The Steve Vai Interview 

The recent interview with Vai and Satriani brought me here

Steve is being way too modest here. Mark Pinske, an engineer for Frank Zappa told me that Steve was transcribing Frank's music for like $25 a page. But Steve got so deep, he notated everything he heard on the tapes even background noises. When Frank saw the transcriptions he said: "This kid makes me look like a genius, get him out here". Steve went out to the URMK and Frank handed him the transcribed page and told him to play it. Steve played it and Mark played Steve's part in one channel and Frank's on the other. Mark said it was the only time he ever saw Frank's jaw drop, it was perfect. Steve was hired on the spot.

What? A host who does not interrupt his guest every 2 minutes with an annoying story about themselves? That's a new one... :) Excellent job, Rick! Easily one of the best interviews of a musical talent I've seen. Please have Guthrie Govan on. Cheers.

The first interview.😊

This channel is quickly becoming a university.

Holy crap! When world's collide! Thrilled to see this in my feed.

I absolutely loved to hear Steve Vai say that out of all the interviews he's done, nobody's asked him about polyrhythms. This is exactly the kinds of things I want these musicians to be asked about. So I love that we can get these kinds of interviews from you Rick. Keep that mindset for the future, and dig into the details!

An eye opener for me personally... Steve is so intelligent, articulate & analytical and that's before he starts talking about his guitar playing. Fascinating fellow. Respect!

Everytime i listen to Steve Vais music i dont touch my guitar for days. But when i hear him speak about music i always pick up the guitar.

This is pure gold, Rick. What you're doing with this channel is amazing.

Quite possibly the most splendid Vai interview ever... obviously because he spends 42 mins whippin' out Zappa stories.... bliss.

Being a musician for over 40 yrs this was the most informative, intellectual interview EVER!!! My God Vai has such a positive Genius intellectual process that has shaken me to my core. This interview will change my life. Thank you Mr Vai and Rick for allowing us musicians to get such informative knowledge and insight. I am forever grateful and hope someday to meet you both for since I could say ga ga I have been passionate about Music. Music is my life blood. Thank you and God bless.

Fantastic interview! Steve's advice is golden. His work ethic when he describes all the transcribing he did for Frank is staggering. This is very inspirational guys. Again, this has got to be one of, if not THE best youtube channel for musicians and Rick's just getting warmed up! BTW, if you haven't heard Steve's "Passion and Warfare" album go buy it. It's one of my all time favorite must have albums.

I loved this interview.... EXACTLY because you did not really discuss his guitar playing. There are so many interviews out there with Steve Vai, and you can only tell the same story so many times without going into autopilot mode. It was super refreshing to watch another side of Steve Vai, and how much he knows about transcribing.

Rick I don't know if you will ever see this but hope you do. I am a 65 year old musician playing and making a living with music since 14. I know all kinds of musicians and have played with a ton of people. As far as the net is concerned I have to say I fell upon your site and think it is the most perfectly put together site on the net, Your knowledge shows thru in everything you do. For the young players coming up, here is where they should stop by more often then not. In closing the main reason i wanted to leave this post is this. So many musicians who think they are composed in their thoughts and musical ideas do not have a clue. Steve Vai is one of the most unique in how a real person and real musician explains him self. Your time with him was so clear and to the point. Only letting me further believe in this, For a musician to be great he has to be well spoken and well read. So many believe music theory is not important. These are the 90% of the weak players of the world. Being well rounded as a person is the first step in becoming a great player. Steve Vai is that person. You also my friend are in this class. Keep up your work and even at my age with all kinds of musical back ground you bring a smile to my face with your art. And I rarely find people today who can keep me me entertained.

Steve is a badass with a very sweet, kind, and generous soul. I love how he cares about explaining things till they seem approachable to any of us. That's inspiring.

"if i don't know something i call someone" best advice ever.

Love Zappa and Vai so this was real Treat for me - Thanks. The Zappas should release a Zappa Real Book using those lead sheets that Vai worked on - that would be a true Music Heaven for me.

Steve Vai is a very wise business man who is very business savvy. On top of all that, the guy is a musical genius who isn’t afraid to take new and unusual leaps and bounds musically. I greatly respect him for that.

Brilliant interview. Steve is so generous with his knowledge and so open to sharing his inner light. So modest too

Steve Vai, Not only great guitar player, great teacher as well

When Vai discussed his challenging high school music teacher and then having Satch as guitar teacher it reminded me of the concepts discussed in the book PEAK: HOW TO MASTER ANYTHING by Anders Ericsson. As modest as he is, I wouldn't underestimate Steve's natural talent, but having good teachers give extensive training and very early on to boot matters A LOT! Deliberate practice the right way by good teachers can make a big difference. His high school music teacher sounded more challenging than most. I suspect Beato probably has a similar background. In general, I'm blown away by the breadth of knowledge from both. These guys are very mindful dudes that probably don't waste much time watching the boob tube :-)

Came here after watching the Vai/Satrianni interview 8 years later, when Rick reveals that Steve was his first ever interview!! Had to come and see it!

