How to Play Guitar Like Steve Vai

Guitar virtuoso Steve Vai attended Berklee School of Music in Boston, then gained fame as a member of Frank Zappa's band in the late '70s. Vai later moved on to a successful solo career and attained guitar legend status as a technical wizard with his lightning fast playing. If you've mastered guitar basics you can imitate Steve Vai's chops.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Take lessons at a young age from guitar masters like Allan Holdsworth and Joe Satriani. Attend the best music school you can and practice scales til your fingers bleed, preferably 10 hours a day.

2. Learn to transcribe the most complicated music. Impress a musical genius with this expertise and join his band. Dye your hair blue.

3. Play a 7-string guitar, a twin-neck Ibanez or an Ibanez acoustic. Get a customized triple-neck guitar.

4. Discover how to play using a "roller coaster" technique. This method employs lengthy chords and fast movements from one voicing to the next. Sweep your guitar pick across the string in one direction as you play. Practice this technique, used in songs like "Shy Boy," slowly at first until you can match Vai's speedy playing.

5. Master Steve's guitar tapping style and learn how to combine legato pieces and slides. Study books like "Steve Vai-Guitar Styles and Techniques" and play along with the CD. Most importantly, listen to his CDs and practice continually.

Resources

• The Steve Vai Official Website