Steve Vai

Joshua Watson2 said:Steve Vai is a straight-up guitar god. It’s like he was born with a pick in his hand and nothing else matters. I mean, the guy plays fast, he's totally spontaneous, and he nails stuff that's supposed to be "impossible." Sure, Vai can play just as well as Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, or Yngwie Malmsteen... but those guys don't stand a chance against him.

😍

Spot on.

Joshua Watson2 said:Steve Vai is basically a guitar god—like, he was just born to hold a guitar and nothing else. I mean, seriously, the guy plays fast, totally spontaneous, and nails stuff that sounds "impossible." Vai can definitely play like Joe Satriani or John Petrucci or even Yngwie Malmsteen... but let's be real, those guys don't stand a chance at playing quite like him.

Yeah... but why on earth would they want to play like him?! And why would he try to play like them!? It makes zero sense! How can you even claim they can't? Vai isn't trying to sound like Brian May! What does that even have to do with anything! It's such childish logic! Honestly, this forum is starting to drive me nuts with all the "this is the best" and "that is the worst" talk! Don't people get that there really isn't such a thing as "the best" or "the absolute worst"!

William Castillo19 said:Yeah... but why would they play like him! Why on earth would he try to play like them!? It’s ridiculous! How can you even claim I can't? Steve Vai isn't going to play like Brian May! What does that even have to do with anything! That is such childish logic. Honestly, this forum is starting to drive me insane with all this "this is the best" and "that is the worst" nonsense! Don't people get that there's no such thing as absolute best or worst?

Castillo, he wasn't trying to crown someone "the best"... he was just making a comparison to show how good Vai actually is 😉

William Castillo19 said:Yeah... but why on earth would they try to play like him? And why should he bother playing like them!? It’s total nonsense. How can you even claim someone "can't" play a certain way? It's not like Steve Vai could suddenly start playing exactly like Brian May! What does that even have to do with anything? That kind of logic is just childish. Honestly, this forum is starting to get on my nerves with all the constant "this guy is the best" or "that guy is the worst" bullshit. Don't people realize there is no such thing as "the absolute best" or "the absolute worst"?

spot on...

That whole "they can't play like him" line is such a pretentious load of crap...

Jesus, people, don't you get it? A musician isn't trying to "play like someone else"—they're trying to find their own damn sound.
Steve Vai is untouchable, brilliant, and an innovator, but who gets to sit there and declare him "THE BEST"?

For all we know, there might be some kid in Bulgaria who is "BETTER THAN HIM"... Better?? By what metric?
Exactly. 😁

😉

William Castillo19 said:Exactly... but why would they play like him? Why would he play like them!? It's nonsense. How can you say he couldn't? Steve Vai can't play like Brian May! What does that even have to do with anything? That’s such childish logic. Honestly, this forum is starting to get on my nerves with all the "this guy is the best" and "that guy is the worst" talk. Don't people realize there is no such thing as absolute best or worst?

Leonard Nimoy said:Spot on...
That whole pretentious "they can't play like him" line is ridiculous...
Good grief, people, don't you get that musicians aren't trying to "play like someone else"? They're trying to find their own sound.
Steve Vai is untouchable, brilliant, and an innovator, but who gets to decide he's the "BEST"?
For all we know, there might be a guitarist somewhere in Bulgaria who is "BETTER THAN HIM"... Better? By what metric?
Exactly.

I'm sorry if my post was taken the wrong way; Gary Sanchez actually understood my point.
Every guitarist has their own signature style. Joe Satriani plays much smoother, focusing on specific, resonant, and precise tones. John Petrucci has a more mathematical approach—you could say his tones are somewhat predictable.
Steve Vai is the complete opposite of both, but he can definitely adapt to play in those same styles, which makes him a much more "flexible" player.
I only brought up those comparisons because those guitarists were mentioned earlier in the thread.

Leonard Nimoy, you could argue there are better guitarists than Steve Vai, but neither you nor I have heard anyone capable enough to make that call.

Joshua Watson2 said:Look, Brandon Castillo4, you could argue there are better guitarists out there than Steve Vai, but neither you nor I have ever heard anyone actually worth listening to who could even weigh in on the subject.

😕 😕

Who's to say Pat Metheny isn't "better" in my book?
😁

Leonard Nimoy said:😕 😕

What makes you think Pat Metheny isn't "better" than him?
😁

I don't know.
Look, let's just say Steve Vai is the best guitarist in his specific genre and one of the absolute greatest players on the planet. Better?

