Steve Vai
Steve Vai in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Steven Siro Vai
Born	June 6, 1960 (1960-06-06) (age 48) Carle Place, New York
Genre(s)	Instrumental rock, Hard rock, Heavy metal, Progressive rock
Instrument(s)	Guitar, vocals, sitar, bass guitar, keyboards, Drums
Years active	1980 - present
Associated acts	David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, Alcatrazz, Frank Zappa, G3
Website	Official website
Notable instrument(s)
Ibanez JEM Ibanez Universe

Steven "Steve" Siro Vai (born June 6, 1960 in Carle Place, New York) is an American instrumental rock guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, producer, and guitar virtuoso often regarded as the world's best shredder. Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Carle Place is a hamlet (and Census-designated place) part of the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Instrumental rock is a type of Rock music which emphasizes Musical instruments, and which features no or very little Singing. Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. The sitar ( Hindi: सितार Urdu: ستار Persian: سی تار) is a Plucked stringed instrument. The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard. A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells David Lee Roth (often referred to as "Diamond Dave" (born October 10 1954 Bloomington Indiana) is an American rock Vocalist Whitesnake are an English Hard rock band founded in 1977 by David Coverdale (formerly of Deep Purple) Alcatrazz is a melodic Hard rock band formed in 1983 in Los Angeles by Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea. Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21 1940 – December 4 1993 was an American Composer, Electric guitarist Record producer and Film director G3 is an almost annual live music show and Concert tour featuring three select Guitarists of the generation hence its name Ibanez JEM is an Electric guitar manufactured by Ibanez and first produced in 1987 The Ibanez Universe is the world's first modern commercial seven-string Electric guitar, developed by Steve Vai and manufactured by Ibanez. Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Carle Place is a hamlet (and Census-designated place) part of the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Instrumental rock is a type of Rock music which emphasizes Musical instruments, and which features no or very little Singing. A guitarist is a Musician who plays the Guitar. Guitarists may perform solo pieces or play with ensembles and bands of a wide variety of genres A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing A virtuoso (from Italian virtuoso, late Latin virtuosus, Latin virtus meaning skill manliness excellence is an individual Shred guitar or shred refers to lead Electric guitar playing that relies heavily on fast passages the act of playing fast passages on an electric guitar is termed After starting his professional career as a music transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, Vai would also record and tour in Zappa's backing band starting in 1980. Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21 1940 – December 4 1993 was an American Composer, Electric guitarist Record producer and Film director The guitarist began a solo career starting in 1984 and has released 13 solo albums as of 2008. Apart from his work with Frank Zappa, Vai has also recorded and toured with numerous musical artists including Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth and Whitesnake. Alcatrazz is a melodic Hard rock band formed in 1983 in Los Angeles by Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea. David Lee Roth (often referred to as "Diamond Dave" (born October 10 1954 Bloomington Indiana) is an American rock Vocalist Whitesnake are an English Hard rock band founded in 1977 by David Coverdale (formerly of Deep Purple) Vai has been a regular touring member of the G3 Concert Tour which began in 1996. G3 is an almost annual live music show and Concert tour featuring three select Guitarists of the generation hence its name In 1999 Vai started his own record label Favored Nations with the intent to showcase, as Vai describes: ". Favored Nations is a Record label started by guitarist Steve Vai and former Guitar Center owner Ray Scherr in 1999 . . artists that have attained the highest performance level on their chosen instruments. ". ^[1]

Career

1970s and 1980s

In 1974, Vai took guitar lessons from guitarist Joe Satriani, and played in numerous local bands. Joseph "Satch" Satriani (born July 15, 1956 in Westbury New York, U He has acknowledged the influence of many guitarists including Jeff Beck and fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth. Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, England) is an English Fusion or more specifically jazz fusion or jazz rock, is a Musical genre that merges Jazz with elements of other styles of music particularly Allan Holdsworth (born August 6, 1946 in Bradford, West Yorkshire) is a British Jazz / rock Guitarist Vai then attended the Berklee College of Music. Berklee College of Music, founded in 1945 is an independent music College in Boston Massachusetts.

