Steve Vai started his career as a music transcriptionist for
Frank Zappa in September 1979 after passing the abnormal audition, he recorded
and toured in Zappa's band for several years.
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| Steve Vai |
Steve messed around with Zappa on a number of albums such as
'Shut Up 'N' Play Yer Guitar' (1981), 'Tinsel Town Rebellion' (1981), 'You AreWhat You Is' (1981), Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch' (1982)
and 'The Man From Utopia' (1983).
Other albums:
And:
Steve also made a guest appearance on the first evening of
the 'Zappa's Universe' shows on 7 November 1991 which resulted in one other
concert of Zappa compositions in April 1995.
FZ:«I feel comfortable playing with Steve Vai, I mean, I
like the way he plays. I think he's really a great guitar player. He does
everything on the guitar that I don't do. He does all of the stock Stratocaster
noises and he makes everything that Van Halen ever dreamed of and then some. He
reads music. He plays sixteenth notes which I don't play. And he does all of
this stuff that I don't do; and I think that our styles are kind of
complementary. He's a good musician and I enjoy playing with him because he's
not just a Mongolian string-bender. And he's a thoroughly trained musical person.
And I like working with him.«
There’s a story that Frank once told Steves tone was similar
to a ham sandwich.
Steve Vai: «That was after the first gig I ever did with
him. We were having breakfast, and I said, “How was the gig last night? What
did you think?” I was looking for advice and criticism. He said, “You know
what, I think you’re a pretty good guitar player.” That, right there, was an
amazing statement to hear from him. But then he said, “But your tone sounds
like an electric ham sandwich.” That was just Frank’s way of saying I had to
work on my tone. By that, he meant that the way you hear yourself, imagine
yourself, is the way you’re going to sound. The way you think about the way you
play is going to be represented in what comes out of the amp. It’s not in the
gear, it’s in the way you hear yourself.«
FZ Albums With Steve Vai
Reviewed by
frank zappa newspaper
on
07:11
Rating:
Reviewed by
frank zappa newspaper
on
07:11
Rating:
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