134 Quotes by Steve Vai

Lenny Breau was a genius – inspired and really loose. I loved how he used the guitar as an extension of his inner freedom, because, obviously, on the outside there were a lot of trainwrecks going on. But when you listen to him play, you hear what kind of guy he really is.

Jeff Beck is compelled by his inner artistic drive to keep evolving the instrument. He’ll use the whammy bar with the volume knob and the tone control all at the same time – creating harmonics that no human being should be able to hit.

I loved the guitar, and I had all of this music in my head. My passion for the guitar and the ideas for what I could create musically were equal. So that’s where I was.

When I was young, I wasn’t a misfit or anything. I had friends in all the different social groups. But I had issues – just personal issues, insecurities and other things that had happened in my life.

It’s hilarious, because my guitar has what’s known as a tremolo bar or a whammy bar. And the whammy bar is probably the most alien thing on my guitar that could possibly relate to a classical guitar.

I’m a big fan of cultural music, and that’s how I try to expand my playing, by listening to music that is not conventionally American.

I can tell you this: I’m an extremely passionate individual. I try to be careful how I display it because you never know how people are going to take it.

I was a kid, 12 or something, when the Partridge Family was big on TV. I liked the curly cord running from the bass to the amps, which were real fancy. That cord looked so cool. I said, 'Wow! I gotta play something like that!'