Steve Vai - "Freak Show Excess" Demonstration

[Franee741852]

why say FLO?

[acelipes]

nice scales



[dirtywojta]

yeah right, goin up and down scales like that is totally easy^^

[AstraVex]

Finally bought the Tablature Book to this. It's taken me about 2 hours to do the first few bars of this song! You gotta be a freak to play...but a Good kind of Freak! :) lol

[DSxTaels]

Always wondered about this CD.

[apeishmedia]

by far MASTER Steve you my musical hero ;)

as a guitarist when kid my dream was to play on a G3 with you

[TroyEthane]

Y E A H !. Now I'm proud of being a guitarist in Bulgaria.

[LedZepPhil]

50 people are huge assholes and know nothing about music!!!!!!!!!!

[raulands]

Not only a guitar lesson....

[JJStuffEngineering]

outta control is right Steve...simply crazy outta controll! :)

Peace&love

[jazztime2009]

Sounds great Steve! I'm born in Bulgaria and always was fascinated with the folklore and the add meters and is cool to see you making it sounds so good on the guitar!

[psychofunksoldier02]

Great video...please do more like this Mr. Vai! Oh and more songs like this too please!

[psychofunksoldier02]

Great video...please do more like this Mr. Vai!

[dynmohum]

50 dislikes ... really?!

[owoIIl]

i wish i can have a room like this at home

[Gregorypeckory]

Steve is a great model for the rest of us, in regard to how he loves what he does, is always exploring new ground, and enjoying working his ass off as this video demonstrates. The looping exercise is great! Aside from his stellar career, he deserves a lot of credit for sending a ton of people to check out the badass Ivo Papazov and his band. It cracks me up to imagine the reactions of some of the metalheads who normally listen to nothing but rock virtuosos, upon hearing those guys rip.

[demonof90]

its easy to just dodododododoodododododooododod­ddodooddododododo. F u!

[johnbarboursworld]

The reason Steve has spongy green medical tape oh is pickup is that he hits the strings so hard and when doing extreme dives and wizardry the high e string gets caught under the outside edge of the pickup and that's not happy.

[johnbarboursworld]

Knox is referring to "Konx Om Pax" which is something coined by aleister crowley. It has deep meaning!

[ChoperJoJo]

steve vai using a computer, is very cool on that too xD

[axemon2000]

Steve, not only are you a great musician, you are a fantastic teacher. Thank-you for being an inspiration

[loljoje5]

After 3 years' watch of Steve Vai playing the guitar I have been really interested in when it comes to the close up of his guitar, what is that green thing he has on his neck pickup? Is it a kind of sticker or something?

[TrickyE]

@loljoje5 It's his way of saying "I have a $2500 guitar and I'm putting neon tape on it. I bet you wouldn't do this to yours."

[DerekBallesty]

@loljoje5 It says 'KONX'. Its A Tibetan prayer or something along those lines.

[MichaelGrah]

@loljoje5 I went to a clinic of his a few weeks ago, he said it was something to do with the string getting caught/hitting something.

[TheWayneofpayne]

49 people are complete idiots



[cossyma]

i love how at 4:50 he's like: it's very easy to go up and down in the scale like.. and does that crazy thing :))

[sysrq120]

All that is missing is a bong

[ameboth92]

He wouldn't make it without the candles. 00:32

[ThiagoZeppLE]

04:49 ..Simple.. =D

[UndergroundHipHopLuv]

4:50-5:10 got me ...... His giving me priceless lessons ...

[woodros]

'came up with some techniques', that players like jeff beck and john mclaughlin used in the 70s

[Guitareben]

@woodros He can still come up with them -_- He might not know they were, assuming they were ^^ :)

[kk456128]

reminds me of sonic music for the dreamcast

[guitarxlife1234]

Thank You Vai. You are my idol.

[rushnut2112]

This guy is on such another level...he hears melodies in places most would never find them. Incredible.

[luizjanela]

Without the candles it won't work.

[stephenshaggy]

i cant stress enough how ignorant some people are who study music thery. i love vais music. and i dont know much theroy. i have nothing agenst it, but i feel its given a little too much credit. i feel like i have a good understanding of music with the little i know. you should not put people down just because they may not have as much experience as you. i may not 'know much music, but i feel, live, and breath it.

