| Berklee Freaks for Vai
Famed progressive guitarist/alumnus shares his tips on music and life.
By Danielle Dreilinger
Berklee.edu Correspondent
October 31, 2007
Students threw devil's horns and roared when Steve Vai '79 entered the BPC in October. But the virtuoso guitarist wouldn't let the afternoon clinic turn into a hero-worshiping arena event. He joked, à la Wayne's World, "Don't worry, you're worthy." Then he simply sat down and talked about music, life, and his good fortune—never once playing a note.
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Steve Vai '79 talks to a full house. |
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Photo by Phil Farnsworth |
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"The kind of music I was hearing in my head—it wasn't commercial, it wasn't pop, but I knew I could do it and I just didn't take no for an answer. I found an audience because what I do, to a greater or lesser degree, is sincere."
—Steve Vai
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"I hit the jackpot. I made these weird records that actually found their audience," he said.
Berklee guitar professor Jon Finn said afterwards that whereas most rock instrumentalists merely noodle over grooves, Vai creates "really complex and often difficult-to-understand compositions and then lays on top of it guitar parts that are almost impossible to play." When Vai first came on the scene, "The response was, 'This guy has got to be from Mars!'" Finn said.
Wearing tinted shades and patched jeans, Vai took the conversation—like his music—in many different directions.
The alumnus and honorary doctorate recipient considered Berklee a key stop along his path. "I look back at my days at Berklee as very special. I got so much out of it. Obviously I learned so much musically and I was able to be in an environment with other musicians," he said to the students. "You made a great choice to come to a great school."
Remembering a neighborhood bar called Frankenstein's, he said, "You could get a beer and a hot dog for a buck. I still couldn't afford it. My wife, who I met here at Berklee—who saw me for the first time on this stage—had to pay for it."
Vai also recalled waking up at 6:00 a.m. to nail down rehearsal space, practicing sight reading in his apartment at 24 Haviland Street, and working an offbeat project that launched his career. "I was very much into the harmony classes and writing for percussion. And then there are the guitar classes where you sit with your little quarter notes, and I'm, like, transcribing [Frank Zappa's] 'The Black Page.'"
The Zappa-based form of procrastination proved to be an invaluable music lesson. "The Black Page" is one of the most notoriously difficult pieces written by a man who turned out a lot of them.
Vai went ahead and sent the transcription to Zappa, who—in a twist worthy of cinema—hired him first to transcribe other music and then to join his band. Vai went on to play with a host of '80s hard rock acts, including David Lee Roth and Whitesnake, before focusing on his own compositions.
About metal stardom, he said, "I knew it was fleeting. I knew it was going to be only a piece of what my career would be. I don't pine after those days." When he finished that phase, "I shut the door of the studio. I didn't let anyone in. [I thought], 'It's probably not going to sell at all.' I accepted that. And I made Passion and Warfare."
According to Vai, the album has sold over 800,000 copies. Finn said, "Many people consider [it] to be his crowning achievement."
Vai chalked his success up to following his own strengths. "The kind of music I was hearing in my head—it wasn't commercial, it wasn't pop, but I knew I could do it and I just didn't take no for an answer. I found an audience because what I do, to a greater or lesser degree, is sincere. . . . What we respond to in someone else's art is their sincerity and brilliance.
"If you discover what you're really good at, the rest is gravy. You're going to be unique at it and it won't really matter what happens outside."
Then you can go out and deal with the music industry—which isn't so hard to navigate, he said. No matter what turns the industry takes, "It's gonna need content. So it needs you."
This means protecting your intellectual property, which Vai considers essential. In fact, he said, it was his drive to own his music that led to him hitting the jackpot with his first solo album, Flex-Able.
Vai recorded the album himself and shopped it to labels. But the only one that offered him a deal wanted him to sign away his rights. So he found a work-around: He created a record company and went straight to the distributors.
According to music business/management professor Stephanie Kellar, typically musicians earn less than 10 percent of the retail price for each album sold. Working directly with a distributor, Vai ended up getting paid well over that, he said. "Then I joined David Lee Roth and that CD sold 400,000 copies. I made millions of dollars. No one in the industry has a deal like that." (He added, "I hope I don't sound like I'm bragging. I'm trying to encourage you.")
Alongside career advice, Vai fielded detailed questions about his music—from what he looks for in a drummer (personality on tour, willingness to learn, aggressive edge) to how to play microtonal guitar. If you don't have the guitar he created with 16 frets to the octave, he joked, "Just detune it a bit. Just play with crappy intonation. Most guitars are very good at microtonal music!"
He also discussed staying healthy and the challenges of balancing music with a family life. "I don't see the important thing as being the success. It's the lessons. It's all about how you figure life out. You have to make mistakes until you figure it out," he said.
Vai did cede one moment to the paparazzi—sort of. He stuck his foot out, took a photo of it and the audience, and posted the photo live to his tour blog under the title "Berklee Freaks."
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The setup for Vai's evening show contrasted with his low-key demeanor.
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| Photo by Phil Farnsworth |
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As the crowd filtered out, one "freak" was heard to say, "No shredding? That's what I came for." But on the whole, students seemed impressed. Fourth-semester guitar performance major Boyan Hristov raved, "It was amazing. He's the coolest guy. Eternal wisdom."
And perhaps Vai challenged and inspired even without a demonstration. The guitarist's skills make students ambitious, Finn said. "It's hard for them to be complacent when they've been exposed to Steve Vai's guitar playing." The prof himself sat awed at that night's concert. "I sat and witnessed him do so many things that are almost impossible to execute—and he did them flawlessly."
Finn added, "I've been practicing ever since."
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Danielle Dreilinger is a writer/editor in Berklee's Office of Communications.
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