What Govan does in the video is stunning, he followed all the Steve's delerium and randomness, recognising every chord in the moment and following him with every scale perfectly... he's just on another level of knowledge men
@@pleasepermitmetospeakohgre1504 He also played to the chords at the same time which takes years to master while improvising, and to do it over such sporadic changes with such taste and feel is something to admired in my book. He played to the tune, not to impress.
+nathan drake ahah i can watch this joke 20 times :p anyway i feel like vai giving some pressure on his voice at this moment, and don't even gave a shit on that funny chord and govan face ! for me he was an asshole, not sharing music but commanding !
Guthrie is blown.out of the water by any of the following...Vai, Satriani, M. Stern, E. Johnson,Larry Carlton, Jimmy Herring+ 100's more. Yes he is impressive to millennials but then so is Chance The Rapper ...lol...lmao
My two absolute favorite guitarists. I'm reading alot of hate on Vai. He has done it all. Don't forget he took over for Yngwie in Alcatraz so shredding is not a problem for him. He has been so innovative, technical, creative and an incredible ambassador for guitarists both pro and amateur bringing together the best of the best. I can't believe the disrespect to man who has been so important to the guitar for the past 30 years. He plays for depth and feeling rather than shredding now so I get it's not so exciting but still incredible. Obviously Guthrie is great and gets the respect he deserves but I bet he admires and respects Vai just the same.
+Francois DuJour it looked almost like Steve was trying to throw him off and Gutrhie kept playing along with those random chord changes correctly anyway lol. Remember kids, you're always only one note away from a diatonic tone, and if all else fails, use a whole tone or diminished to get back on track like a boss.
+Cdr Paige Steve is also a very gracious person. I'm sure he wasn't trying to throw Guthrie off; they were having fun. Steve is certainly aware that Guthrie is a monster that would have no problem responding to him. I'm sure they were both happy to share the stage with each other.
Kinda funny how this whole comment section probably has an even more inflated sense of ego than Steve Vai. Yes Guthrie Govan is an amazing player and also my personal preference of the two, but that doesn't take away from Steve's incredible talent and ability. Both insane players who do different things in different ways. Talking about who is better is pretty pointless if you ask me. It's all individual artists expressing themselves differently. And I bet they would hate being compared to each other like all these comments are doing. It's not a competition - it's self expression and art. We dont compare Picasso and Van Gogh and talk about who was the better painter. Just enjoy the different artists and how they express themselves please. That (to me) is the whole point of making music in the first place
You are absolutely right, I never compare musicians it's nonsense...the only thing I would disagree is that Steve doesn't have an inflated sense of ego nowadays...he is pretty humble and spiritual. He has been above ego for years.
Vai sets himself up for this thanks to his enormous ego. Then you’ve got the extremely confident yet humble Guthrie standing inconspicuously in the back out playing him. No surprise that many would comment upon that.
After Shawn Lane Passed years ago, Guthrie, took it from there, and is now The Master. Present and Future. He is so humble and supportive, he acts like the student.
Thank you to the Internet for uniting so many heroes of mine - first Satriani with Vai in the original G3, then John Petrucci joining them, then the amazing emergence of Guthrie Govan, now Guthrie playing alongside so many of them. Guthrie of course is probably the most well-rounded and 'scary' of them all ... (Not that its a competition!)
Guthrie Govan is the end point of the evolution of guitarists. Also, he's a decent and humble human being, happened to run into him once before the G3 gig in Bonn, Germany last year.
he is talking about understanding the instrument and theory . and also implementing all that into music. or improvising at a level where he is never lost, he is always on point and knows a thousand different ways and modes to play along, instantly. guthrie is so skilled technically, that he is easily one of the top 5 best ever guitarists if not the best. of course music is an artform. so he is not the "best musician" or did the worlds best music. because that is subjective.@@bienvenidovelasco6834
GG - can play anything, killer techniques, amazing clarity and tone Vai - great music, so many great songs, his live shows are also incredible If i want to listen to something i always listen to vai.. I check guthrie to learn something as a guitarist..
It was a wonderful week of fun, music, learning, and special guest invited to play. Nobody was afraid of anyone else. This was never a competition. Why must you people try to turn it into that. You see what you want to see. I was there. Steve has played music around the globe do you really think he is afraid of anything related to music or playing his guitar.
@@UR_Right24 exactly.... The albums of guthrie aren't considered ground breaking at all... Even hia band with marco and bryan is just considered to be another fusion band. Let guthrie write a full show with an orchestra and then maybe.... He'll be able to kiss vai's feet...
