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I was about seven or eight years old when I first heard West Side Story, and it had a huge impact on me. If you look at the elements of that record, it contains many of the things I enjoy doing today.

Steve Vai

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Steve Vai
Age: 64
Born: 1960
Born: June 6
Actor
Composer
Guitarist
Musician
Record Producer
Songwriter
Carle Place
New York
Firsts
Huge
Eight
Looks
Sides
Impact
First
Heard
Seven
Many
Story
West
Years
Enjoy
Record
Things
Stories
Elements
Today
Records
Look
Side
Contains

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The blues scale was the first thing I learned. It's just a pentatonic scale with a flat seventh and a few notes that sound cool when you bend them. And because people have amalgamated the blues into this rock-blues scale, if you're using it, you better sound like a real authentic blues player.
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You know, there's times when you should play and there's times when you gotta hold back.
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Possessing a healthy imagination is a necessary ingredient for creativity.
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I could never overstate the importance of a musician's need to develop his or her ear. Actually, I believe that developing a good 'inner ear' - the art of being able to decipher musical components solely through listening - is the most important element in becoming a good musician.
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I loved the idea of recording. The idea of sound-on-sound-recording captured me as a young kid, and once I realized what it was I had an epiphany. Before I was even playing the guitar, I would create these lists of how I would record things and overdub them, like Led Zeppelin song, 'I could put this guitar on this track...' and so on.
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Ray and I do not draw salaries. Any profits will be re-invested into marketing the music we believe in.
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I wanted to be a composer before anything else. And my sister was listening to Led Zeppelin in the other room! When I heard that, it was a game-changer.
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I knew that I was going to have a life as a musician, because I always felt the pull. I don't remember ever having to make a choice.
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It is only the most elite of elite musicians whose unconventional approach becomes convention.
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Besides being a guitar player, I'm a big fan of the guitar. I love that damn instrument.
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I awake, I meditate, get the kids off to school, go to the gym, go to the Favored Nations office, and usually at around 1 pm I'm home and do music the rest of the day.
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It's very hard to come across as a passionate human being in print. People can't hear the inflections in your voice.
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Most people are fascinated to see someone play an instrument in an inspired way. We are moved by witnessing musical brilliance, and it was this notion that led me to purchase the GuitarTV domain 10 years ago.
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I think the thing that I got most from working with Frank Zappa is that I was able to see someone who completely independent. The most beautiful thing about Frank was that he was completely in the moment and present and eternally creative.
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I was always one of those guys who was a seeker after truth. I want to know what's going on.
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When Frank Zappa would get an idea for a song, he just did it. He didn't wait for anybody or expect anyone to do it.
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When you get down to it, the way that the music affects you individually is the most important thing, and when you let things like the location of a band get in the way or have an effect on your overview, you're cheating yourself out of a really good time.
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If I remain true to what's in my heart, that's all the success I need.
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My past is very interesting, and I treasure it, but to write about it, it's just not on my radar.
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We may be human, but we're still animals.
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