Vai mailed Frank Zappa a transcription of Zappa's "The Black Page", an instrumental song written for drums, along with a tape with some of Vai's guitar playing. Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21 1940 – December 4 1993 was an American Composer, Electric guitarist Record producer and Film director The Black Page is a piece by American composer Frank Zappa known for being extraordinarily difficult to play Zappa was so impressed with the abilities of the young musician that he hired him in 1979 to do work transcribing several of his guitar solos, including many of those appearing on the Joe's Garage album and the Shut Up 'n' Play Yer Guitar series. Joe's Garage Acts I II & III is a 1979 Rock opera by Frank Zappa. Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar is a triple vinyl album featuring live material recorded by Frank Zappa between February 1977 and December 1980 These transcriptions were published in 1982 in The Frank Zappa Guitar Book. The Frank Zappa Guitar Book is a book of musical transcriptions of some of Frank Zappa 's guitar solos

Subsequent to being hired as a transcriber, Vai did overdubs on many of the guitar parts for Zappa's album You Are What You Is. You Are What You Is is an album by Frank Zappa. It was originally released as a two- record set in 1981 and later by Rykodisc as a 20-song Thereafter he became a full-fledged band member, going on his first tour with Zappa in the Autumn of 1980. One of those early shows with Vai on guitar, recorded in Buffalo was released in 2007. Buffalo is a live album by Frank Zappa, released in 2007 as a two-CD set While touring with Zappa's band, Vai would sometimes ask audience members to bring musical scores and see if he could sight-read them on the spot. Sight-reading is the reading and performing of a piece of written Music, specifically when the performer has not seen it before Zappa referred to Vai as his "little Italian virtuoso" and was listed in liner notes as performing "stunt guitar" or "impossible guitar parts". He would later be a featured artist on the 1993 recording, Zappa's Universe. This is a summary of significant events in music in 1993. Events January In 2006 he returned to playing Zappa music as a special guest on Dweezil Zappa's 'Zappa Plays Zappa' tour. This is a list of notable events in Music that took place in the year 2006. Dweezil Zappa (born September 5, 1969) is an American rock Guitarist. Zappa Plays Zappa is the name of a Concert tour and band led by Dweezil Zappa, the oldest son of the late American composer and musician Frank Zappa, devoted

After leaving Zappa in 1982 he moved to California where he recorded his first album Flex-Able and performed in a couple of bands. See also 1982 in music (UK Musical groups established in 1982 Record labels established in 1982 California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Flex-Able is an Album by Steve Vai. This was his first as a solo artist and was created in Stucco Blue a shed converted into a studio in Vai's old back In 1985 he replaced Yngwie Malmsteen as lead guitarist in Graham Bonnet's Alcatrazz with whom he recorded the album Disturbing the Peace. Events January January 28 - Various artists, under the group name USA For Africa, including Ray Charles Yngwie Johann Malmsteen (ˈɪŋveɪ ˈmɑːlmstiːn in English (born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck on June 30 1963 in Stockholm Sweden) is a Swedish Graham Bonnet (born 23 December 1947, Skegness, Lincolnshire, England) sang for many different Rock bands including Alcatrazz is a melodic Hard rock band formed in 1983 in Los Angeles by Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea. Disturbing the peace is a Crime generally defined as the unsettling of proper order in a public space through one's actions Later in 1985 he joined former Van Halen front man David Lee Roth's group to record the albums Eat 'Em and Smile and Skyscraper. Van Halen is a Hard rock band formed in in 1972 They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978 David Lee Roth (often referred to as "Diamond Dave" (born October 10 1954 Bloomington Indiana) is an American rock Vocalist Eat 'Em and Smile is the debut full-length Album by original Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth released in 1986 Skyscraper was the second full-length Album by David Lee Roth (of Van Halen) released in 1988 This significantly increased Vai's visibility to general rock audiences, since Roth was in a highly public battle with the Van Halen members and Vai was favorably compared by many commentators to Eddie Van Halen. Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen (born January 26 1955 is a Dutch Guitarist, Keyboardist, Songwriter and producer

In 1986 Vai also surprised everyone by playing with ex-Sex Pistols John Lydon's Public Image Ltd on their album Album (also known as Compact Disc or Cassette). See also Musical groups established in 1986 Record labels established in 1986 Events January The Sex Pistols are an English Punk rock band that formed in London in 1975 John Joseph Lydon (born 31 January 1956 in London England also known as Johnny Rotten, is a British Rock musician best known as lead vocalist for the Punk Public Image Ltd ( PiL) were an English musical group formed in 1978 by vocalist John Lydon, Guitarist Keith Levene Album (also known as Compact Disc or Cassette depending on the format is the fifth Studio album by English Then in 1989 Vai stepped into guitarist Adrian Vandenberg's shoes to record with British rock-group Whitesnake after Vandenberg injured his wrist shortly before recording was due to begin for the album Slip of the Tongue. This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1989 Adje (Adrian van den Berg (Born January 31 1954, Enschede in the Netherlands) is a Dutch rock Guitarist Whitesnake are an English Hard rock band founded in 1977 by David Coverdale (formerly of Deep Purple) Slip of the Tongue is an album by the rock band Whitesnake, released in 1989 Vai also played on the Alice Cooper album Hey Stoopid along with Joe Satriani on the song Feed my Frankenstein. Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier; February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer songwriter and musician whose career spans five Hey Stoopid is a studio album from heavy metal singer and Shock rock -musician Alice Cooper.

