Hello everyone! For my first lesson I'm going to show you a tapping sequence that Vai uses frequently. For more pleasure, I'm going to demonsrate it in E Lydian.
See figure 1. For those of you who don't know, Lydian is Vai's favorite mode! Steve says, "I always think of it in an Egyptian setting; it sounds mystical. It's a subtle mode when used in a subtle context. In the Baroque period Lydian used to be reminiscent of devil music because it had the #4 that was supposed to invoke the devil. That's rediculous." (guitar 4/86)
For a more indepth look at the modes, I suggest getting a copy of the the book "Adavanced Modern Rock Guitar Inprovisation" by Jon Finn. Jon is a very talented musian and is a guitar insructor at Berklee College Of Music (the same school Steve Vai attended).
See figure 2. This is the shape you will be using for the lick in figure3. Close your eyes. Can you still see the shape? This is a great exercise that you can apply to any Scale, Chord, or Arpeggio. Try carrying blank neck diagrams with you when you are away from your guitar. Can you write all the dots in the right places? You'll be surprised of how much visualisation exercises work. DO IT - DO IT!!!
See figure 3. Vai uses variations of this tapping motif frequently. Try applying it to other Scales and Arpeggios. See how many variations you can come up with on your own. It's a good one, but becareful not to hurt yourselves!
Make sure you let the low E string ring the entire time. This is called droning and will let you hear the true tonality of the Lydian mode. It is Important to memorize the sound of the mode, not just the fingerings! Do you remember theCartoon "The Jetsons"? It's theme song has a very strong Lydian tonality.
Well ElRoy.....It's time to go. I hope you have enjoyed this lesson and learn something from it. If you have any questions about it, drop me a line. GOOD LUCK!
