Nice ?

Am I the only one who actually finds it boring? For the most part, I'm a Vai fan but in these videos he does the same kind of fretboard wanking that makes me dislike Satch, Malmsteen etc.

The first video especially is almost skull numbingly boring. We play a phrase, you play a phrase, we play a phrase, I play a phrase, rinse and repeat... ad nauseum. I don't know hey, something in me wants to believe there is more to music than this kind of banality.

The Crossroads duel is legendary... Its THE video that got me interested in shred back in the day...

(P.S. There's a huge difference between playing music together (jamming) and duelling...)

I'm not so much a fan of the first one either, but I like the second one because it's not just two guys wanking their guitars at one another. It kinda sets the tone for the vintage lovers against the super strat lovers. The road worn kid against the glam rock shredder. The underdog against the show-off. Rock 'n F!@#$ Roll!

deefstes wrote: Am I the only one who actually finds it boring? For the most part, I'm a Vai fan but in these videos he does the same kind of fretboard wanking that makes me dislike Satch, Malmsteen etc.

The first video especially is almost skull numbingly boring. We play a phrase, you play a phrase, we play a phrase, I play a phrase, rinse and repeat... ad nauseum. I don't know hey, something in me wants to believe there is more to music than this kind of banality.

I have to admit the fretboard wanking thing - especially when it comes to someone like Malmsteen - tends to get on my nerves. There are great guitarists and then there are guitarists who just do the same thing over and over, just at different parts of the fretboard. (I really hope I'm not one of them. ???) Or the few guitarists who seem to think that speed = technique and the faster you play something the better it'll sound.

Jayhell wrote: I'm not so much a fan of the first one either, but I like the second one because it's not just two guys wanking their guitars at one another. It kinda sets the tone for the vintage lovers against the super strat lovers. The road worn kid against the glam rock shredder. The underdog against the show-off. Rock 'n F!@#$ Roll!

The Crossroads duel (hell, the whole movie) is still a favorite. The fact that I supposedly have the same syndrome Robert Johnson had was the first thing I found interesting.

Jayhell wrote: I'm not so much a fan of the first one either, but I like the second one because it's not just two guys wanking their guitars at one another. It kinda sets the tone for the vintage lovers against the super strat lovers. The road worn kid against the glam rock shredder. The underdog against the show-off. Rock 'n F!@#$ Roll!

+1 on the first one.

P.S. Both parts of the duel played and recorded by Steve Vai, Muhahaha...

@Alex: Thanks for sharing. The duel brings back awesome memories... Must get the DVD for the collection...

To be fair, my criticism was mainly directed at the first video. The duel is indeed a great video but probably rather for the part it played in the movie rather than for the musical quality of it.

Am I the only guy who finds it hilarious that the 24 fret superstrat guy is struggling to hit the same high notes as the tele player? Something's wrong with that picture ?

nicovlogg wrote: Am I the only guy who finds it hilarious that the 24 fret superstrat guy is struggling to hit the same high notes as the tele player? Something's wrong with that picture ?

Actually, you can only play the whole thing on a 22 fret Tele. The high note in the final (Picardy third) cadence is "fretted" on the cover of the neck pickup, which doesn't work on a super Strat.

Traditional superstrats didn't have 24 frets. The early charvels and jacksons and kramers had 21 frets before ibanez came along and done the 24 fret standard.

To this day, charvel only go to 22 frets, some jacksons go to 24 now, but their strats still go to 21/ 22 frets.

Had vai had a washburn ec36 the karate kid woulda been toast

nicovlogg wrote: Am I the only guy who finds it hilarious that the 24 fret superstrat guy is struggling to hit the same high notes as the tele player? Something's wrong with that picture ?

Looks like a thinly disguised strat vs. tele challenge ?

ZarK wrote: P.S. Both parts of the duel played and recorded by Steve Vai, Muhahaha...

APologies for the mild hijack but Ralph Macchio's bit was done by Ry Cooder

Still was a good film. One for the collection.

Who did Machio's classical bits when before he goes off looking for the lost song?

Squonk wrote: Still was a good film. One for the collection.

Who did Machio's classical bits when before he goes off looking for the lost song?

I don't know but that was a Paganini piece

Conrad wrote:

Squonk wrote: Still was a good film. One for the collection.

Who did Machio's classical bits when before he goes off looking for the lost song?

I don't know but that was a Paganini piece

There were two classical pieces that Eugene played in the movie. The one that he played while practising in his room was a guitar adaptation of Paganini's Caprice No. 5 and the one he played at the audition was an adaptation of Mozart's Rondo Alla Turka.

Both pieces were performed by William Kanengiser

Thanks Deefstes

Founder member of the LA Guitar Quartet.

guidothepimmp wrote: Traditional superstrats didn't have 24 frets. The early charvels and jacksons and kramers had 21 frets before ibanez came along and done the 24 fret standard.

To this day, charvel only go to 22 frets, some jacksons go to 24 now, but their strats still go to 21/ 22 frets.

...just one of a number of reasons why I cannot get myself to call an Ibanez RG a superstrat... As much as I love both strats and superstrats (especially from Charvel and Jackson).

guidothepimmp wrote: Had vai had a washburn ec36 the karate kid woulda been toast

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Actually, you can only play the whole thing on a 22 fret Tele. The high note in the final (Picardy third) cadence is "fretted" on the cover of the neck pickup, which doesn't work on a super Strat.

That's improvisation right there ?