1990s and 2000s

Vai continues to tour regularly, both with his own group and with his one-time teacher and fellow guitar instrumentalist friend Joe Satriani on the G3 series of tours. Joseph "Satch" Satriani (born July 15, 1956 in Westbury New York, U G3 is an almost annual live music show and Concert tour featuring three select Guitarists of the generation hence its name Former David Lee Roth and Mr. Big bassist Billy Sheehan also joined him for a world tour. David Lee Roth (often referred to as "Diamond Dave" (born October 10 1954 Bloomington Indiana) is an American rock Vocalist Mr Big was an American Hard rock super group. Formed in 1988, Mr William 'Billy' Sheehan (born on 1953 March 19 in Buffalo NY) is an Irish American Bassist known for his work with Talas In 1990 Vai released his critically acclaimed solo album Passion and Warfare. In Popular music, a solo album is an Album made by a current or former member of a band. Passion and Warfare is a 1990 Instrumental Album from Guitarist Steve Vai. The song For the Love of God was voted #29 in a readers' poll of the 100 greatest guitar solos of all time for the magazine Guitar World. "For The Love Of God" is an Instrumental Guitar piece by Steve Vai. Guitar solos are a melodic passage section or entire piece of music written for an Electric guitar or an Acoustic guitar. Guitar World is a monthly Music Magazine devoted to Guitarists It contains original interviews album and gear

In 1994 Vai began writing and recording with Ozzy Osbourne. This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994. John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born December 3 1948) is a British singer Only one track from these sessions—"My Little Man"—was released on the Ozzmosis album. " My Little Man " is a song off the 1995 album Ozzmosis by Heavy metal musician Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzmosis is an album by British Heavy metal musician Ozzy Osbourne. Despite Vai penning the track he does not appear on the album. His guitar parts were replaced by Zakk Wylde. Zakk Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt on January 14, 1967 in Bayonne, New Jersey) is an American musician who Vai's band members throughout the 1990s included drummer Mike Mangini, guitarist Mike Keneally and bassist Philip Bynoe. Mike Mangini (born April 18, 1963 in Newton Massachusetts, USA) is a celebrated Drummer who is best known for his work as a Michael Joseph Keneally (born December 20 1961) is an American guitarist keyboardist vocalist and composer Three-time Grammy nominee and Emmy Award-winning bassist Philip Earl Bynoe is a prolific recording and touring musician In 1994 Vai received a Grammy Award for his performance on the Frank Zappa song Sofa from the album Zappa's Universe. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences

Vai playing a twin-necked Ibanez

In July 2002, Steve Vai performed with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Japan, in the world premiere of composer Ichiro Nodaira's Fire Strings, a concerto for electric guitar and 100-piece orchestra. This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002 The, also known as Tokyō (都響 is one of the representative symphony orchestras of Japan. Suntory Hall is a Concert hall complex consisting of the "Main Hall" and the "Small Hall" located in the Ark Hills complex near the U officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. An electric guitar is a type of Guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current which is made louder In 2004, a number of his compositions for orchestra, as well as orchestra arrangements of previously recorded pieces, were performed in The Netherlands by the Metropole Orchestra in a concert series entitled The Aching Hunger. See also 2004 in music (UK Musical groups established in 2004 Record labels The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands In 2003, drummer Jeremy Colson joined Vai's group replacing previous drummer Virgil Donati. See also 2003 in music (UK Musical groups established in 2003 Record labels Virgil Donati (born October 22 1957 is an Australian Drummer currently playing in the band Planet X alongside many side projects Vai's latest album, Sound Theories, was released in 2007. Sound Theories vol I & II is a 2007 album by American guitarist Steve Vai. This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007

Steve Vai released a DVD of his performance at The Astoria in London in December 2001, featuring the lineup of bassist Billy Sheehan, guitarist/pianist Tony MacAlpine, guitarist Dave Weiner and drummer Virgil Donati. The London Astoria is a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road in London, England. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. See also 2001 in music (UK Musical groups established in 2001 Record labels Tony Jeff MacAlpine (born August 29, 1960, in Springfield Massachusetts) is an American Guitarist and Keyboardist. Dave Weiner (born on September 24, 1976) is an American Guitarist, most widely known for being one of Steve Vai 's touring guitarists

In 2004, Steve Vai was featured on Xbox's Halo 2 Volume 1 soundtrack, performing a heavy rock-guitar rendition of the Halo theme, known as Halo Theme (Mjolnir Mix). The Xbox is a sixth-generation Video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. Halo 2 is a Science fiction First-person shooter Video game developed by Bungie Studios. The Halo Original Soundtrack is a Soundtrack for the Video game Halo Combat Evolved. He also performed on the track Never Surrender. He later featured in the second volume of the soundtrack, where he performed on the track Reclaimer.

