Lessons You Can Learn From Steve Vai To Become a Better Guitar Player - Part 2

By studying guitar players like Steve Vai or any other great guitarist, it can be helpful for refining YOUR own musical skills but only if you know exactly what to look for. Fact is, Vai's guitar playing greatness comes from his capability to deeply express himself with music, NOT because technical skills alone.

In the first part of this article about Steve Vai's secrets you will find the first three lessons. Here are the next:

Why Steve Vai Has Achieved Greatness - Reason #4: He's Had Total Commitment To Becoming An Incredible Player

Vai is famous for practicing tons of hours per day in his younger years and his 10-hour guitar practice workout is legendary. Fact is, it's not the number of practice hours he practiced that made him into the virtuoso he is - it was his consistent focus on mastering ALL the elements of musical greatness I discussed in this article (and in the previous part of this article about Steve Vai's secrets). The point is, anyone who does the same things Steve Vai did/does can reach his skill level (regardless of how much time they spend practicing). In reality, what lead Vai to achieve his guitar playing greatness is something that is a commonly shared trait among all great guitarists. It is a true commitment to becoming a great guitar player... by doing whatever it takes.

How to use this to improve your own guitar playing:

In order to achieve guitar playing greatness you do NOT need to practice for 7, 3 or even 2 hours a day. If you want to take giant steps in the process of becoming the best guitar player you can be, there are three key steps to take (right now):

1. Develop a deep want to become an awesome guitar player.
2. Discover how to practice guitar effectively and have fun at the same time.
3. Eliminate mindless guitar practicing from your practice routines. Understand precisely what exercises you need to practice in order to achieve guitar playing greatness and determine the best way to practice them. Take this musical goals manifestation assessment and learn what you should be working on now.

Why Steve Vai Has Achieved Greatness - Reason #5: He Uses Several Songwriting Approaches To Compose Great Music

Steve Vai is well-known for his amazing ability to create great music. Vai can take a single technique (like a slide) and implement it in many different ways to create a unique sound. Furthermore, the true secret of Vai’s songwriting skills is in the variety of musical styles and techniques he has mastered. This allows him to use multiple approaches when writing music, so he doesn't have to rely exclusively on his guitar as his main songwriting tool.

How to use this to improve your own guitar playing:

Having only one songwriting approach will always be a limiting approach if you are trying to compose innovative pieces of music. Start learning many other songwriting methods so you can use them to fully express yourself in music - This article series about creativity and songwriting will help you.

Why Steve Vai Has Achieved Greatness - Reason #6: His Ability To Turn Difficult Rhythms Into Great Music

Vai has developed the ability to play guitar over many confusing and complex time signatures while doing it without much effort. His playing flows very well and feels very relaxed - rather than seeming like an attempt to impress the audience with overly-complex playing.

How to use this to improve your own guitar playing:

1. Never underestimate the significance of tight guitar rhythm skills, and never assume that you will develop them merely by chance. Be sure to work on your rhythm guitar playing by adding it into your guitar practice routine.
2. Don't waste your time practicing rhythm guitar in a mindless manner (by having no direction in your practice). Instead focus heavily on accuracy and articulation. Read this article and discover how to play great rhythm guitar riffs.
3. Challenge yourself to practice playing over unusual time signatures. Pick some of your favorite songs that are in 4/4 time and play them over several different time signatures, like 7/4 or 5/4. By doing this exercise, your mind will start to think differently and begin getting used to complex rhythms.

Note: If you are not the type of guitarist who likes to play in a progressive rock guitar style, I still encourage you to implement this approach. Don’t think of it like you will play something you don’t like, instead approach this as an exercise that will push your creativity ten times more than the average rhythm guitar exercises.

Now, you understand Steve Vai's musical greatness from a higher level, and can start applying these ideas into YOUR practice routine so you can become a better guitarist. Start improving your guitar playing now, find the best electric guitar teacher who has experience helping other guitar players reach their musical goals.