@@armageddonibliz4807 Why would he need to write a full orchestra? He has been hired by the some of the foremost composers, arrangers, writers in music to play for them. He is probably the most versatile player on the planet. From Steve Wilson to Hans Zimmer, he has done it all. The sad part about all this is how all of you manage to miss the entire point. It's not about "Guthrie kissing Vai's feet" or vice versa.Music is not about the competition, it's a language with which you express yourself and have fun. Guthrie doesn't need to be a seminal composer to be recognised as one of the best players of all time. He has enough work supporting that fact. His ability to improvise is par excellence. Also, his album "Erotic Cakes" has one of the most diverse and innovative guitar phrasing I've ever heard in instrumental music.
@@starthrashinferno1 your word there is HIRE, musicians HIRE guthrie to play for them not the other way around.... My point is vai's body of work...have you heard his music with the metropol orchestra. Have you forgotten how vai saved the ibanez brand? I know this isn't a competition but some people makes it so and I'm only stating facts, for the sake of competition that guthrie is still miles away from steve. But for a musicians stand point, guthrie is a god damn good guitarist.
@@armageddonibliz4807 yeah well it clearly ISN'T a competition, right? So, you saying that Vai is miles better than Guthrie is absolutely redundant. Music is NOT supposed to be a competition. It's all about preference. So, yeah I just prefer Guthrie to Vai as a guitar player as he is much more well rounded and a more complete/musical improviser than anyone I've heard till now. There's absolutely no problem if you prefer Vai to Guthrie. But saying that Vai is miles ahead of Guthrie is just stupidity.
@@starthrashinferno1 dude relax.... Im only trying to point out how stupid that comment is of neth bt. I follow the creed of vai.... There is no best, only favorites.....
One of Guthrie's main influences is Steve Vai. You can hear it all throughout his playing. Don't forget Satch and Vai basically put instrumental guitar on the map for these guys.
+Scott Waszak Vai scared? The same Vai that played with Zappa? Any disciplined person can practice for 8hrs a day and achieve Guthrie level of guitar master. But wake me up when Guthrie produces a record as groundbreaking as "Passion and Warfare". At the end of the day, that is what matters.
It's called "Erotic cakes" and it has been out there for almost 11 years now. But I guess that your opinion is more relevant than Ritchie Kotzen's, Joe Satriani's and Greg Howe's, who praise Guthrie as the finest guitar player alive.
Guthrie is light years ahead of Vai, and everyone else .. I am beginning to think he's an alien from an advanced race .. he is absolutely astonishing, not convinced about his overall sound, that's just mere Earth technology he prob has to deal with, Guthrie Govan just amazes me .. stunning player, would love to shake his hand and thank him for his inspiration, no one can touch him in this era .. nobody.
+Geo Arthur "Guthrie is light years ahead of Vai, and everyone else" Any disciplined person can practice for 8hrs a day and achieve Guthrie level of guitar master. But wake me up when Guthrie produces a record as groundbreaking as "Passion and Warfare". At the end of the day, that is what matters.
+Bastiano T. I can't achieve that level of mastery and I"m pretty sure you couldn't either, because no one else has. LOL. I wouldn't call Passion and Warfare groundbreaking either. Ground rumbllng maybe. It really depends on the style you like too.
***** You have all the rights to not call Passion And Warfare groundbreaking, and that's a highly subjective and fair perspective. But we can't just go by your subjectivity to accurately judge an album. The fact is, Passion and Warfare has been praised by a lot of notable and famous guitarists, and you can actually measure its subsequent impact after it's been released.
+jonwands You must have a pretty nice phone; the sound and pic is way better than most phones. Anyway, thanks for the taste of what must have been a great performance!
Guthrie Govan would blow Vai out of the water if it came down to it, an absolutely genius and rounded player Govan is compared to the past "virtuoso gods"
Vai is still the best around. He's the only one out of any of them who has just written music and not "guitar music". Guthrie is a great player, but he hasn't written anything memorable (yet).
All these people in the comments misunderstanding a mutual expression of musical authenticity for high school ego games and one-ups-manship. You're only projecting your own insecurities and childhood-level emotional maturity. Sincerely, grow up.
