Steve Vai vs Ralph Macchio Epic Guitar Battle - REACTION 

They sped up ralph machio's hands in order to match steve vai's overdubbed guitar track. So, when you see ralph machio playing, it's actually a overdubbed guitar track by steve vai.

Love this movie! Ralph wasn't actually playing. He was taught how to mimic the finger movements to make it look like he was playing. All music was actually performed by guitarists Steve Vai and Ry Cooder. This scene is the climactic guitar duel battle to free Willie Brown's soul. Vai plays a character from Tennessee named Jack Butler who is the Devil's guitar player. Ralph plays a character named Eugene who is a gifted classical guitar student but his passion is blues music. Eugene doesn't believe in the story about musicians going to the crossroads and selling their souls to the Devil for fame but his senior friend Willie Brown insists it's real since he and Robert Johnson both did it. The movie "Crossroads" is a story about Eugene's developing friendship with Willie as they travel to Southern Mississippi to find the crossroads where Willie made his "deal" many years before. Willie wants the devil to tear up his contract and give him some peace since he's had nothing but trouble his whole life after making the deal. When they finally get to the crossroads they meet up with the devil and Eugene casually offers his soul as an award if he loses the guitar duel to Jack Butler. As you see from watching the video it looks like Eugene is going to lose until he plays a classical piece that Jack can't match. It's ironic in a way. The piece was written by a classical violinist named Paganini who supposedly also sold his soul back in an earlier era of history.

If I remember correctly Steve Vai actually had to practice on messing up his song in the last battle. Love this movie.

This is from the movie Crossroads. They weren't going to be friends afterwards because they were playing for souls. ☺ Not really Oscar worthy, but not a bad flick.

Steve Vai played both parts. Karate Kid just pretending.

It's funny considering Steve Vai, the guy in the red, HE WROTE AND PLAYED BOTH THE GUITARS FOR THAT SCENE

In the movie they were competing for their souls in Hell.

Steve via is a real guitar player and Ralph is acting and yes it's ry cooder he's an amazing slide guitar 🎸 player

This is a good scene without context, but as a culmination to the movie it's awesome. The movie is kind of the same. It's pretty good for your regular movie fan, but if you're a big Blues fan it's awesome. Entire characters and plotlines are taken from old Blues songs and legends.

The repeated misuse of the word “chord” was rather annoying

Great movie called Crossroads a blues journey by Eugene who is actually a child prodigy guitarist at Juliard school of music ( back story) where he is in search of Robert Johnson’s lost songs and become involved with the last known member of Johnson’s band blind Willie brown spoken of in Johnson’s song called crossroads made famous by Eric Clapton

Steve Vai is an actual Guitar Legend,he recorded everything in this movie!!

Arlen Roth was Ralph Macchio's guitar tutor for the film and played many of his pieces. According to Roth on his website, the final duel was arranged from parts played by him, , who did the classical playing throughout the film.

You should check out tender surrender , from Vai

The scene is called “Cutting heads”! From the movie Crossroads.

I like how she said they’d be friends after this like the person who lost the battle wouldn’t lose their soul

I love the fact that Eugene had to catch up to Steve the entire battle. Steve lead all the way and Eugene brilliantly held his own. Then the 1 time that Eugene got the lead. Steve couldn't hack it. Nothing beats true talent.

Name of the movie is called Crossroads. They made a deal with the Devil. That's what that place was all about. That's when you go to prove yourself and the devil gets your soul if you lose. You got to watch that movie.

Our world: someone sends you 750 to react to a video. Let that sink in ever so deeply.

called "cutting heads"

You guys were saying that they would become friends afterwards but Jack butler ( Steve vai’s character ) and Eugene ( Ralph’s character) were both fighting for there careers because they both made a deal with scratch (the old guy who is smiling all the time).Jack’s deal is that he would cut heads every Saturday night. Eugene’s being that if he beat Jack butler he would tear willie’s contract up that he made years before hand.(Willie brown is the old guy with the glasses playing with Eugene)

So it is fairly certain that these two never went back to find out what the context of this scene was?

You guys really should see the movie, cause it explains a lot, to much to put it in a comment. It makes the duel even more epic, a duel that probably every professional guitarplayer knows, or should have seen once.

I can give you a really good suggestion guys if this rocked your boat ?!! I can suggest you both check out Tina s playing moonlight sonata (3rd movement).. it will open your eyes !! Keep up the great work :))

They wouldn't be "friends" when they're done. Steve Vai is playing the Devil's guitarist in a battle for Ralph's soul. If he loses, he loses his soul. You know, like the in the song _Devil Went Down to Georgia_ The black guy with the steel-capped teeth in the video is "Scratch", or the Devil. That's why it's all so serious. The movie name itself, _Crossroads_ is the same name as the Robert Johnson song. JOhnson was a blues player, who legend says sold his soul to the devil in order for inhuman guitar-playing skills.

The old joke about "Crossroads" is that Ralph Macchio should have won an Oscar for acting like he could play the guitar, and Steve Via should have won one for pretending to not be able to.

I love this scene. I literally just looked it up. Crossroads.

I've watched alot y'alls videos this is my favorite.

Steve vai is so good he was having a guitar battle against himself

Actually Rye Cooder was playing the Ralph bits as hes not a guitar player.