In February 2005, Vai premiered a dual-guitar (electric and classical) piece that he wrote called The Blossom Suite with classical guitarist Sharon Isbin at the Châtelet Theatre in Paris. Sharon Isbin (born August 7, 1956 in St Louis Park, Minnesota) is an American guitarist, recording artist concertizer and the founder The Théâtre du Châtelet is a Theatre and Opera house in Paris, France. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city In 2006, Vai played as a "special guest" guitarist alongside additional guest Zappa band members, drummer Terry Bozzio and saxophonist-singer Napoleon Murphy Brock in the Zappa Plays Zappa tour led by Frank's son Dweezil Zappa in Europe and the U. Terry John Bozzio ( December 27, 1950) is an American Drummer best known for his work with the late Frank Zappa. Napoleon Murphy Brock is an American singer Saxophonist and Flautist who is best known for his work with Frank S. in the Spring as well as a short U. S. tour in October.

On September 21 2006, Vai made a special appearance at the Video Games Live concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California. Events 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights. Video Games Live (VGL is a concert series created and produced by industry veterans and video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall The Hollywood Bowl is a famous modern Amphitheatre in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles California, USA, that is used primarily for music Performances He played two songs with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. One song being the Halo Theme, the second was for the world premier trailer for Halo 3. Halo 3 is a First-person shooter Video game developed by Bungie exclusively for the Xbox 360.

Steve Vai made an appearance at the London Guitar Show 2007 on the 28th April 2007 at the ExCeL Center by doing a masterclass. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007 In late April 2007, Vai confirmed the release of his next record, called Sound Theories, on June 26. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. The release will be a 2-CD set consisting mostly of previously released material that Vai rearranged and played in front of a full orchestra. Vai says that the project was a great joy because he considers himself to be a composer more than a guitarist, and he is happy to see music he has composed played by an orchestra that can play it well. A DVD will eventually accompany the record but will be released in August. He makes a guest appearance on the most recent Dream Theater album, Systematic Chaos, on the song "Repentance". Dream Theater is an American Progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name " Majesty " by John Myung, John Petrucci Systematic Chaos is the ninth studio album by American Progressive metal band Dream Theater. " Repentance " is the fifth song on Dream Theater 's 2007 album Systematic Chaos. However, this appearance is vocal rather than instrumental, as Vai is one of many musical guests recorded apologizing to important people in their lives for wrongdoings committed in their pasts.

Vai is set to release a DVD of his show dated 19 September 2007 at the Minneapolis State Theater from his 2007 Tour. Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Movies

Steve Vai's music has been featured in a number of feature films, including Dudes and Ghosts of Mars. Ghosts of Mars (also known as John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars) is a 2001 movie directed by John Carpenter, which in its basic themes is He appeared onscreen in the 1986 Ralph Macchio movie Crossroads, playing the demonically-inspired Jack Butler. Events April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries Ralph George Macchio (born November 4, 1961) is an American [[actor]] of Italian ancestry Crossroads is a 1986 Cult film starring Ralph Macchio, inspired by the legend of Robert Johnson. Jack Butler may refer to Jack Butler (Jiwarli (1901–1986 last native speaker of Jiwarli Jack Butler (author (born 1944 American At the film's climax, Vai engages in a guitar duel with Macchio, whose guitar parts were dubbed by Vai and also Ry Cooder, who played the initial slide work in the duel and Macchio's earlier performances in the film. Ryland "Ry" Peter Cooder (born 15 March 1947, in Los Angeles, California) is an American Guitarist, Singer, and The fast-paced neo-classical track entitled Eugene's Trick Bag with which Macchio wins the competition was also composed by Vai. Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and The body of the piece was heavily based on Paganini's Caprice #5. Niccolò Paganini ( October 27, 1782 &ndash He later borrowed the opening riff from the track Head Cuttin' Duel for a song called Bad Horsie from his 1995 EP Alien Love Secrets. Alien Love Secrets is an EP made by Steve Vai in 1995 It was written as a stripped-down guitar bass and drums record with minimal keyboards Later the Crossroads duel reappeared on the 2002 album The Elusive Light and Sound, volume 1. The Elusive Light and Sound Vol 1 is a 2002 album that groups all the songs that Steve Vai made for movies TV shows and the like

