i wanna be like steve vai, joe satriani...

anybody know some good excercises to help me "up" my technique in the styles of joe satriani or steve vai? i wanna be able to sweep like them, and utilize my whammy bar more than reckless diving..

Certainly for Joe Satriani, legato is a vital technique. Harmonisation and advanced, exotic scales feature heavily in both their styles. Keep and eye out for Steve's "10 hour workout" on look at getting Joe's "Guitar Secrets," a book of collected articles from Guitar by Joe. Also look on Vai's site (www.vai.com - original, huh?). There may be something that can help you there.
Hope I've helped, but I'll end with this one thing though. In the immortal words of Vai himself:-

"Don't try to play like me, try to play BETTER than me"

Think about that one...

Well Obviously with a name like that I'm assuming you can play the notes but you're just confused about the diving...Well just try hitting pinch harmonics and diving I see vai and Satriani do that alot.

Another thing the bar is good for is to play melody lines with it. Pick a scale, pluck a note in the scale and try to bend the bar up and down to the pitches in that scale playing little melodies. Very difficult - your gear must be set up good and your ear must be even better. Listen to the 'Attitude Song' (Vai) for a demonstration of this. As stated above, go to Vai's site and go to Little Black Dots, then Mini Lessons '84 for a bunch of cool stuff.

actually im very good at the bar... im having trouble with my sweep picking... i love those occassional sweeps he does that sound awesome.. i can only sweep three note arpeggios and i cant sweep up... its driving me nuts

The thing about sweeping is you have to move your fingers faster than you move the pick. SO if your use to soloing by speed picking i could be hard to pick up. And about getting to play like satch and vai. I too think you should aspire to be better. But hey play the way you play:) Smoke weed every day!

A lot of people play fast and do crazy whammy sh*t, but what makes Satch sound like Satch is his usage of pitch axis.

You want to play like Satch and Vai? First learn your theory.

hey guys... i know my theory really well.. but i dont know what the **** the pitch axis is... Ive been working on my sweeping I can sweep downward pretty good on a minor triad on the 1st 2nd and 3rd strings... any tips for sweeping up?

when u do a sweep,sweep the strings in the circular motion,clockwise. This will imporve the sound and also make it easier 4 u to sweep up.I hope u get wat i mean.Good luck!!!

ok do u mean like this

(= down motion of pick
)= up motion of pick

____________*___________________(_)_____________________
_______________________________(___)_____________________
______________________________(_____)___________________
_____________________________(_______)__________________
______________________________(_____)_________________
_______________________________(___)____________________
*neck ends here

something like that?

yup...bingo!!!!thats it

What is it exactly. I have heard of it and have a realitve Idea but anyone wanna fill me in

sorry bout bringin old threads back but i have the same doubt and i'll be glad if someone can answer it.

Pitch axis theory is cycling through different modes with a constant bass note. It's using each of the 7 diatonic modes with the same root. Just like the circle of fifths (a progression through multiple scales), there is a certain order to the progression of modes that sounds best. Lydian, Ionian, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian, Phrygian, Locrian.

Lydian - 1, 2, 3, #4, 5, 6, 7
Ionian - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Mixolydian - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, b7
Dorian - 1, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6, b7
Aeolian - 1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7
Phrygian - 1, b2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7
Locrian - 1, b2, b3, 4, b5, b6, b7

Example : C Lydian (C, D, E, F#, G, A, B) to C Ionian (F# -> F) to C Mixolydian (B -> Bb) to C Dorian (E -> Eb) to C Aeolian (A -> Ab) to C Phrygian (D -> Db) to C Locrian (G -> Gb)

Now, each step in the cycle changes only one note, but from the first mode to the last, there is a huge sound difference (C, D, E, F#, G, A, B -> C, Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb). Satriani really emphasizes the notes that change each step. He really hammers the E going to the Eb from Mixolydian to Dorian. For a really good example, pick up "Engines of Creation" by Satriani and check out some of the latter tracks, such as 8 and 9 if my memory serves me correctly (don't have the cd here with me and I'm too lazy to go get it out of my car right now).

Feedback: Clarified? More confused? I hope that helped...

right i get it but since you are changing the mode but keeping the same base not, you are changing key; so for you to use the pitch axis doesnt the bass and the chords at the back etc. have to permit you to change key? Also, if you're playing over some minor chords can you only use aeolian, phyrigian, and dorian if you decided to use the pitch axis?

thanks

really hard and confusing... but thanks a lot man.

hang on, I thought pitch axis was an alternative to cycles of 4 and 5, you change as many notes as you want and keep the bass the same. Am I barking at the wrong end of the tree?