[Lordi1408]

@stephenshaggy I agree. Theory is a huge part of building your skill, but too many rely so much on it that it becomes all technical and no heart. Living and breathing the music is something that can't be taught.

[craig1h]

rock wouldnt be where it is today without him ty steve.

[QuistTV]

LEGEND

[wowfreak324]

gotta say to those saying steve vai looks like he has too much of an ego on stage. i would think if anybody deserves an ego, its him.  in fact any of the guitar gods deserve an ego. plus he seems so zen in person, its like a contradiction. he should do a starburst commercial. just realized how off topic i just got there

[gerfunfle]

try VLATKO STEFANOVSKI macedonian guitar player

[blahkaw98]

Like... I know I'm sitting right here watching him explain it, but I still don't really get how someone's mind works to write these kinds of melodies

[thepipochipolatti]

puta madre! me corto la mano izquierda...pero primero me martillo la derecha.

[enos218]

1:02 i think thats the Rush hemispheres chord,f" open chord.I think.

[Nems271]

Shure! Really easy, I do that in my sleep ¬¬ 4:50

[MRTNZZPaBLoXZK]

he's the kind of guy who would write an amazingly fine song in less than a an hour

[Dedalusalley]

8:40 No, it's not in 17/16. I'm sorry Steve but it's just a straight 7/8 ;)

[Mk927]

@Dedalusalley

It's actually 7/16, I think that's what he meant to say.

[Martinopolise]

No Steve, it's still pretty hard to just sit their and shred like you

[3spazzz]

I never understood steve vai till now.Hes a pretty cool ass dude.Thought he was weird at first but were all a little weird sometimes,but this helped me understand he's music a bit better and I really respect him a lot as a artist.

[bobbysbackingtracks]

If  you guys dig this,check out Shakti.

[decisivecrewful]

master of destiny,i am at your service.

[gn1da]

fucking table

[musicSLOP]

Rockin it,THX ayf Michael Blair

[XDanTheGuitarManX]

This is genius.

[ivanfredesrivera]

eres el mejor en la guitarra.... ven lugo para concepcion chile XD

[2patero]

Haha 48 Gaga fans got the wrong 'Freak Show'!

As for Kirk Hammett, brrrrrrrrt please don't humiliate yourself!

[enos218]

can he write a good song?That is the seemingly unattainable level for Vai,sad but true.

[guitarnympho5]

@enos218 ur stupid, have u not heard some of his pieces like for the love of god? die to live? building the church? think before u speak.

[enos218]

@guitarnympho5 Vai is an amazing guitar player but he does not do songs,hendrix could.You could sing over his stuff.

[enos218]

@guitarnympho5 A song,can you sing over that stuff?

[guitarnympho5]

@enos218 true but none the less i enjoy listening to some of his pieces

[Rolinger56]

@enos218 i can sing that melody!!

[MichaelSmithComposer]

@enos218 I think "All About Eve" is a fantastic song. If you haven't heard it you should check it out.

[moreblack]

I love how the whole first minute of the video is basically him saying "THIS is why you should listen to everything I'm about to tell you".

[93dirtrider93]

steve vai is probably one of the worst guitar players. in my opinion at least. kirk hammett plays better than this guy.

[DavidTJudkins]

@93dirtrider93 really? kirk hammett? you must be an idiot, and have no musical knowledge whatsoever, the type of person who learns from tabs and doesn't even know the key signature for the song your playing. Don't try to defend yourself, there's no way to do it. You are either ignorant, and dont know anything about music, or you "do" which you will probably make up some lie about how you took a music class once in high school, which just makes you stupid.

[DavidTJudkins]

You could however say that you don't like his music, then you may have a fighting chance, but with your recent post, I don't think you deserve to even pick up a guitar, MOST LIKELY you are not nearly as knowledgeable as Vai, therefore making you worse than he is, giving you no substance to your claim.

[WARGASMICmeatrocket]

@DavidTJudkins you mad

[Krylov19]

@DavidTJudkins Don't feed the troll, mate. You are actually setting him even more hungry.

