Who’s better? Joe Satriani or Steve Vai?

[Krash]

Last night, my wife and I saw Joe Satriani and Steve Vai in Clearwater, FL. To say we enjoyed it and had a great time is the understatement of the year. It was amazing. These guys are in a league of their own when it comes to guitarists. Both are musical geniuses.

So who do you think is better? Steve Vai played the first set, and he’s a tough act to follow. Joe Satriani played the second set. Satriani had the impossible task of following Vai. They then jammed together for several songs.

Maybe it’s because Vai went first, but I sort of feel he was the better of the two. Ironically, it was Satriani that first taught Via to play guitar. Plus, Satriani wasn’t exactly chopped liver. He was awesome, too.





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[brandrea]

I’ll give you my honest opinion, but I don’t find either of them terribly interesting to listen to

They are CRAZY talented no doubt, and they can make a guitar do things that most can’t for certain, but IMHO their sound becomes sort of grating, obviously I’ll be in the minority here

In my very humble opinion …. They aren’t as musical as say a SRV, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, or Billy Gibbons. They're music has more of a groove that just resonates more with me and it’s much more enjoyable to listen to.

Flame away …

[themast]

Originally Posted by brandrea

I’ll give you my honest opinion, but I don’t find either of them terribly interesting to listen to

They are CRAZY talented no doubt, and they can make a guitar do things that most can’t for certain, but IMHO their sound becomes sort of grating, obviously I’ll be in the minority here

In my very humble opinion …. They aren’t as musical as say a SRV, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, or Billy Gibbons. They're music has more of a groove that just resonates more with me and it’s much more enjoyable to listen to.

Flame away …

Ah, this would have been my reply as well!

And, I would have added my absolute favorite to your list: David Gilmour. Technically a few step below Satriani/Vai (and I have been generous...) but every single note he plays gets me. Sometimes the notes that are NOT played make the difference.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by themast

Ah, this would have been my reply as well!

And, I would have added my absolute favorite to your list: David Gilmour. Technically a few step below Satriani/Vai (and I have been generous...) but every single note he plays gets me. Sometimes the notes that are NOT played make the difference.

Certainly not to disparage these two guitar greats … obviously they know a thing or two about playing the 6 string

A musician friend of mine once said almost the exact same thing as you and it was something along the lines of … “great guitarists don’t necessarily have the fastest fingers over the fret board, they’re just better at finding the exact fret in a musical moment”…

I totally butchered that, but it was something along those lines.

I’d be curious to hear what Dan Pierce has to contribute.


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[Dan Pierce]

Originally Posted by brandrea

I’ll give you my honest opinion, but I don’t find either of them terribly interesting to listen to

They are CRAZY talented no doubt, and they can make a guitar do things that most can’t for certain, but IMHO their sound becomes sort of grating, obviously I’ll be in the minority here

In my very humble opinion …. They aren’t as musical as say a SRV, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, or Billy Gibbons. They're music has more of a groove that just resonates more with me and it’s much more enjoyable to listen to.

Flame away …

THIS^
dP

[Krash]

Originally Posted by brandrea

I’ll give you my honest opinion, but I don’t find either of them terribly interesting to listen to

They are CRAZY talented no doubt, and they can make a guitar do things that most can’t for certain, but IMHO their sound becomes sort of grating, obviously I’ll be in the minority here

In my very humble opinion …. They aren’t as musical as say a SRV, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, or Billy Gibbons. They're music has more of a groove that just resonates more with me and it’s much more enjoyable to listen to.

Flame away …

Lots of guitarists can play Jimmy Page note for note. But nobody wrote music like he did. That’s a huge difference.


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[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Krash

Lots of guitarists can play Jimmy Page note for note. But nobody wrote music like he did. That’s a huge difference.


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Originally Posted by Krash

Lots of guitarists can play Jimmy Page note for note. But nobody wrote music like he did. That’s a huge difference.


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You’d be surprised who can cover surfing with the alien …

Point taken though, they’re all musical in their own way. Just some more than others

https://youtu.be/Aqe33f0Cxxk?si=IAuWL5nm6axQxMga


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[Krash]

One other note…

I’ve been to hundreds of concerts.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that last night was the best sounding concert I ever heard. They had everything dialed in perfectly.


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[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Krash

One other note…

I’ve been to hundreds of concerts.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that last night was the best sounding concert I ever heard. They had everything dialed in perfectly.


