# Steve Vai Speaks

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-vai-speaks/576108>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 27, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-vai-speaks/576108 "2011-03-27T01:34:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-vai-speaks/576108/1 "2011-03-27T01:34:27Z")

</div>

Basically a motivational session interspersed with his song “Whispering A Prayer” about how he achieved success and his advice to other aspiring musicians. Pretty cool. Link to other Vai “speaking session” videos too, one of which I am watching now. Say what you will, dude is a practiced technician and has absolute mastery over the electric guitar.

Anyway, check it out: [Steve Vai "How to be Successful" Private Sessions Guitar Center - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atGBKuCJ-Jc&playnext=1&list=PL8E7E210E62052257)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-vai-speaks/576108/2 "2011-03-27T02:30:16Z")

</div>

Nice! Thanks!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-vai-speaks/576108/3 "2011-03-27T02:31:38Z")

</div>

I have little comment on Vai’s motivational lecture. Steve did very well through a combination of incredibly hard work sustained over many years, but also some little amount of luck, like anyone else who “makes it” in music. Or in other fields, I’m sure. I bet he payed his dues in spaids.  
That said, what’s with the green blob of putty on his neck pickup? [/guitar gearhead hijack]

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![da\_pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ba0ec/32.png) [@da\_pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/da_pope)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-vai-speaks/576108/4 "2011-03-27T17:30:26Z")

</div>

> [@squeegee](#):
>
> That said, what’s with the green blob of putty on his neck pickup? [/guitar gearhead hijack]

When you use the whammy to make the stings go slack, they can sometimes catch under the lip of the pickup on the way back.

Most guys use tape.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-vai-speaks/576108/5 "2011-03-27T19:27:51Z")

</div>

That’s tape on his.

Vai is definitely master of the electric guitar and can play anything that comes into his mind, no doubt. I just don’t like whats in his mind most times. The piece he’s playing throughout that interview is very dull to me.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-vai-speaks/576108/6 "2011-03-27T19:48:46Z")

</div>

> [@da\_pope](#):
>
> When you use the whammy to make the stings go slack, they can sometimes catch under the lip of the pickup on the way back.
> 
> Most guys use tape.

Vai uses a whammy bar?

No Way!  
😃