That was a serious deep dive into becoming a sustainable musician. Amazing knowledge.

This is gold! Thanks a lot Rick for making this possible and making all those very interesting questions and thank you Steve for sharing your knowledge with us and giving us such a good insight on the music business and your career! Amazing I love this new series!

I can hear Steve all the time and never go bored... thanks for the great interview Rick!

Simply: WOW - thanks so much to both of you doing this interview - look forward to many more! G.

Brilliant and inspiring! I can't thank the two of you enough for this interview!

Amazing, possibly the best and most valuable inside the industry interviews I've seen. Thanks so much.

probably one the best Steve Vai interviews! thank you!

Man, this is pure gold. Thank you both!

Great interview. Great start to a new series. Can't wait for the next one. Thanks so much!

I saw Steve play with Frank Zappa twice in the 70’s! Great shows they were.

This was really cool, Rick. Any topics with Steve Vai would be great, but THESE topics were particularly valuable. Thanks to you and Steve for this!

This is GOLD!!! Love all your interviews Rick , done with so much love and passion. keeps me going and never stop making music , many thanks for your the good energy!!

This is a real goldmine. Best Vai interview I've ever seen/heard. BRAVO, Rick!

Steve is one solid, humble, interesting, intelligent, songwriting , master guitar virtuoso dude. Great interview Rick. Thank you.

Steve said the same thing my dad told me years ago, live a little bit below your means and you'll be fine. Always been my watchword.

Man, this (and all the other) video is beyond invaluable. Thank you, Mr. Beato!

Many thanks Rick & Steve - so much in there and I'll watch this back to take things in; Thanks Steve for being so generous with your time and openness and helping the guys get a little. Thank you.

Thank you Rick, instead of movies I now mostly watch this on-line!

Your interviewing technique is fantastic Rick, I love the way you let your subject talk. Really enjoyed this!

This is one of my favorite ones you have done! Thanks Rick and Steve!

Thank you very much Rick for arranging, doing and uploading this interview.

I cant believe that was an hour! The interview went by so fast. Polyrhythms - mind blown. Great Stuff. Thanks, Rick, and Steve. Loved this!!

Outstanding conversation. Really enjoyed how it reached such interesting corners like Steve's transcription work routine, Polyrhytyms and Vinnie Colaiuta traveling to Venus with Frank :)

Absolutely fantastic video. Thank you both!

Bravo Rick! Fascinating stories from the legend Steve Vai. Thank you.

My favorite RU-vid channel. keep up the amazing work!!!!

One of the most enjoyable interviews i've ever seen. Two cool, talented guys who genuinely love music.

Really interesting subjects covered in this interview! Thanks again Rick and Steve.

Thank you so very much for doing this Rick! And a heartfelt thanks to Mr. Steve Vai too!

What a great interview. Learned a lot about how to transcribe and how to imagine complex rhythms. Also liked the fact that interviewer let the Guest talk and run with his stream of consciousness...

Great edition, Rick. Steve Vai is so well-spoken and down to earth. Thanks for all the info/insights.

Awesome interview. Amazing to hear music being discussed like this. Thanks rick.

This was truly a "sit at the feet of the master" moment. I feel the need to sit and transcribe this interview! I realize this was posted over a year ago but it just hit my feed and I'm so happy it did. Great job Rick!

I have never realized that Steve Vai does so much more than just blow through a billion notes a second on his guitar. Admittedly, I was completely lost through the entire section on music theory and polyrhythms but how neat that you both know that stuff so well. I’m not sure what any of it means or if there really is any useful purpose to it but it sounds very difficult nonetheless. What a fabulous interview, Thank You for being a great interviewer too allowing Steve to articulate all of his thoughts without interruption, excellent job Sir!

this is gooold, thanks a lot

Oh my goodness - the best. Beato, thank you for existing and making your art. Vai - you are a huge influence and it is a profound pleasure to watch you sound off on your background and place in history. Bless you both. Thanks!

This has been a bloody good interview to watch. Thanx for organising it, Rick!

Just re-watched this brilliant interview, and all you can say, at least all I can say is WOW. I know nothing about music theory, but listening to this, even at the age of 74, just brought a new appreciation for what is happening, when a trained, reach-for-the-stars individual can imagine and accomplish. Thanks again Rick, love ya brother.