In 1991's Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey the introductory riff to KISS' God Gave Rock 'N Roll To You II, as performed by the Wyld Stallyns in the Battle of the Bands was performed by Vai. The year 1991 in film involved some significant events Events April 28 - Bonnie Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey is a 1991 American comedy Science fiction film the sequel to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Kiss (also typeset as KISS) is an American rock band formed in New York City in December 1972 "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II" is a song by the American Hard rock band Kiss. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure ( 1989) is an American comedy / Science fiction Movie in which two Slackers Battle of the Bands is a generic term for a contest in which many bands, usually rock/guitar bands but often from a range of different styles compete for the He also composed and performed the soundtrack to PCU (1994), and made contributions in 2001 to the score for John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars, performing on the tracks Ghosts of Mars and Ghost Poppin. PCU is a 1994 cult Comedy film. The movie follows in the footsteps of Animal House, showing college life at the fictional The year 1994 in film involved some significant events Top grossing films (U The year 2001 in film involved some significant events (For more about non-English films check sources in those languages John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American Film director, Screenwriter, producer, film score Ghosts of Mars (also known as John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars) is a 2001 movie directed by John Carpenter, which in its basic themes is His track Drive the Hell Out Of Here can be heard during 1992's Encino Man in the scene where Brendan Fraser is taking a driving lesson. The year 1992 in film involved many significant films (For more about films in foreign languages check sources in those languages Encino Man, released in Europe as California Man, is a 1992 Comedy film directed by Les Mayfield and starring Brendan James Fraser (born December 3 1968 is a Canadian-American Film and stage actor

Musical style

Vai performing in 2001

Vai is widely recognized as a technically highly advanced rock guitarist and has been described as a virtuoso in the world of guitar music ^[2]. A virtuoso (from Italian virtuoso, late Latin virtuosus, Latin virtus meaning skill manliness excellence is an individual He has mastered many performance techniques on the instrument including legato, pinch harmonics and volume swells, and is noted for his whammy bar effects and sporadic outbursts on the instrument often contrasting sweep-picking or finger tapping with slower sections to his compositions. A list of Guitar -related topics Guitar hardware and makers Guitar types and varieties This category refers to the instruments not the style of playing In Musical notation the Italian word legato (literally meaning "tied together" indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly In Acoustics and Telecommunication, the harmonic of a Wave is a component Frequency of the signal that is an Integer For other uses see Crescendo. A volume swell is a Musical Crescendo commonly associated with the Electric guitar A tremolo arm or tremolo bar (also called a "whammy bar" or "wang bar" is a lever attached to the bridge and/or the Tailpiece of Sweep picking is a technique used on the Guitar in which a 'sweeping' motion of the pick is combined with a matching fret hand technique in order to produce a specific Tapping is a playing technique generally associated with the Electric guitar, although the technique may be performed on almost any String instrument. His 1990 album Passion and Warfare and the ballad For the Love of God in particular received a significant amount of press and are often cited by critics and fans alike as amongst his best work to date ^[3]. Passion and Warfare is a 1990 Instrumental Album from Guitarist Steve Vai. "For The Love Of God" is an Instrumental Guitar piece by Steve Vai.

Vai's playing style has been characterized as quirky and angular, owing to his technical facility with the instrument and deep knowledge of music theory. Music theory is the field of study that deals with the Mechanics of music and how Music works Vai was the first to use the 7-string guitar in a rock context - having designed the 7-string electric guitar, and has used double and triple neck guitars on many occasions. A seven-string guitar is a Guitar with seven strings instead of the usual six

Equipment

Vai is an accomplished studio producer (he owns two: "The Mothership" [1] and "The Harmony Hut" [2]) and his own recordings combine his signature guitar prowess with novel compositions and considerable use of studio and recording effects, such as the Eventide H3000 ultra harmonizer and Digidesign's Pro Tools HD recording system and plug-in effects architecture. Digidesign is an American Digital audio technology company It was founded in 1984 by Peter Gotcher and Evan Brooks Pro Tools is a Digital Audio Workstation platform for Mac OS and Microsoft Windows operating systems developed and manufactured by Digidesign