UncleRob199 Very much so. Guthrie happily sat in the background here, however you can see Vai desperately trying not to fuck up or play something below par. Guthrie being Guthrie, he wouldn't make any move to blow Steve off the stage (he could, easily). Funny thing, ego. If Steve was able to survive without needing to work off his then this would have been something amazing. I noted that Guthrie pulled out his Vai impressions a little ;-)
Prostheta oH GOD,, The new age guitar poser is here. You sound like the vai fans 10 years ago or the buckethead fans. You should look for a guy named depper who slags off satch and anyone else who suggests Leslie west cannot blow anyone off stage. Nobody can blow Vai off stage, nor Joe. Guthrie is a great player but he has like 2 albums and he's in his 40s. He's good but Vai paved the way for guitar music along with Satriani. Please don't be a Govan nuthugger and start talking about who is better. You will lose because everything is subjective but Govan has come to the scene very late in life compared to people like Gilbert, Vai, Satriani, Bucket etc. They invented and reinvented. Govan is a cream of the crop copycat. Nothing wrong with that either. Not everybody likes Govans music so talking about blowing people off stage is pathetic and makes you seem a like a fanboy nuthugger. I will always prefer Vai over Govan so in my mind he is blown off stage easy, but that doesn't mean he is, it means i have a preference as you do. Try to understand what preference is and why it doesn't make you right. I don't get why you talk about this being an aimless wank, this is clearly what you're into as only people who like to make these things a competition like fret wanking more than anything else.
Mr Govan is undeniable in his skill, ability humility, and genuinely likeable...can play anything... Mr Vai has contributed so much to the guitar world, throughout his long career. I know he can't do what Guthrie can, but I see that as a positive, I mean do you want everyone to be like Mr Govan. Vai plays Vai and that's great.. I'm sure everyone aspires to play from their own authentic uniqueness, and not be a carbon copy... Expressing yourself through an instrument is not a competition, it's a sharing of yourself, a part of you going to who ever is willing to listen...
It really is a changing of the guard - the Wonderful Steve Vai and Morse and Satriani and even Petrucci have had their day when u look at the new breed - Alex Hutcings and Guthrie are the guys to lead the way forward .
Chas Williams I understand what you're saying, and part of me agrees. But when you think about it, it's strange how Guthrie is seen as a new guy by a lot of people. He's 43 and been in the game a long time, not exactly a spring chicken. I guess it's because it's been only the past few years where he's attained a lot of name recognition.
+Mark Lambert yeah,Guthries new to me too, i was surprised at his age too!,but the main thing is he's bringing a new mindset to younger players on what and why to play,that's gotta be good for guitar in general?
Guthrie had said in an interview sometime ago that it was really Steve Vai that got him into the modern day 80's shred when he was a teen, that his playing was a lot more interesting. Now that it's 2016, although Vai is still good, he still plays the exact same way he did from back in 86, he's not really imrproved to me, not saying what he does is bad because it's great, but I feel were tired of listening to the same stuff, Guthrie has out grown the guitar and he has complete freedom of the instrument, I never believed it was possible because all of us have some sort of bag of licks that we fall upon even when we do improve. I feel that Vai nowadays makes himelf out to be so much more than what he's capable of, he quoted to Alberto "be very ginger, which means gentle" before I even hear Alberto Vai starts wanking off with those octaves at the very beginning! it ruined it and really frustrated me, yeah he may be able to arrange and compose, but he's not completely honest as what he should be. Guthrie on the other hand is just such a humble uman being, those videos where he just gets up and jams with youngsters in a bar or in college and has fun whilst doing it showing that music is just so much more than a competition, he is just out of this world, he's a breath of fresh air to all musicians and will live on forever as a guitar virtuoso, his versatility is way too scary and no one will ever touch him on his level of playing and consistency. Sorry Vai but you're nothing special anymore!
Good to see Vai and Guthrie together. Both are well respected and incredible in their own technicality and playing styles. Let us not compare them by our little mind . Music brings but will not set apart. It unites and bring the friendly environment but not a division. Let us give our positive thoughts and complement to each musician. Lets not make them a joke.
