Steve Vai

Well, for the first time in this series, and the last, I'm going to feature some music that I don't really like all that much. I know Steve Vai's work more by reputation than actual listening, and had decided he would be next. But when I started looking for clips to post, I didn't find anything that really grabbed me. There is virtuosity in excess, but also a lot of gimmickry, and nothing that really touched me as music. And by the time I had come to that conclusion it was too late to start over with someone else. So here are a couple of instances. 

Here's a live performance of the same tune. It's interesting to see him produce some of those wild effects, although seeing is not understanding. Electronics obviously play a big role, but I don't know how much--I mean, how much of this could you do with a guitar and an amp and some basic effects, and how much involves an almost complete electronic transformation of the original sound?

If you found the theatrics of that performance a bit annoying, as I did, you might be interested in these two videos. First is a track called "Freak Show Excess" (I wonder if someone described one of his performances in those words). Next is a 14-minute video in which he explains how he went about composing the track. The contrast between his down-to-earth, intelligent, and engaging demeanor in it vs. the live performance above is striking. He's certainly one of the more technically accomplished people in this field.

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