Vai or Satriani

  • Thread starter Thread starter dawg2k5
  • Start date Start date

Who do you think is better?

  • Steve Vai

    Votes: 56 59.6%

  • Joe Satriani

    Votes: 38 40.4%
  • Total voters
    94
Light said:
As for Vai and Satch, I've listened to them both, a lot, when I was in high school. I used to love it, now it just sounds like a typewriter. As such things go, Vai has more soul (not by much) on a few of his own things, but he doesn't come close to someone like Tom Waits, who can barely play.
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I kind of like the 'typewriter' statement as that kind of music really does nothing much for me either.

I was 14 once though and thought it was cool then ;)
I can see why some people get off on it - but I don't know many people who aren't musicians that would get anything from it, other than the 'wow factor' of how obviously technically skilled the players in question are.

I've got to contest that statement about Tom Waits though.
Ever seen the video of him playing a rarely heard tune called 'Smuggler's Waltz'?

The guy seriously knows his way around the guitar!

As an aside, I really like the guitarists he uses on his records too. All guys that prove that you don't need to play at 500bpm and don't need a £4000 instrument to make an unforgettable contribution to music.

Mark Ribot and Carlos Guitarlos are two of my favorite Waits cohorts :D
 
*Phew* Those are two of the most boring guitarists ever... although I voted for Vai. He at least sometimes tries to break free from the "above 12th fret masturbation".

A notch better than the two asses in Status Quo.
 
famous beagle said:
It's certainly much cooler nowadays (since we're out of the eighties and the era of the guitar solo) to like Neil Young's guitar playing or Kurt Cobain's, or Tom Waits ... whatever. That's comparing apples and oranges. Do you honestly think that if Steve Vai were to guest solo on a Neil Young or Tom Waits song that he would shred? I seriously doubt it.
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I would *love* to hear what Vai would do on a Waits song.

I reckon it'd be a good collaboration - and of course he would have the sense not to shred (unless the song needed it)!

Apart from Passion & Warfare the only Vai I've heard is the Zappa stuff - on which he does an *excellent* job.

I think he's just one of these guys who's a great technician, but not a great composer. He needs to be collaborating with somebody who can bring out the top musician in him :)
 
Give me Satriani any day. His music is more listenable in general, less over the top, melodic and I think his solos are just more tasteful yet just as crazy.
 
Light said:
Who Cares? Can either of them play with feeling? (No.)
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I have never understood how anyone could say that, especially about Vai. Vai can be way out there no doubt, but I could spout off many songs in which I feel Vai has demonstrated feel that I never new existed. I suppose its all subjective.

If you have not, you should find a way to hear Lotus Feet [Live] off of Vai's latest, Real Illusions: Reflections. Its just him, his guitar, his amp and the Metropole Orkest. No outboard effects, no nothing. Its probably the most beautiful piece I have ever heard played on electric guitar and is nothing but feeling to me.

Regarding picking the best of the two, I can't. They both have strong points and are both world class. I would say that Joe is the better 'rocker', esp live, and that Vai is the better (all-around) musician (movie scores, orchestra's and guitar albums etc)

jw
 
I think they both play mean lydian licks. But my money's on Paul Gilbert. :p
 
Satch

I've met Vai and he was kind of a d*ck....
On that basis alone, not to mention 'Always With Me, Always With You', I pick Satriani!!
 
Don't knock it if you can't play it....... ;) ;) On the the other hand I never really cared for Vai or Satch's stuff so much (although I have nothing but respect for their abilities)....i always prefered players like Eric Johnson, Steve Morse, Al DiMeola....2cents.
 
Never been a massively into either of them to be honest. Not that I don't like them or respect what they do its just ain't my cup of tea. When i do hear their stuff its pretty cool, but it doesn't make me jump of my seat too often. Therefore I cannot comment on who's better.

However as ever we come to the who's better in music argument. To which there really is no answer. It all personal opinion. There is scientific equation to define who is better. I think some people are moved in different ways by different things, and no matter what, whatever it is, there will always be someone who loves it, someone who kinda digs it, some guy who is indifferent, and some guy who hates it.

When it comes to technical ability and impressiveness...well...its difficult to explain for me. These guys have been around for a while now. So when you hear them, I expect to hear something good. (I'm talking from a technical standpoint). However, Vai and Joe are both at that level where you are hardly going to be surprised when you see they have good technique. Thats the level of amazement out of the window for me, and therefore its up to the beauty and feel in the sound to impress me. And thats where it get difficult. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The most beautiful solo in the world in one persons eyes could be the worst in another. It depends who it connects with.