[TheJoshMaster22]

@DavidTJudkins i will agree with you that this guy is a fucking idiot but at the same time Kirk hammett is one of my favorite guitar players obviously not for his musical technique but for his essance and style he brings but yes steve vai is a million times better than Kirk hammett i mean Kirk doesn't really have any soul in his solos or anything its just a really fast blues solo that has way to much wah wah in them but in all fairness everyone is entitled to there own opinion

[Nyoggzathulhu]

@DavidTJudkins It's not about how or where you learn, it's about enjoying playing and enjoying the music. Kirk Hammett is still just awful, though.

[dabc587]

@Nyoggzathulhu and he´s making more money than you do. Cheers

[Nyoggzathulhu]

@dabc587 I'm okay with that. He's still awful, though.

[ANOTHERHOLEINYOHEAD]

@Nyoggzathulhu I am a beginner at the guitar. If I could reach Kirk Hammetts standard I would be very happy.

[ClassicShotMK3]

@Nyoggzathulhu Totally agree

[danosdrake]

yeah sure steve vai is a great guitarist, but hands down sorry but paul gilbert is by far better.

[hjr60181]

"you gotta work on that and start off slow" (QUOTE from SV in this video) ARE U KIDDIN ME??? SLOW?? wow

[liluxiaorealnew]

"it is very easy to sit there and go up and down in this scale" nah..... not that easy

[GoldgunMM1]

i dont know why but this video made me proud of being a Bulgarian. I hope that Steve makes a show in my country, cause I would love to hear his virtuosity live!

[me86680]

phraseiology. nice



[Somai82]

I remember this song he did with L.Shankar with a very similar beat and also Bulgarian sounding. Don't know the title but it has wicked guitar and violin solos.

[8tonsemi]

New techniques? Jeff Beck has been doing those little half bends and slurs for years! I'd like to hear Muris Varejec play over this

[brenfen]

GAY. SO, SO GAY. SOOOO FREAKIN GAY.

[emilcloud]

@brenfen Good for you! Were glad you finally worked up the courage!!

[NailsForDinner]

@emilcloud lol.

[TheGoddessCaroline]

That fret board is gorgeous. I've listened to this song a lot but loved the lesson here.It's great to know how it came together. Thanks for the lesson and turning me on to new styles of music. I love that! I

[steeler3258]

gotta love the candles

[BurtonIbanez9]

4:51 . ya to easy :) lol

[MrOctavarium58]

Am I the only one that realized that it's 7/16 and not 17/16?

[ConspireToConspire]

@MrOctavarium58 yeah it is in 7/16.

[aaa567ify]

Like this video clip. Thanks Steve Vai for sharing!! Your a true artist. Sometimes I here comments about who the best guitarist is or being REAL fast or comparisons and it don't make sense. I saw a video clip a while back and a young lady was playing guitar extremely quick, all lead. A scale run took her like 2 seconds from one end of the guitar to the other. She did a few runs like this. Sorry but I didn't hear music from that. I like 2 hear what i'm hearing.

[SuperGuitarMark]

Steve Vai is so amazing, his fingers are making the frets glow in rainboews

[avasmama07]

@SuperGuitarMark His fingers are making ME flow rainbows! Oy!

[JaoquinQ]

I like everything except for how he talks like he revolutionized something with "developing these techniques"

[RojoYamamoto]

Anyone else notice that his guitar was labeled FLO but is actually his FLO III? This was before he relabeled it, I assume. It has additional potentiometers and toggle switches than the original FLO, indicating it his FLO III. Also the green near the neck pickup, and the fact that the Evolution neck pickup here has a build in sustainer, I believe it is.

[SixStringGunSlinger]

The age old question. Who is the best guitarist on the plant? Well, there are two possible and equally correct answers. 1) Guitar playing is an art and not a sport. It's about expression and passion and beauty and love and there is simply no need to rank artists. 2) Steve Vai.

[stealth07r1]

HaHa...  "un-guitar-istic" Steve has definitely carved out a 'unique' plane of existence for himself in the guitar world.

I love his out of the box approach; anyone who figures out how to put themselves in a position to create "new" in their field of study is a true artist. He is this for guitar.

Now if he'd just tone down the on stage "I'M THE SHIT" body language just a bit, he'd be more appealing, and probably grow a bigger fan base!

...but I'm still a fan.

[Laila9990]

@stealth07r1 I know what you mean, I felt exactly the same way... I saw him for the first time at Massey Hall in Toronto and after I got over the wow factor of his playing...two hours of his on stage mannerisms really started to get on my nerves. It struck me that his time with David Lee Roth has influenced him in this flamboyant homo way.

