I’ve written a comprehensive music theory book for guitar players. It’s called “Vaideology: Basic Music Theory for Guitar Players” and it contains all the basic, and some very advanced, music theory that can stand as a powerful foundation for a lifetime of understanding the language of music. You can purchase it at SteveVaiStore.com.
Enjoy

Piano Reductions Vol II continues the tradition of inspired solo piano performances of songs from my catalog. This Volume is performed by the truly amazing virtuoso Miho Arai. She has delicately, and at times tremendously aggressively delivered these performances with focus and passion. Enjoy. https://www.vai.com/pianoreductionsvol2

It’s that time again! I’m very excited to invite you all to join me at Vai Academy 5.0, taking place July 29 – August 2, 2019 at The Mansion at Glen Cove on Long Island in Glen Cove, NY not far from where I grew up in Carle Place. I was a teenager on Long Island in the 70’s and it was an amazing place to grow up. New York City wasn’t far, nor was The Hamptons. Living in California is nice, but I’m one of those guys that pines after the seasons so growing up on Long Island was pretty magical. Summertime is especially beautiful so I’m already looking forward to it.

Vai Academy 5.0 will include all of the things we usually offer – a myriad of classes with outstanding teachers, study and discussions on technique and theory, and of course, my own metaphysical meanderings that I believe are at the core of the transformation you are capable of with your instrument. But this year, the theme of the camp is “Sound Sculpting,” and we will be diving deep into the quality of the tone that comes out of your amp, focusing heavily on signal path and the use of FX. Signal path is integral to the quality of your tone. The way the signal comes out of your guitar, and goes into various stomp boxes, and then into your amp, alters tremendously based on the FX you use and the order in which they are plugged in. There will be discussions on the most effective signal path, when to use a digital or analog FX, how the FX loop actually works, how various FX work and the terminologies of FX perimeters when programming. It’s a vast field that many guitarists don’t quite understand, even though it’s integral to their sound.

At my last camp, I personally taught more classes than ever before. I really enjoy speaking to the campers so that will continue at Vai Academy 5.0. We will also have a number of other extremely competent artists around to offer their wisdom and tips. The other teachers I’ve invited are all accomplished in their field, although that does not necessarily mean they need to be famous to be effective teachers. Of the utmost importance is that they are able to teach in a way that encourages and inspires the students to expand their own tools for the discovery and manifestation of their own uniquely creative visions. Having said that, we certainly do have some “famous” artists joining us.

One thing that I think makes Vai Academy so special is that I jam with each and every attendee. This might be my favorite aspect of the camp. Connecting with another person on a musical level is an intimate space I love embracing. We musicians are always learning something on some level, and I believe I learn something every time I jam with a student, no matter what level they are at. I can make music with someone even if they show up with a dime and a rubber band.

This is our fifth Vai Academy, and I’m so appreciative of how it has grown and evolved over the past five years. At the end of every camp we send out a questionnaire to those that attended, with very specific questions regarding what they liked, didn’t like, what they would like to see more of, etc. We really listen to what they tell us so hopefully this next camp will be our best yet. There’s a diverse group of people that attend, all at different levels of proficiency, with different understandings of music and the music business. We try to keep things at a level that is helpful for all, and the way we go about doing that is continuing to evolve at every camp.

I know I’m personally looking forward to Vai Academy 5.0. Hope to see you all there!

Steve Vai

Visit www.vaiacademy.com for more information!

Hey Folks, Steve here. The “Big Mama-Jama Jamathon” was a wonderful success on many fronts, and at this time we would like to wrap up the final auction items to raise those funds for Extraordinary Families. These guitars were signed by many of the performers who graced the stage at the Jamathon live event! http://bit.ly/Jamathon

When I started doodling with art, I decided to paint a few Jem bodies and the colorful guitar I used in the “Dark Mater” video was one of them. 

I’ve painted 4 guitar bodies so far. Two were Ibanez Strat style guitars I did some years ago for the “Experience Hendrix” tour. 

One of them, “Girly”, is used quite a bit on tour these days. It’s tuned down a whole step so I use it on songs like “Gravity Storm”, and “John the Revelator”.  

The other one is “Cherry Blossoms” and was raffled off on the Story of Light tour for charity. Someone won it for a dollar, but we raised about $15k for the “Make A Noise Foundation”.

S.

Also shown below is the guitar used in the Dark Matter video, and another Jem called  “Be With the Note”.

Hey Folks, Steve here. Enjoy this little video adventure we made for “Dark Matter”, a track from Modern Primitive where I get to steam punk out a bit. http://bit.ly/SteveVaiDarkMatter
The idea was to create an alien type landscape where each band member was filmed at a different speed and then brought together in various shots. 
I had to learn the song backwards! This left me knowing the future for a few days after the shoot, and I discovered all is well.
s

Hey Folks, Steve here. THANK YOU to all who played, donated, and made the first ever Big Mama-Jama Jamathon such a huge success! The amount of amazing donations from incredible artists from all over the world has exceeded our expectations! And because of the amount of items donated, including a few recent additions, we are extending the auction through to Sunday, October 14 at 8pm pst! Go to http://hyperurl.co/JamathonAuction to see what you can bid on and win now! All proceeds benefit the amazing charity Extraordinary Families. 

We are also running a Pledge campaign that contains Branded Jamathon Merchandise, audio recordings from the event, some of my signed guitars, and other things we know you might be interested in. To check it out please visit http://hyperurl.co/JamathonPledge