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[BraveBold]

Not biased here. I play (attempt) Vai, Satch, Malmsteen, Friedman, Petrucci etc but also SRV, Gilmour, Pass, etc…personally enjoy all of it but don’t really listen to Vai or Satch much unless breaking down a song to learn…

Vai is the “better” guitarist in terms of technical skill. Student surpasses teacher. Saw both in a G3 show decades ago. Petrucci was the third and blew them away. My buddy who watched the show with me blows them away too (not Petrucci, as they are peers where they overlap).

There are many technical players out there today that surpass Vai and Satch. Even from their era (when introducdd) - but the difference is they both have some distinct characteristics in both playing and writing, setting them apart. Luck too, of course. Vai is a monster player, don’t get me wrong. But it is his creativity that sets him apart more than raw technique.

I’d put Yngwie above both.

Btw, for anyone exploring this stuff, check out Jason Becker and Shawn Lane. For mainstream-ish, Nuno Bettencourt is almost untouchable. Paul Gilbert is fun, as is Frank Gambale.

[BraveBold]

Originally Posted by themast

Ah, this would have been my reply as well!

And, I would have added my absolute favorite to your list: David Gilmour. Technically a few step below Satriani/Vai (and I have been generous...) but every single note he plays gets me. Sometimes the notes that are NOT played make the difference.

The group context matters too. You will find many of these technicians stand alone, with the focus on their playing. The other group are part of songwriting teams, generally, and the whole is greater than the sum.

Gilmour’s solos in Pink Floyd (with Waters) standout vs the post-Waters work. Same can be said in many examples - it is the right note, in the right song, that evokes the greatest impact.

[Tri-Tip]

Originally Posted by Krash

Last night, my wife and I saw Joe Satriani and Steve Vai in Clearwater, FL. To say we enjoyed it and had a great time is the understatement of the year. It was amazing. These guys are in a league of their own when it comes to guitarists. Both are musical geniuses.

So who do you think is better? Steve Vai played the first set, and he’s a tough act to follow. Joe Satriani played the second set. Satriani had the impossible task of following Vai. They then jammed together for several songs.

Maybe it’s because Vai went first, but I sort of feel he was the better of the two. Ironically, it was Satriani that first taught Via to play guitar. Plus, Satriani wasn’t exactly chopped liver. He was awesome, too.

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No doubt they are both INCREDIBLY talented guitarists. Personally, I'm not a fan of instrumentals.

I can listen to Jeff Beck with Rod Stewart all day long, but Jeff Beck acoustic leaves me bored.

[Krash]

I agree with all you about the listenability factor. If we’re having a party at our house, we won’t play this music. We’ll play Zeppelin, the Who, the Stones, et al.

But if you get a chance to see these guys live, I’d highly recommend you do so. It’s like seeing a world class once in a lifetime spectacle.


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[Dan Pierce]

Originally Posted by Krash

One other note…

I’ve been to hundreds of concerts.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that last night was the best sounding concert I ever heard. They had everything dialed in perfectly.


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Excellent!

So many times the kick drum and/ or bass are so freakin' boooooooomy it drowns everything out! And that's coming from a bass player.
dP

[steversaurus]

I remember being blown away as a teen watching the classic lineup of Satriani / Stu Hamm / Jeff Campitelli live. Again, not something that I'd put on heavy rotation, but sometimes it's nice the appreciate the technical ability, even if it drops the musicality.

[1William]

Both great artists, hard to pick. It would probably be a specific song based decision if I had to choose.

[AzPaul]

Personally, I'm more of a Mark Knopfler guy, but all these cats have mad skills.

[Moondoggy]

Originally Posted by AzPaul

Personally, I'm more of a Mark Knopfler guy, but all these cats have mad skills.

This ^ Mark Knofler is so so clean each note is perfect imo.

[BOXMAN76]

Vai

[White Collar Boy]

Glad you both had a memorable night. Nothing like seeing a great band.

My favourite fancy players are Tom Verlaine and Mick Taylor. Wish I’d seen either of them.

[zengineer]

I think you need to get down to around the 225th best guitarist (some with name recognition, many without) before the distinction is much more than someone's personal taste.

[White Collar Boy]

Originally Posted by zengineer

I think you need to get down to around the 225th best guitarist (some with name recognition, many without) before the distinction is much more than someone's personal taste.

Good point. But if music was a competitive sport I’d just watch more baseball, where the heavy hitters are unpredictable.

[enjoythemusic]

Congrats on hearing them in Clearwater.

[KatGirl]

I guess we aren’t talking about great guitarists who’ve left us. Jimi Hendrix was, IMO, the best guitarist I’ve ever heard. I also enjoyed the late Jeff Beck.

Kat


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