What a gentleman! Totally honest, unpretentious and generous. Great story teller as well. The total joy that comes across Ricks face listening to him (i.e., <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2620">43:40</a>) is heart warming. I'm a used to be, mediocre drummer, and I enjoyed every moment of this video! Thanks Rick and Steve.

Great interview. Nice to hear about not so obvious subject matter, like the transcribing and Vinnie working with polyrhythms. What a great insight. Thanks Rick for sharing all this gold with the world.

So nice to hear someone talk so positively about music. It's a really fresh perspective and very inspiring! Brilliant interview Rick! Can't say enough how important this channel has become in my life!

Wow! One thing I've always liked about this channel is the fact you never know what you're going to get, but you really outdid yourself here.

Steve Vai absolutely is one of the greatest guitarists EVER. And such an awesome person, too. Your channel keeps getting better and better Rick.

Steve is so great to listen at! Thank you Rick!

Major props to both Rick and Steve! Best interview I've seen on GT in quite some time... very inspirational and enlightening. Thanx and a hat tip to both of 'yez...

When I first started playing I knew vai was something special, the way he could just do everything so perfectly and then I got into Zappa without realising how technical it all was, I don't know why but finding out vai played with Zappa blew my mind

This interview had me scream with inspiration I have got to do something immediately.

Thank you Rick, thank you Steve for being so genuinely passionate about your work. Its also been a privilege to see Steve in concert two years ago.

Rick- Another excellent interview. Thanks again to you and Steve. Ciao Steve

I could listen for hours to Steve. He's such a clever guy, and he's willing to share his knowledge and experience with others. That's so cool. I guess most people would want to keep things like that to themselves. But not Steve. He's honest and just tells it like it is. That's really something to appreciate. And thanx to Rick for this great interview.

Best Steve Vai's interview ever! A pot's gold of knowledge.

FASCINATING. Sitting on the edge of my seat listening to the Zappa stories...awesome stuff.

What a satisfying interview. Thanks to both of you!

You tend to forget that the musicians you see on tv and the web are just as interested in what music is as the rest of us musician. Steve seemed a little worried that how he explained his interpretation wasn't clear, but for me it was very clear. Awesome interview!

Great interview! Like he says its nice to see a musician being able to talk about the technical side of music in detail in an interview, I guess its normally a turn off for a general audience. Really enjoying the diverse range of topics on this channel, keep it the great work Rick!!

One of the best musician interviews I’ve ever seen... kudos!

Thank you so much for this Mr.Beato!!!!!

I'm a Big fan of Frank and Steve, this is definitely the best interview to Mr. Vai in a long time!

WOW. What a way to start your new show!

Oh my, oh man. This. Is. GREAT. Amazing, and so much worth it.

Wow, Rick. Your channel has captured my last two hours+. Really, great interviews...can't say that enough times. This interview- phenomenal, as per usual. I look forward to supporting your channel soon. Real deal!

Thx for this!

Steve Vai is a gem. Great interview. Well done.

Fantastic program Rick, Thankyou Steve.

That was something to treasure! Thank you, both.

It amazes me how clearly Mr. Vai explains everything here - that's a tremendous skill (explaining complex things in simple terms) and I did not know this aspect about him! Incredible interview, Rick!

I think 'Instrumentation and Orchestration' by Alfred Blatter is the book Steve is trying to remember at around the 32 minute mark. I bought this during my composition degree in the late 1990s and it has been my bible for orchestral writing ever since. Amazing reference for modern orchestral music and way way better than that awful Walter Piston book everyone seems to end up with.

Thanks Rick and Steve. Loved it. incredible stuff!

Such a dope video, can't believe you got Steve Vai on the show! Thanks Rick

Rick, you're amazing, with your white hair and your side chops and your voice on Apple crappiness. Big love from a fan in Dublin xx 🌻

Fantastic! I am a Zappa freak so this is awesome! Would love a video on some of Franks music too! Thanks Rick!!

Wow! Rick TOTALLY AWESOME DUDE!!! - and Steve thankyou so much for simplifying it all and offering real practical advice, So appreciative.

great interview. thank you so much. have been a fan of steve for so long. your interviews are a great expose of how music works through these interviews. brilliant job rick. great job. great job.

I'm a little late to this party, but ... Fantastic Interview!

best YT channel hands down! Rick rules!

Brilliant! More Steve! And more other Zappa alumnis! For hours! There's a whole bunch of them -- and every single one with highly interesting, enlightened and inspirational stories and knowledge to share.

Great interview Rick. Wow so much info that any young musician is so lucky to receive.