What I found really interesting about Govan is that he's so ridiculously flexible in almost any musical situation. I could easily imagine him jamming with ANYONE from John Mayer, Tosin Abasi, Yngwie Malmsteen, Allan Holdsworth, Johnny Hilland to Mariah Carey
Guthrie probably had a couple hours to kill when he decided to do this. I find it funny that Steve Vai is standing there doing a whole pile of nothing...Guthrie being the gentleman that he is standing off the rear a bit just thinking to himself "is this guy done yet?". Guthrie is hands down the most accomplished guitar player alive, possibly ever. I find it funny that he's Steve's guest or second player or how ever you want to put it. Vai should be off stage tuning Guthrie's guitars hahaha
+bigair845 I find it funny that it just took you ONE 2 minute.34s long video to dismiss Steve Vai's accomplishments which by the way span 20+ years in the industry playing with absolute giants of their time (Frank Zappa, Whitesnake, David Lee Roth, Joe Satriani...) and held his own and still does as not only just a guitar player but a composer. Anyone who has any real respect for music & musicianship would really just stop comparing Vai & Guthrie. (or anyone for that matter) Guthrie Govan is a beast of a guitar player but he's yet to compose something as magical and breathtaking as 'Lotus Feet' or 'For The Love Of God' [The list could go on really]. That doesn't mean im undermining Guthrie's ability but he's yet to traverse the compositional universe that Vai has created. Show some real respect and enjoy their craft. That's what they want and need. Some real attention without any judgement. That's what any musician wants. (by the way, Steve Vai said that)
+Raja Malhotra I totally get what you're saying. There is no doubt about it Steve Vai is a fantastic player I get it. There's just something about him that rubs me the wrong way. He's the guitar god and not me that's clearly understood. I'm sure Guthrie enjoyed it as well, I think I posted the original comment after hearing Steve interviewed and his godly ego took over. Good honest comment on your part tho. Point taken.
Here are 2 geniuses, I'm pretty sure Guthrie did his thing, unfortunately the video is not complete, comments said tha Vai wanted to impress because of his ego, Vai always plays like this and his personality is just like that, Govan is genius too but he is more quiet, I am pretty sure these guys enjoyed this gig.
+isaac thrash - totally agree with you and I love Vai's music, but Guthrie is a different kind of shred! One of the best of modern times. It is good to see Vai playing with this awesome guitar player, must be humbling.
Comments about guitar players being better than Vai is so cringe. Of course there are players that do a lot of things better than vai...they just can't be vai though...just as no one could be any other guitar virtuoso..they are all unique. Vai will alway be one of the greatest...he loves what he does. And than God he's an excellent showman.
makes me admire Guthrie even more than i already do, to see him humbly stand back there, when he is literally one of the best guitar players to walk this earth , steve comes across quite arrogant in this unfortunately, both amazing players though
+James Powell Any disciplined person can practice for 8hrs a day and achieve Guthrie level of guitar master. But wake me up when Guthrie produces a record as groundbreaking as "Passion and Warfare". At the end of the day, that is what matters.
+Bastiano T. I take it you have not heard Erotic Cakes or any of his stuff with the Aristocrats then. Guthrie has way more creative songs then any Vai tune I have heard IMO at least. All Vais tunes sound way too similiar for me to enjoy them much.
Terminal Passage I have all of Guthrie's albums. Passion and Warfare changed the game when it came out. It is more groundbreaking that any of Guthrie's work.
Bastiano T. What exactly is ground breaking about it? What did it change? I hear nothing special honestly, many guitarists have done similiar stuff but in more creative and original ways...
Terminal Passage Not true at all. Listen to the combination of shred, feelings, the production, and the overall sonic quality of that album, and compare it with any other album at that time. It was one of a kind. Who else made songs like 'Erotic Animal' and 'The Riddler' at that time? The combination of shred and feeling on "For the Love of God" was unrivaled at that time in my opinion. I don't think people have ever heard a track quite like 'Balleria'. Many guitarists view that album, along with Yngwie's 'Rising Force' Satch's "Surfing With The Alien' as groundbreaking albums that helped created the next generation of guitar wizards.
The dynamic the Vai wanted to do here didn't go exactly as planned. Basically he wanted to propose a chord and solo over it, then the one is soloing plays a different unrelated chord and the other one solo over it, when he finishes plays a new chord/key and so on... I say it didn't go exactly as planned because maybe Vai didn't explain it well so Guthrie is always trying to catch the new chord/key following Vai, when instead Vai was expecting an entirely new proposition. Why do I think this? Multiple times he has told stories about he and satriani doing this when they were young. Furthermore there's a video of Vai and Satch jamming when they do this (look for it in RU-vid). I'm a Vai fan, Luke his music more than Guthrie's, but I can't deny Govan is better improvising, is versatile in more genres and has technique to spare.
Vai just comes across as a tool here, and I like him in interviews. Maybe I'm reading it wrong but to ask one of the best guitarists in the world if he's OK? And place him on stage like he's a support musician is odd. Govan is the lead guitarist for hans zimmer for gods sake!