Those people in black suits are devils and Ralph was doing this battle to save the soul of that old man.

If you like this, then check Tina S doing beethovens moonlight sonata,3rd movement on electric guitar. She was 16 or 17 at the time.

In the context of the movie Ralph is playing for the soul of his mentor, Steve is playing for the Devil. Ralph's final "retort" is Paganini's 5th Caprice. Oh, it was not Ralph playing, it was Ry Cooter. Steve was actually playing, check him out in "Trick or treat" if you like bad horror.

correct the piece Ralph "won" with is "Paganini's 5th Caprice" also being played by Steve Vai ,Ralph Machio was just given some basic fingering patterns to mimic so they could make it look like he was playing.

Just saying: Daniel San (Ralph Macchio) plays "Paganini 5th Caprice" in the end.

the battle is for your soul this is the famous Crossroads. That is Satan laughing

Although Ralph could play a little, this was actually Ry Cooder playing that part, Ralph knew approximately where to have the placement of his hands.

This was a battle trying to save the old man playing harmonica at the ends soul that he sold to the devil when he was young. Steve Vai was representing the devil. If Ralph lost the devil got his soul.

Steve Vai did and an amazing job of acting in this movie...in acting like he couldn't play that part.

He made the guitar laugh at him on the way out. He gave him exit music. Steve vie is amazing. He played bother riffs Steve did.

He had to win or lose his soul Good movie. Cross roads. With Joe Seneca and Ralph Macchio not Brittany Spears

this last guitar part is a version from the classic caprice number 5 if I'm not mistaken by piccolo paganini.

You should watch the whole movie Crossroads with Steve Vai and Ralph Macchio and that is not Macchio playing that guitar Vai is the devils guitar player. Macchio is looking for a lost song and the older gentleman who Macchio broke him out of jail and go the Crossroads and Macchio is trying to win it back(old mans soul) by playing against the devils guitar player to get it back for him. You really should watch the whole movie Crossroads

Mash-mash-mashio? Wtf you never saw the Karate Kid?

1980s Devil went down to Georgia

You should watch the movie "Crossroads," There's a story behind the ending. He's playing for their souls. Also, check out Tina S on you tube. She's the best guitar player ever!

You gotta say this was extremely hilarious 😂

It’s funny because vai wrote Eugene’s trickbag

Some people can't keep his fuckin mouth close even not for a while.... damn!

I love guitar cover videos of this on u tube. Very cool

Love what Steve vai did he could play all of that and he played hís part and he cóúld plày what ràlph did to love Steve vai and I'm only in the 7th grade

steve vai watching steve vai

The Neoclassical part of the movie is actually Steve Vai vs Steve Vai. Only he can lose to himself in a guitar battle ;)

Check out either/both: Ewan Dobson - Time 2 Ewan Dobson - Acoustimetal... (Something like that)

Did he just compare dragon force to paganini??....... how you gonna do paganini like that :( dragon force is the equivalent of having a pine cone jammed in ur ear hole.....

Bawhawhawhaw!, Yeah why can't we all just get along :)

blues boogie to neo classical

react to Steve Vai - Tender Surrender !!

Steve vai played all the guitar parts he is a legend

It's too bad this clip isn't the full battle. Great reaction though!

Actually Steve Vai play both parts, so basically what we just saw is Steve Vai kicking Steve Vai ass XD

I believe Ry Cooder was the real guitarist behind Ralph's mimickery

She was trying to distract Ralph

Guys do the research

Steve Vai took excepts from violin virtuoso Paganini's Caprice No.24 and wrote it into the rest of this heavily classical piece. Steve Vai kicked his own ass, Ralph basically air guitared. He did study and train for this movie but can't actually play this. Its kind of cringy watching Steve purposely mess up because he can't. He literally just pulled his hand off the fretboard. Watch closely he's got so much control and precision.

💯

Steve vai plays both parts. There's a little Ry Cooder in there

Guitar shred on guitar shred off lol

a bill kanengiser did some guitar parts too the classical style parts

Crossroads great movie ... not Ralph ...He was given lots if lessons for authenticity ..I also hear it took a long time filming Steve vai messing up as it kept coming across as false

Nah... Two words, Guthrie Govan.

Steve Vai played all the guitar parts in the movie, even Ralph's part.

Steve Vai - tender Surrender Careful though, that song leads to a lot of pregnancies

Steve Vai is the greatest guitar player of all time. Loved this scene in Crossroads though.

Awww it's incomplete! Still good video.

Ralph Macchio is the best guitarist!!

Vai playing with himself.

This woman thinks the kid was really playing the guitar 🎸😭

Playing for souls yo!

In real life Steve would win

You lose the devil gets your soul lol. They aint buds

Love You girl

Steve best work was with Frank zappa

Can never match the Lightning Boy.

Photo shoot .....🙄

umm... ralph can't really play 3 chords in real life. Steve Vai on the other hand...

Mostark buddy. Lil Wayne try that. Not

The ending is a piece by Bach.

Shame you talked all the way through the guitar battle.

I love the fact that Eugene had to catch up to Steve the entire battle. Steve lead all the way and Eugene brilliantly held his own. Then the 1 time that Eugene got the lead. Steve couldn't hack it. Nothing beats true talent.