He acts here as if he is re-inventing the wheel but the bend with the index finger he uses in the first pattern I have heard Jeff Beck do years ago.

[ShawRoadProductions]

should have more of these, they're fantastic

[killercay]

thank you

[azunia4]

why bulgarian wedding music ? lol

[Cartin666]

@azunia4 because bulgarians have been far ahead of us when it comes to music for centuries. They have a uniqe way of using different time signatures that would sound out of this world for the untrained ear. Western music often focus on even time signatures such as 4/4 or 6/8 or something like that while bulgarians use time signatures such as 12/19 or an really uneven timesignature.

[Godofurmom]

god i just want to hang out with him, have him teach me and be his friend. he seems like one of the coolest people EVAR!

[Obelisk2290]

17/16 the way to a hit just include hemi demi semi quavers

[omegapointil]

Damned generous of him to contribute his counsel to the masses for nothing. Its

very much appreciated.

[nbelichki]

I agree on the Bulgarian wedding-music part ;-) - it is a true musical folklore symphony ;-)

[NikDanger98]

Yeah sure its very easy to go up and down scales and shred xD

[MarianOctavarium]

He is what you call practise

[davidchuni]

Hi i am david from argentina steve you are from another planet i wish i could have your creativity and your so to put them into my guitar i adore i i love you

[DuerDieguitarist]

i would sell my soul to the devil this second for skills like that

[FOWLMUSIC]

@DuerDieguitarist

It's not about selling your soul, it's about spending your time. Devote every second of free time to the guitar and you too can play at that level.

[hogwild6161]

Just think if Steve had the technology we do now? Imagine him getting to watch Hendrix all day long, without eating every record needle he had!!!!

By the way, if Mr. Vai actually reads this, would you please play the Crossroads solo on your next tour?

This time, YOU get to win!!!!

[Barefoot67]

amazingly accomplished guitar player

[61SGman]

VAI YOU FUCKIN LEGEND 

[galatonim]

04:52 I love how he bashed Malmsteen there :D

[EstevanMusic]

@galatonim Have you heard his God's chair joke?

Search "Steve Vai God's Chair"

[KillswitchEngage42]

Enough of the "this number of people are Justin Bieber." Kids love reading this and disliking this video just to fuck with the man.

[mateo3470]

A candlelit diner of tasty notes! My favorite parts are the tongue twisters. The more twisted the better.

[ConspX]

Bulgarian music ftw, my parents are both Bulgarian wedding music professionals and have a lot of respect for Steve both as a musician and as an ambassador of our music around the world.

[phillysportsgrl]

I was recently turned on to Steve Vai by a very dear friend....All I can say is that he is definitely at the top of my list of greatest guitarists....LOVE HIM!

[DinoOSful]

Great video!but what does mean "FLO"?

[vajranurse]

@DinoOSful hey.. as far as I can remember, Vai has 3 guitars Flo Evo, and another one i can't remember the name of, and they each have a different set up (i think flo's got sheds of sustain?)

[VaiEqualsGod]

@DinoOSful i think he was trying different pickups in the same type of guitar so he had to distiguish them all somehow. evo (short for evolution) apparently was his favorite!

[rickyjshiznit]

@VaiEqualsGod "FLO" is short for floral. the FLO jem was originally a floral jem(a line of jems painted with a floral pattern) that he had painted white. mojo(the one with the mirror finish and blue leds for fret markers) is equipped with mojo pickups(satch's signature pickups i think...)

[MrShredtilldead]

@DinoOSful If I remember correctly, FLO is named so because if you notice the neck pickup is not an Dimarzio Evolution. It is in fact a Fernandes Sustainer pickup which will create infinite sustain. So you can let a note "Flow" (or FLO in this case) for as long as you want.

His EVO guitar is named so because it has both Dimarizo EVOlution pickups in it. The other guitar he will use occasionally is an EVO like model with a true temperment neck. if you don't know that that is look it up.

[DinoOSful]

@MrShredtilldead Thank you :D

[Akimitsu18]

@MrShredtilldead Actually, it's named FLO because it was originally one of the Steve Vai flower-print models. When he got EVO and the 'official' look of his guitars changed, he repainted FLO to match. That's why my guitar teacher taught me anyways :)

[frava85]

His pinky finger is longer than my middle finger!!!