Also, when someone shreds for a living, people always end up expecting a little bit more than some kid playing in his bedroom.

I got impressed when some average Joe like my boss poppped over, picked up my guitar and started shredding like a motherfucker. Makes no difference whether theres feeling in it in that case. Just sitting watching the guy play kinda inspired me...Never was much of a shredder before that. Now he thinks I'm better than him lol. That amazes me cos I suck lol.

Personally I like Petrucci's solo stuff, and kinda like what John5's doing also.
 
MadAudio said:
And I think that anyone Frank Zappa would credit with "impossible guitar parts" deserves some respect no matter what! :D
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I agree with that!!! Isn't there a very wise quote I've seen a few folks around here use that goes something like "Talking about music is like dancing about architecture" Deep man that Frank. I've seen both Satch and Vai more than a couple of times and enjoyed them both. Who's better? Neither of course!!!
 
I think they're both amazing. " For the Love Of God" is one of my favorite Vai tunes. The solo off " flying in a Blue Dream" from the song "Strange" is my favorite Satch solo (even though the song itself is kinda cheesy).
I can't imagine a guitarist listening to this stuff and not being moved by it.
I guess we all have our own personal taste.
I voted for Vai though , because he allows his whole band to get invloved.
Satch's backing behind his guitar work is pretty basic.
I wish I could play like either one of them.
 
Light said:
Or Adrian Belew. A little weird, but that's part of what I like about him. And how anyone can play a guitar with their strap that long, I don't get. But listen to the early eighties Crimson. Wow. Fripp is a bit of a typist, but he always has been. He pushes harmony enough that I still get into it. Adrian Belew, though, blows me away.
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+1 for Adrian Belew. As far as Fripp, I wouldn't consider early 80s KC to be anything amazing. fact, I don't find anything after Red to be very representative of KC. THRAK and The Power to Believe are pretty good though. I dunno, everything after Red sounds like a different band to me.

As far as Satch/Vai, I don't really know. I don't listen to either of them too often, but I'd go with Joe.
 
As far as Fripp, I wouldn't consider early 80s KC to be anything amazing. fact, I don't find anything after Red to be very representative of KC.

I read an interview in some guitar rag where Fripp said KC was the best touring band during a particular year in the eighties. I thought this was strange being that I've never heard of them up to that point. Another interview I read from him was in Guitar Player magazine. He was talking about tapping five on four on his lap or some such (paraphrasing...it was a looong time ago) and he kept using the word "one" as in: "if one wants to play one's instrument fluidly,this is what one does when one plays guitar properly..." not an exact quote,but you get the idea. After reading the whole interview, I thought to myself "this sounds like someone that doesn't do much else but study guitar philosophy 24/7" He reminded my of a college professor I had about three years ago. The man got a perfect score in math on his SAT's, went to MIT and Harvard, checked our calculus homework answers in his head,was told he played classical piano like a concert pianist...absolutely brilliant. Yet he wore faded old clothes, he was bald up top and his hair on the sides was uneven and unkept, drank soda all day and had bad rotting teeth. Not saying Fripp is like that, just that that's the type of person he reminded me of...genius in some discipline,but lacking either socially, physically or some other class.

J.P.
 
Light said:
And John McLaughlin is pretty fucking amazing.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
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Aye, there's the rub. I love Johns technique, but I would say Al Di Meola has him because of the passion he has in his playing. Both extremly powerful and feeling guitar players.
 
personaly i like vai more just cause of the way his synthesis is. techicaly i believe satriani is a bit faster with the pick while vai is better at things like taping and playing with the tremolo which makes him more of a showman
 
I've gotta go with Vai because of his Zappa connection... Zappa is my alllll time fav.
 
Light said:
And then people started taking it personally.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
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That's because you come across as a know-it-all asshat.
Would you honestly tell either of these cats that thier playing lacks feel
to thier face?
I have never seen anyone that could convey thier sense of humor with a
guitar like vai does.Satch is also a bad MF.I wouldnt walk away if either
were playing,because they can both do things with an axe that most folk
cant.Just because thier abilities are over the average listeners head does
not mean they should automatically be discounted as wankers with no feel.
 
They both bore me to tears. I saw Satch live. Never seen Vai live.
 
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