Vai's used to being the Lead.. Guthrie , on the other hand, is like water : he can blend into anything just so effortlessly. The word is thrown around a lot, but GG is truly a natural.
And Steve Vai looked scared??!!!! This is a guy who played with FRANK ZAPPA (to mention a small part of his curriculum), whose songs were being learned by a young Guthrie Govan. Maybe Vai was "scared" of Guthrie, but he is also admired by him :).
I swear, if Guthrie ever asked me to play with him on stage, I'd turn him down, not just because I'd feel the immense pressure of God's eyes on me, but just that I'd rather listen to himself play.
The video is not even complete and the people starting to compare the two ha ha.... Any way, I follow this two great guitars on you tube and on Facebook, both are excellent guitar players. seen their live performances. But at the end of the day you kind da know that Steve's live performance is way better and wows the people watching.... don't argue just watch Steve's videos....
At 1:03 (chord change), Guthrie throws in quick Vai impersonation. Is it just me, or does it seem Steve is trying to challenge Guthrie a bit-to no avail?
People, calm down....Steve Vai has +10 years more experience than Guthrie, he helped to create the guitar world that we enjoy today and he is one of Guthrie's hero...steve vai was the GG of the eighties. So you are projecting the "competition" between the two and the "Ego" of Vai...they are two of the best guitar Artists alive. C'mon...
And yet the few videos we have of them playing together just give this sense that Vai doesn't enjoy playing with GG, a sense I don't get from, say, Joe Satriani or Paul Gilbert who simply enjoy what GG does. Vai seems threatened, ultimately.
Guys, no need to diminish Steve Vai in order to give Guthrie props. Bashing one artist to compliment another? Just compliment them both. Everyone here is acting like Steve Vai is not one of the greatest. Yes we know there is only one Guthrie Govan now chill tf out.
I love Vai, but honestly Govan is on another level. Proof .. you'll find dozens of videos on youtube of people doing great covers of Vai's tunes, you'll find NONE of anybody covering a Govan tune (like Sevens!!)
Jack Thammarat covered Govan's Sevens. Guthrie has more technique but listen to Jack Thammarat I think you'll agree he's a more brilliant musician and therefore arguably a more brilliant player.
@@Ponferrada22 I just listen to and study their music by slowing down their music and trying to reproduce it. Like I said, Jack Thammarat does a perfect cover of Fives - his technical skill is on a similar level to GG they are both virtuosos. Unfortunately I don't see the cover up anymore. Strange. There is a live cover if you want to see it though. At any rate, if you listen to GG and compare him to JT I think you'll find that JT's compositional lines tend to be more melodically interesting and unique, on average. Govan tends to use more strictly chromatic lines and common patterns at incomprehensible speed, while JT tends to produce more of a unique sound overall with less reliance on patterns and more reliance on unique melodies (also at incomprehensible speed). It's a subtle difference because both of them do the same thing at different times and are capable of playing both ways but I just tend to find JT's playing more tasteful. If you slow down their music it seems to become more apparent. But again, it's subtle. GG is ten or fifteen years older than JT so he has some time and experience on JT. JT, however, studied music at university and took classical guitar lessons as a child and I suspect this might have exposed him to or shaped his thinking in favor of a more melodic and less strictly chromatic way of thinking. There may not be a meaningful distinction here, but to illustrate the difference compare their two covers of "Remember When" - I think it illustrates the difference pretty well, and I prefer JT's more than GG's. Also, my favorite guitar music is Jack Thammarat's "If I Could Fly" cover, which is a good showcasing of how JT combines patterns with unique melodies at blazing speed in extremely novel ways. GG has his own equivalents and is probably the most technically versatile player in history, but I don't find that to be a meaningful distinction when they are both virtuosos. Look at those recordings and tell me what you think.
In Asia or Indonesia so many guitarist like guthrie. He is legit but saying 'another level' is too much for him. While Vai is special because he develops styles. Many people plays vai because vai is inspiring. even guthire plays vai
Are you joking? Vai has so little ego, neither does Guthrie. Im sure both are extremely happy to be in a room and given the opportunity to play guitar with each other. Because to those that love music, it is never a competition.
+Paul Philippe Gomes Fretwraps, valew mesmo. Eu até vi essa marca, queria saber se tem mais baratas... sera? sem ser gominhas ou buchas de cabelo... rsrs