Vai also helped design his signature Ibanez JEM series of guitars. Ibanez JEM is an Electric guitar manufactured by Ibanez and first produced in 1987 They feature a hand grip (fondly referred to as a "monkey grip") cut into the top of the body of the guitar, a humbucker-single coil-humbucker DiMarzio pickup configuration with several different types of pickup including Evolution, Breed and EVO 2. A conventional humbucker (or Humbucking pickup) is a type of Electric guitar pickup that uses two coils both generating string signal A single coil pickup is a type of magnetic Transducer for the Electric guitar and the electric bass. DiMarzio (full name DiMarzio Musical Instrument Pickups Inc) is an American -based electronic manufacturing company famous for its Guitar pickups The A pickup device acts as a Transducer that captures mechanical vibrations (usually from suitably equipped Stringed instruments such as the Electric guitar He also uses Floyd Rose locking tremolo system, as well as an elaborate and extensive "Vine of Life" inlay down the neck. Vai also equips many of his guitars with an Ibanez Backstop, a tremolo stabilizer that has been discontinued. Vai also has a 7-string model designed by him named Ibanez Universe. The Ibanez Universe is the world's first modern commercial seven-string Electric guitar, developed by Steve Vai and manufactured by Ibanez. The Universe later influenced the 7-string guitars used by Korn and other bands to create nu metal sounds in the late 1990s. Korn, occasionally typeset as KoЯn or KoRn, is an American Nu metal band from Bakersfield California, and is often credited with popularizing Nu metal (sometimes named new metal or nü metal) is a musical genre that emerged in the mid 1990s which fuses influences from grunge and Alternative He also has a signature Ibanez acoustic, the Euphoria. Ibanez (ˈaɪbænɛz or /aɪˈbænɛz/ is a Guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki and based in Nagoya Aichi, Japan. Before he used Ibanez, he briefly endorsed Jackson guitars, but this relationship would only last for two years.

Steve Vai has also worked with Carvin Guitars and Pro Audio to develop the Carvin Legacy line of guitar amplifiers. The Carvin Corporation is an American Guitar, Musical instrument and equipment manufacturer located in San Diego, California. An instrument amplifier is an Electronic amplifier that converts the inaudible electric or electronic signal from musical instruments such as an Electric guitar Vai wanted to create an amp that was unique and equal in sound, versatility, and affordability to any guitar amp he had previously used. ^[4] Over his long musical career, Steve Vai has used and designed an array of guitars. He even had his DNA put into the swirl paint job on one of his signature JEM guitars, the JEM2KDNA, in the form of his blood. Only 300 of these were ever made. Nowadays he mainly uses his white "Evo", a JEM7V, and his "Flo", which is a customized Floral Jem 777FP painted white. They are both inscribed with their names in two places, mainly in order to allow him to distinguish between the guitars he uses onstage. "Flo" is equipped with a Fernandes sustainer system. Fernandes is a Guitar and guitar accessory manufacturer Their brand of guitars carry the same name

He also has a guitar named "Mojo" in which the dot inlays are blue LED lights. Additionally, he has a custom-made triple-neck guitar that has the same basic features as his JEM7V guitars. The top neck is a 12-string guitar, the middle is a 6-string, and the bottom is a 6-string fretless guitar with a Fernandes Sustainer pickup. A fretless guitar is a Guitar without Frets It operates in the same manner as most other Stringed instruments and traditional Guitars but does The Fernandes Sustainer is a device fitted to the Electric guitar, usually in models produced by Fernandes Guitars, but it is also supplied as a kit for fitting to This guitar was featured on the G3 2003 tour on the piece I Know You're Here. Vai's effects pedals include a modified Boss DS-1, Ibanez Tube Screamer, Morley Bad Horsie, TC Electronics G-System, Morley Little Alligator Volume pedal, Digitech Whammy, and an MXR Phase 90. An effects pedal (or a " Stomp Box " is an electronic Effects unit housed in a small metal or plastic chassis used by musicians usually Electric The Boss DS-1 is a basic Distortion pedal manufactured by the Roland Corporation under the brand name Boss in 1978. The Ibanez Tube Screamer is an overdrive Effect pedal produced by Ibanez which is named for the fact that its light Distortion is similar to A wah-wah pedal (or just wah pedal) is a type of Guitar Effects pedal that alters the tone of the signal to create a distinctive effect intended to mimic An expression pedal is an important control found on many organs and Synthesizers that allows the volume of the sound to be manipulated The Digitech Whammy is a pitch-shifter effects pedal manufactured by Digitech. The phase of an oscillation or wave is the fraction of a complete cycle corresponding to an offset in the displacement from a specified reference point at time t = 0 His flight cases are labeled "Mr. Vai", or latterly, "Dr. Vai". He used a number of rack effects units controlled via MIDI, but used a floor-based TC electronics G system instead for the Zappa Plays Zappa tour. MIDI ( Musical Instrument Digital Interface, ˈmɪdi is an industry-standard protocol that enables Electronic musical instruments Computers Vai also has a signature pedal in the works with Ibanez called the "Jemini" pedal (see external links for a picture). This pedal is expected to be released at Winter NAMM 2008.

