, watch your muting.
Click
here for Audio (mp3)