[TheHockeyCentral]

Candles on the desk. Candles on the desk. Badass.

[chrislandrum62]

He is the Bruce Lee of Guitar



[adzash]

what was he playing in the very beginning?

[elgrande1987]

MAN JEM IS A BEUTIFUL GUITAR SERIOSULY ONE OF THE BEST IBANEZ AND IN GENERAL ONE OF THE BEST GUITAR EVER AND GUITARISTS NOT TO MENTION

[jorgesairu]

rifass we

[TKG1201]

flo better than evo

[rickyjshiznit]

@TKG1201 steve prefers evo's tone

[BibleBlack42]

Damn, Steve dips that bar like a cookie in a glass of milk

[pistache7]

Wow Steve, Thanks for this moment. would love to learn how to use pro tools efficiently like this. And your playing has proof of hours of hard earned practicing !!

[McFudge93]

Steve Vai... Guitar playing Super Saiyan

[TheHornet79]

Its hard to see Vai practicing. I mostly see him in a stage that I forgot that he still practices like us

[mayorde18]

Four million tracks in the session recording? is that even possible? is it true? D:

[rickyjshiznit]

@mayorde18 sarcasm. but technically, its possible, given a computer capable of handling it.

[holyass242]

how the fuck does he get his amp to sound like that

[rickyjshiznit]

@holyass242 dimarzio's in a jem through a calvin legacy head. a lt of tone is through your finger too, not just the gear.

[tabotabojayar]

this proves that those who are using string dampeners still have a long way to go and that they don't deserve to be called flawless....

[Macross100]

ay dios, mirá esa consola

[codinevels]

i love your hate comment peace 39 people hate the fact that they can ever be as good as vai be your self

[codinevels]

i love your hate comment peace 39 people hate the fact that they can ever be as good as vai

[TommittajaFIN]

mm.. this song really isn't as hard as it sounds :P

it has no insane shred parts or anything anyways :P

[MichaelLoweMusic]

This guy looks just like Aman Khosla.

[punkxr0ck3r]

YOU ARE A GOD!!

[AleksisPelli]

Best stuff from Steve since Passion&Warfare and Crossroads!

[codyahernek]

yea steve... very easy for you.

[DylanGalvinMusic]

I love some of his stuff, not all of his stuff, but I always have considered him arguably one of the best in the world. He is so unified with that guitar and is so developed he sounds alien. I dont understand why someone would dislike a video like this though.

[BurtonIbanez9]

4:52 its really easy to just play scales and shred if your as good as me:) he is amazing. wow

[steverinosiciliano1]

STEFANO VIRTUOSO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MrArsenioOro]

his carvin amp has the best tone I have ever heard in my live. no mesa can beat that cleaness and at the same so heavy when he plays rhythm

[outoworkdreamer]

One of the coolest things about Vai is the fact that he is willing to share his techniques.

[TheThim51]

This is so good:P

[dorianpod77]

He's so much ahead of the rest....he could shred lightning fast all along to impress other guitarist but instead his love for music and creativity took him to explore and study Bulgarian wedding music and apply it to the guitar world...the way he controls every single note or sound is totally jaw dropping!

[violencefetishkoray]

steve vai use logitech mx 500

i think he is playing counter strike

pro player steve vai lol

[Inf3ct3dsurviv0r]

Steve Vai is one of those guitarist that I don't wanna play like. I'd rather admire his awsome work and not ruin it by attempting to play it

[KingOfShadows1500]

i keep wondering why are there fucking dislikers on every awesome video like this one!! they were probably high...

[Ladiesman534]

my lesson for the day?! Ha! more like my lesson for life!

[senna01]

Whatever happened to the KONX on the pickup sticker?

[SilverSnake424]

I was okay until 4:51 when he said "It's really easy to just sit here and go-" And then my brain melted

[ritvikmalawat]

I love it wen he goes its so easy too shred soo easily!!

[WilliamTaylor1]

Christian Bale should play him in a movie. For no reason other than I think they kinda look alike from certain angles.

[KingOfShadows1500]

@amrob the name was ivo papazov ( im bulgarian :P )

[amrob]

Whats the name of the bulgarian band he was referring to? didnt get it

[dimeowns100]

How did i know he'd have scented candles HAHAH