Philanthropy

In 2005, Vai signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization that provides free musical instruments and free lessons to children in public schools throughout the U. Little Kids Rock is a nonprofit organization that provides free instruments and lessons to children in under-served public schools A non-profit organization ( abbreviated "NPO" also "not-for-profit" is a legally constituted Organization whose objective is to support or engage A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. S. A. He sits on its board of directors as an honorary member.

Favored Nations

Vai owns Favored Nations, a recording and publishing company that specializes in internationally procuring and maintaining recording artists. Favored Nations is a Record label started by guitarist Steve Vai and former Guitar Center owner Ray Scherr in 1999 A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a Favored Nations is separated into three sections, 'Favored Nations', 'Favored Nations Acoustic' and 'Favored Nations Cool (Jazz style)'

Artists who the Favored Nations label works or has worked with include Eric Johnson, Steve Lukather, Neal Schon, Yngwie Malmsteen, Mattias IA Eklundh, Tommy Emmanuel, Vernon Reid, The Yardbirds, Larry Coryell, Mimi Fox, Eric Sardinas, Dweezil Zappa, Dave Weiner and Johnny A. Eric Johnson (born August 17, 1954) is a Guitarist and recording artist from Austin Texas. Steve "Luke" Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American Grammy Award winning Guitarist, Singer, Neal Joseph Schon (born February 27 1954, in Tinker Air Force Base near Oklahoma City Oklahoma) is an American Guitarist Yngwie Johann Malmsteen (ˈɪŋveɪ ˈmɑːlmstiːn in English (born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck on June 30 1963 in Stockholm Sweden) is a Swedish Mattias "IA" Eklundh (born 1969 in Gothenburg, Sweden) is a guitarist and vocalist known for his work with the bands Freak Kitchen, Frozen Eyes Tommy Emmanuel (born 31 May 1955) is an Australian Guitarist, best known for his incredibly complex Fingerpicking style energetic Vernon Reid (born August 22, 1958) is an English Guitarist, Songwriter, composer and bandleader The Yardbirds are an English rock band noted for starting the careers of three of rock's most famous Guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck Larry Coryell (born April 2 1943) is an American Jazz fusion Guitarist. Mimi Fox is an American Jazz Guitarist known internationally for her work Eric Sardinas is an American Blues-rock Guitarist born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1970 Dweezil Zappa (born September 5, 1969) is an American rock Guitarist. Dave Weiner (born on September 24, 1976) is an American Guitarist, most widely known for being one of Steve Vai 's touring guitarists Johnny A is a guitarist born in Malden Massachusetts. Growing up in Boston as a young child he became interested in music starting with drums at age 6

Personal life

Vai is married to Pia Maiocco, former bass player of Vixen, who can be seen in Hardbodies. Pia Maiocco (born February 25 1962) is an American former bass player for the female heavy metal band Vixen. A bass player (bassist is a Musician who plays a Double bass, Bass guitar, keyboard bass or wind Vixen is an all-female American Glam metal / heavy metal band which achieved some success during the late 1980s and early 1990s Vai and Maiocco have two children, Julian Angel and Fire. In his spare time Vai enjoys keeping bees, which regularly produce a crop of honey that Vai sells for his Make a Noise Foundation. Leisure or free time, is a period of Time spent out of work and essential domestic Activity. Beekeeping (or apiculture, from Latin apis, Bee) is the maintenance of Honey bee colonies commonly in Hives [3]

Band History - not including guest appearances

• Frank Zappa (1980-1982)
• Steve Vai (1982-1984)
• Alcatrazz (1985)
• David Lee Roth (1985-1986)
• Public Image Ltd. (1985-1986)
• Frank Zappa (1986)
• David Lee Roth (1987-1988)
• Whitesnake (1988-1990)
• Solo (1989-present)
• Ozzy Osbourne (1995)

Current band members

• Steve Vai - vocals, lead guitar
• Dave Weiner - rhythm guitar
• Ann Marie Calhoun - Fiddle, keyboard
• Brian Beller - bass guitar
• Jeremy Colson - drums, percussion
• Alex Depue- Violin

