Steve Vai Presents Little Pretty Music Video, Fusion-funk Recording In Dark Tones

Steve Vai (Instagram stevevaihimself / Larry DiMarzio)

JAKARTA - Virtuoso guitarist Steve Vai and Favored Nations/Mascot Label Group present the official music video for Little Pretty. The composition resides in Vai's studio album, Inviolate which will be released digitally and on CD on January 28, 2022. The plan is that this album will also be available in vinyl format on March 18 next year.

The song is a dark-toned fusion-funk record played almost exclusively on Gretsch hollow body guitars. Something unusual for a Vai in his entire career.

"It's on the wall with all the other guitars, and I always look at it and say, 'One day I'll play you,'" Vai said of using the Gretsch hollow body guitar.

"In writing chord changes for the solo section, and the solo itself, I dug deep into my academic music theory mind to create a chord change set where the harmonic atmosphere shifts with each change," continued former Whitesnake and David Lee Roth Band guitarist.

The dense chrod structure, Vai says, requires a series of synthetic modes to navigate. This approach is in line with jazz and fusion players, but he doesn't want it to sound that way and his solos have to be downright melodic.

"The result is quite strong because the whole solo part evokes a changing atmosphere of the melody that changes dramatically but works well together," he concluded.

In his more than 40 year career, Vai has routinely turned what seemed utterly impossible into something very, very likely… and still quite outrageous.

From his days as "guitar stunt" player Frank Zappa to his expansive and exploratory solo work, Vai has constantly challenged ideas about traditional guitar playing and composition — and on more than one occasion even reimagining the instrument itself.

Vai's latest and 10th solo album, Inviolate, is a nine-track masterpiece that this time pushes the boundaries of instrumental guitar music. Vai really not only 'invented' a new guitar through the use of the Gretsch hollow body earlier, but also more innovative guitar playing techniques.

The Genius Flamboyant Guitarist

Steve Vai is one of the guitarists who has the most complete guitar technique as well as a genius. The guitarist who was born in Carle Place, New York, June 6, 1960, began learning to play the guitar in 1973, and studied with another guitar maestro, Joe Satriani, one year later. During this time he also started playing with several local bands, one of which was called The Steve Vais.

In 1979 Vai sent a transcription of Frank Zappa's Black Page and included a recording of his guitar playing. Frank was amazed, then asked Vai to write transcriptions of his guitar solos from the album Joe's Garage to Shut Up And Play Yer Guitar.

For two years, Vai supported Frank Zappa, both on stage and in the recording studio. Because of his ability to play the guitar quickly and accurately, Frank Zappa even nicknamed him the 'Little Italian Virtuoso'.

After leaving Frank Zappa in 1982, Vai moved to California and recorded his first solo album, Flex-Able in 1983 and released it in January 1984. One year later, he replaced Yngwie Malmsteen as guitarist for lead vocalist Graham Bonnet's band, Alcatrazz, and was involved in the process of recording the album Disturbing The Peace.

Entering 1986, Vai was involved in the creation of the fifth album by John Lydon's alternative rock band, Public Image Ltd, entitled Album, and joined the supergroup formed by former Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth.

The David Lee Roth band, also known as the Eat 'Em and Smile Band, from 1985-1989, featured David Lee Roth (vocals), Steve Vai (guitar), Billy Sheehan (bass), and Gregg Bissonette (drums). . The band spawned the albums Eat 'Em And Smile (1986) and Skyscraper (1988).

Entering the end of the '80s, Vai joined Whitesnake replacing Vivian Campbell. When another Whitesnake guitarist, Adrian Vandenberg injured his wrist shortly before the recording of the album Slip of the Tongue, Steve played all the parts on the album.

During this period, this flamboyant guitarist also contributed his guitar playing on the Alice Cooper album, Hey Stoopid with Joe Satriani in the song Feed My Frankenstein.

Vai then released his second solo album, Passion and Warfare in 1990 which gave birth to the song For the Love of God. The song was selected as one of the most famous guitar solos of all time by Guitar World magazine.

After leaving Whitesnake in 1991, he continued to tour regularly, both with his own band and with his teacher and instrumental guitar partner Joe Satriani on the G3 tour series.

Other full-length solo albums that Steve Vai has produced include; Sex & Religion (1993), Alien Love Secrets (1995), Fire Garden (1996), Flex-Able Leftovers (1998), The Ultra Zone (1999), Real Illusions: Reflections (2005), The Story of Light (2012) and Modern Primitive (2016).

In addition, this guitarist whose guitar playing is heavily inspired by Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Brian May, Jimmy Page, Glen Buxton, and jazz fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth co-wrote a track on Ozzy Osbourne's 1994 album Ozzmosis. However, the guitar part he created in the song titled My Little Man was replaced by Zakk Wylde.