Joshua Watson2 said:John Petrucci plays with this mathematical approach, you could say his note choices are pretty predictable.
Vai is the complete opposite of that crew, but he can definitely play with that same level of precision when he wants to, which makes him a much more "flexible" guitarist in my book.

See, it’s funny how you can always find someone online who will just flip your argument back at you—it happens all the time, at least to me.
Personally, I don't doubt for a second that Vai is an innovator. It's the same with Petrucci; you could call him a "jack-of-all-trades" because he pulls from so many different styles, but maybe he hasn't fully mastered any single one of them? That's why I actually dig him... sometimes his tones sound a bit messy to me, rather than "mathematical." Now, people can tell me I'm wrong, but that's just how I hear it. That's my perception. Besides, we're talking about world-class improvisers here, so they're all flexible—some just more than others.

Honestly, it feels pointless to take these hardline stances on things that are purely subjective. To be real, I don't even have the energy to argue about this stuff anymore... it gets exhausting. This guy is better than that guy, this player is faster than that player... blah blah blah.

There’s no such thing as the "best" guitarist, but if we're talking about who hits those pinch harmonics most accurately, it's definitely Steve Vai. 🙂 Plus, nobody touches a whammy bar quite like him. That's just my two cents...

silentcobra6 said:Look, there’s no such thing as the "best" guitarist ever, but if we're talking about who nails those pinch harmonics better than anyone else? It's definitely Steve Vai. 🙂 Plus, nobody touches a whammy bar quite like him. Just my two cents, though...

He hits those harmonics so clean he doesn't even need to fake them with pedals.

I mean, by the time you've even switched picks and tried to aim for the right fret...

the guy has already thought several steps ahead of both Morse and Johnson combined.

Mark Wells91 said:this individual possesses an economic intellect far superior to both Morsey and Johnson combined.

However, he still doesn't measure up to B.B. King. 😉 😛 😁 🙂 😁

Alex Martinez4 said:But even B.B. King doesn't quite hit that mark for me. 😉 😛 😁 🙂 😁

Man... I just could never quite wrap my head around B.B. King. Like, the guy is just too laid back for me—those three "soulful," "sweaty" blues tones he does? They totally kill me. I have massive respect for him, truly, and I really tried to get into it, I really did, but... nothing. Just didn't click.

Which actually reminds me! Total tangent here:

You guys know that U2 track with B.B. King? "When Love Came to Town"...something like that! Anyway! The solo from Bibi versus the solo from Edge—it's night and day! It’s basically the definition of B.B. King vs. the definition of Edge! Both are incredible in their own way! Though (if you ask me!!!) Edge's is definitely more my vibe : smajlićdrka:...

P.S.—my bad to all the B.B. King fans out there! 👋

Edge 😂

Leonard Nimoy~ said:Edge 😂

Hilarious?

William Castillo19 said:Hilarious?

Edge 😂

Nathan Barnes5 said:Edge 😂

Is that actually funny?

William Castillo19 said:I have never been able to wrap my head around B.B. King. To me, his playing feels incredibly tedious, and those three signature "soulful," "sweaty" blues tones he relies on are enough to drive me insane. While I hold him in high regard and truly attempted to understand his appeal—I really did—it simply never clicked.

That actually reminds me of something else entirely. Moving away from the main topic:

Everyone is familiar with that U2 collaboration featuring B.B. King—"When Love Came to Town," if I recall correctly. To be blunt, the interplay between Bibi's solo and Edge's solo is like comparing heaven and earth. They represent the absolute definition of their respective styles, each masterfully executing their craft in their own way. Naturally, I find Edge's contribution to be superior. 😏

P.S.—my apologies to all the Bibi fans out there. 👋

Well, let's pivot to a different topic then.😁 Look, my comment about Bibi was just a joke. I honestly don't see the point of a thread centered on economic efficiency; if anyone wants to discuss that, they should take it to the economics board or some other appropriate subforum.😠 😁

Look, people either love him or they don't, and that’s just how it goes. There is absolutely no need to offer an apology to those of us who consider B.B. King a legend.🙂 Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on whether they like him or not, and thank God for that.😁 There is an abundance of blues out there, so anyone can select exactly the style they prefer.

Greetings.

William Castillo19 said:Hilarious?

Edge 😂

Leonard Nimoy~ said:Edge 😂

Hilarious?

Oh, give it a rest already 😁