Born in New York in 1960, acclaimed rock guitarist Steve Vai began
playing guitar in his teens, when he studied under local guitar teacher
Joe Satriani (now a famed solo musician). After high school, Vai studied
at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, then moved to Los Angeles
to seek his fortune. Within a year he came to the attention of gonzo
musician Frank Zappa, who was impressed by Vai's amazing technical ability
and tremendous knowledge of Zappa's own large repertoire; Vai soon joined
Zappa's band as "stunt guitarist," earning a reputation as
one of the most talented hard rock guitarists in the industry.
In 1984 Steve Vai made his solo debut with Flexi-Able, then joined
the local metal band Alcatrazz. In 1986 he joined former Van Halen frontman
David Lee Roth's backing band for the Eat 'Em and Smile album. Following
the recording of Roth's 1988 album Skycraper, Vai temporarily joined
Whitesnake, filling in on guitar on their 1989 effort, Slip of the Tongue.
He then returned to his solo career, recording 1990's acclaimed Passion
and Warfare. Several more all-instrumental solo albums followed. You
can catch Vai along with Satriani and special guest Yngwie Malmsteen
in their successful G3 concert tour.
The Riff
This riff is from the song "Viv Woman" which is from Vai's
first solo album "Flex-able". It's a weird album to say the
least, but there's some amazing guitar playing on it. This riff is no
piece of cake to learn. You'll have to do some serious work in order
play it up to speed. Fingerings are very important, so play close attention
to the fingerings I've suggested further down the page. Good luck!
