Steve Vai, "Big Trouble" (Guitar Solo Cover)

Опубликовано: 19 Июль 2015
на канале: The Practicing Guitarist

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The Guitar Solo Session series features interpretations of some of my favorite guitar solos. In many cases, I try to stay true to the original solo, while also incorporating some different licks, nuances and inflections. My overall goal is to be in the musical ballpark.

About the song and the solo:

"Big Trouble" is featured on David Lee Roth's full-length debut solo album, Eat 'Em And Smile. Released in July 1986, the album reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200. Roth's solo band was rounded out by drummer Greg Bissonette, bassist Billy Sheehan and guitarist Steve Vai.

In an interview with Guitar For The Practicing Musician in December 1986, Vai cited "Big Trouble" as his favorite solo on Eat 'Em And Smile. It was also the song that sparked his collaboration with Roth, who had exited Van Halen in 1985.

"The very first song was 'Big Trouble,'" said Vai. "When David and I got together I pretty much played 'Big Trouble' verbatim. I wrote that song in about a minute in a hotel room in Albuquerque.

"I happen to like 'Big Trouble' the best. It's a very sexy song and it moves really well. I feel I'm part of my instrument when I play it. It kind of takes over.

"Playing [these solos was] really easy for me. All the solos on this record were like a piece of cake. I don't want to sound egotistical, but for me they were kind of easy."

For my lead guitar track, I played my Black Jackson DKMG through a custom patch on my Eleven Rack designed to emulate an '80s-era Marshall. The backing track is a rough demo of the song. Playing the solo might have been easy for Steve, but for me it was certainly challenging. :)