Discography

Solo albums

• Flex-Able (1984)
• Flex-Able Leftovers (1984)
• Passion and Warfare (1990)
• Sex & Religion (1993)
• Alien Love Secrets (1995)
• Fire Garden (1996)
• The Ultra Zone (1999)
• The 7th Song (2000)
• Alive in an Ultra World (2001)
• The Elusive Light and Sound, volume 1 (2002)
• The Infinite Steve Vai: An Anthology (2003)
• Real Illusions: Reflections (2005)
• Sound Theories (2007)
• Ma Raison (2008)

Appearances on Zappa albums

With other artists

Soundtracks

Compilations

Awards and Nominations ^[5]

Grammy Winner

• 1994 Best Rock Instrumental Performance "Sofa" from Zappa's Universe

• 2001 Best Pop Instrumental No Substitutions [Steve Vai Producer/Engineer]

Grammy Nomination

• 1990 Best Rock Instrumental Album Passion & Warfare

• 1995 Best Rock Instrumental Performance "Tender Surrender" – from Alien Love Secrets

• 1997 Best Rock Instrumental Performance "For the Love of God" – from G3 Live in Concert

• 1999 Best Rock Instrumental Performance "Windows to the Soul" – from The Ultra Zone

• 2001 Best Rock Instrumental Performance "Whispering a Prayer" – from Alive in an Ultra World

• 2006 Best Rock Instrumental Performance "Lotus Feet" — lost to Les Paul & Friends's "69 Freedom Special"

• 2008 Best Rock Instrumental Performance "The Attitude Song" — lost to Bruce Springsteen's "Once Upon a Time in the West"

Guitar Player Magazine

1995 Gallery of Greats

1995 Best Rock Guitarist (Tie with Jimmy Page)

1995 Best Overall Guitarist 3rd Place

1995 Best Experimental Guitarist (Tie with Buckethead)

1995 Best Metal Recording 3rd Place

1995 Best Overall Guitar Recording 2nd Place

1995 Best Metal Guitarist 3rd Place

1990 Best Rock Guitarist

1990 Best Overall Guitarist

1990 Best Guitar Album

1990 Best Metal Guitarist

1989 Best Rock Guitarist

1988 Best Rock Guitarist

1987 Best Rock Guitarist

1987 Best Overall Guitarist

1986 Best Rock Guitarist

Guitar World

1990 Most Valued Player (tie with Stevie Ray Vaughan)

1990 Best Album

1990 Best Rock Guitarist

1990 Best Guitar Solo (For the Love of God)

1989 Best Rock Guitarist

International Music Awared Nomination

1990 Best Guitarist

Select Magazine (UK)

1990 Best Album (Passion and Warfare)

1990 Best Musician

1990 Sexiest Male

Guitar for the Practicing Musician

1993 Editor’s Choice Award

1990 Reader’s Choice - Guitar Album of the Year

1990 Best Instrumental Guitarist of the Year

1988 Rock Guitarist of the Year

1987 Hall of Fame

1986 Guitar in the 90’s Award

Kerrang (UK)

1993 Best Hard Rock Performance

1990 Guitarist of the Year

1989 Best Rock Guitarist

Young Guitar (Japan)

1997 Best Rock Guitarist

1991 Best Rock Guitarist

Rock Brigade

1996 Best Guitarist

1997 Best Guitarist

RAW

990 Best Selling Album (No. Jason Becker, (born July 22, 1969) is an American Neo-classical metal Guitarist and composer The Halo 2 Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack for Bungie 's 2004 Video game Halo 2. Les Paul (born Lester William Polsfuss on June 9 1915) is an American Jazz guitarist and Inventor. 10)

1990 Best Selling LP Sleeve (No. 1)

1990 Best Selling Promo Video (No. 5, I Would Love To)

1990 Best Selling Promo Video (No. 7, The Audience is Listening)

1990 Best Sex Object (No. 6)

1990 Best RAW Cover (No. 3)

Player

1995 Best Hard Rock Guitarist - 2nd Place

Making Music

1990 Best Album

1990 Best Guitarist

1990 Best Musician

Metal Hammer

1990 Best Guitarist (Reader's Poll)

California Music Awards

2001 Outstanding Guitarist (nominee)

See also

• List of rock instrumentals
• Steve Vai songs

References

External links

edit

Visit the Guitar Portal

• Steve Vai's Official homepage
• Steve Vai's Official MySpace
• Myspace: G3
• Steve Vai at All Music Guide
• Audio Interview with Steve Vai on Guitar Jam Daily
• Picture of the Jemini Pedal
• Billboard.com Discography of Steve Vai