![]() ![]() ![]() It was his time in the band that secured him the spot that would hurl him into the public spotlight, playing lead guitar in Diamond David Lee Roth’s new band. His debut solo album was released in 1984, and while it wasn’t a huge success it did secure him a spot in the heavy metal band Alcatrazz, filling in the lead guitarist spot that some no-hoper called Yngwie Malmsteen vacated. Vai first went on tour with Zappa in 1980, and stayed for two years before leaving for Los Angeles, California to focus on his solo career. This eventually lead to Vai joining Zappa’s band The Mothers of Invention, where Vai’s sheer skill was so overpowering that Zappa credited him in his album linear notes as playing “stunt guitar”. Vai had sent a transcription of a Zappa guitar solo to the man himself and Zappa was so impressed with the results that he employed the to transcribe a number of his guitar parts. After only five years of playing the instrument, he was accepted into the Berklee College of Music, but dropped out early as he had secured a job performing with Frank Zappa. Not for Vai, he just picked up the guitar in 1973 and after some lessons from Joe Satriani himself, he was leading his own band, fittingly named The Steve Vais. This is practically ancient compared to most virtuoso instrumentalists, as most of them are childhood prodigies who received lessons before they could walk. Incredibly enough, Steve Vai only started playing guitar at the age of 13 years old. ![]()
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