I dedicated all the time I had to it. The 10 hour workout was just what I put in the magazine at the time, but for me it was every waking moment.
Steve VaiRead
It's always funny to me when people use the phrase 'Best guitar player in the world'. There are too many variables such as technique, uniqueness, emotional investment in the notes, etc. But If I had to pick one, it would be Tommy Emmanuel. Watching him perform can be a study in artistic and virtuosic human achievement.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the subjectivity of evaluating talent in music, emphasizing personal preference and the complexity of artistry.
Steve Vaiβs quote reflects on the difficulty of declaring a single best guitar player due to the multifaceted nature of musical skill. He suggests that artistry involves various elements, such as technique, emotional connection, and unique stylistic choices, making it impossible to pinpoint one definitive 'best.' However, he expresses admiration for Tommy Emmanuel, indicating that watching him perform is an exemplary experience of human artistic achievement.
Themes
GuitarMusicArtistryPerformanceSubjectivity
In practice
Example use cases
In a music class discussing influential guitarists, I might quote Steve Vai to illustrate the complexity of evaluating talent.
More from Steve Vai
All quotes βI think every artist subconsciously wants to evolve themselves. Sometimes they get stuck in ruts because of pop culture, peer pressure, stuff like that. But what excites me most is exploring my own musical insights and expanding upon them.
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If you want to play something that you hear, you need to listen with your mind's eye. You've heard of the mind's eye, right? Your mind has an ear too. It's a kind of listening, but it's not using your ears to listen. It's listening with your inner ear, and that's what you want to translate onto the guitar.
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The tone is in your fingers, not in your amp or effects.
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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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If you want to play something that you can't, you need to see and hear yourself doing it in your minds eye. It will start to happen
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