The Vai is the limit

This month Guitar World is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Steve Vai’s solo album “Flex able”. The album was a groundbreaking moment in guitar music and Vai’s career. No longer was he a sideman for Zappa, or a replacement for Yngwie Malmsteen in Alcatraz. This was the guitar guru’s first strike at mainstream guitar. From the pulsing riffs of “The attitude song”, to the dissonance of “Something dead in here” to the upbeat jazzy ”Salamanders in the sun” Steve Vai demonstrated that guitar styles could be melded together and influences from all corner’s of the earth were pulled together to baffle many up and coming guitar players.

There is no question that Vai has had a tremendous impact on the guitar world. Pushing the limits of the sonic abilities of the instrument, reaching for more complex composition while still remaining a tried and true rock guitarist, and working with companies to redesign the instruments he used in his pursuits.

I’d like to take a minute to celebrate a few other pioneers in the guitar world. The ones who dared to be different. The ones who took the road less travelled. The musicians taking the instrument to the limit in an effort to create something truly unique.

Robert Fripp

From the early days in King Crimson, to his work on David Bowie's “Hero’s” to his course “Guitar Craft” , Fripp has always sought out the unconventional tones of the guitar. His work has even led him to a new “Standard Tuning” which I’m sure brings a whole new life to the six strings we all know.

Robert Randolph

Some say Randolph is like Hendrix on a lap steel. He cites SRV as an influence and while it is present in his playing I think Mr. Randolph has reinvented what we can call lap steel guitar. It takes a lot of vision, drive, and talent to take an instrument normally associated with country music and turn it into a wailing, screaming, rocking, blues machine with all the feel and soul of his six stringed forefathers.

Link Wray

Although Wray has passed on his contribution to guitar cannot be ignored. Many say he is the inventor of the rock and roll guitar sound. Hearing what his amp sounded like pumping through a PA Wray sought to recreate the distorted tone by punching holes in the speakers of his amp with a pencil. The instrumental “Rumble” although tame by today's standards was truly the birth of rock and roll guitar.

Lets celebrate the unconventional in the guitar world and try to challenge ourselves to find something new in the timeless instrument we call the guitar.

Scott