Vaideology: Basic Music Theory for Guitar Players [Print Replica] Kindle Edition

When I purchased this book I had a preconceived notion about what I was going to get. I already had a big binder of different assorted pieces of music theory I had retrieved from the internet. I thought this book would be a nice little basic assortment of all the necessities. I thought I would buy the book and have all I need in one nice organized paperback. Well, I realize that it was a bit foolish to expect that.THE CONS: Having gone through the book I think it is only fair to give a good “heads up” as to what you can expect. I think Mr. Vai was trying to furnish the beginning guitarist with a good introduction to music theory. Unfortunately, I don’t think this was achieved in all the chapters. Steve Vai is obviously very accomplished and I don’t think something like his very advanced understanding of something like polyrhythms would be helpful to the novice. I noticed a few areas like this. There were times that the content was presented that required some understanding of theory in order to know what the author is driving at. If you have absolutely zero knowledge of music theory you may need to take the book to a guitar teacher for assistance.It is also good to keep in mind that this book was constructed to present the reader with “the basics”. The term “basics” is a subjective term. You may think the basics will cover learning how to apply scales in an improvised jam session. Perhaps you want to learn theory so you can write songs or compose. This book doesn’t really tackle that. There is a chapter called composing music. But, this deals with teaching simple musical definitions for elements like tempo, dynamics, and articulations.THE PROS: The good news is that Mr. Vai’s interpretation of “the basics” is very extensive. I can guarantee you will learn something if you buy this book. Even if its nothing more than reading the suggestions given in the chapters based on how to grow as a guitarist. If you're a new guitarist I think the chapter on reading guitar tab would be helpful. I also really like the chapter on chords. Particularly, the Chord Symbol Dictionary chart. It seemed to cover and explain every possible chord combination with an explanation of how it is constructed. Additionally, Mr. Vai offers up very good advice on how you should start when learning scales, or at least how he went about it.Additionally, if you come across something like a weird time signatures or if you heard someone talk about microtones and have know idea what that is, this book can come in handy in attempting to sort that out for you if you don’t know what it is.In conclusion, I would imagine that one would have little trouble retrieving most of the book’s contents from the internet. But the book does have one thing going for it. That would be the personal touch of Steve Vai.

As the book's subtitle says, this is a book for "Basic Music Theory". I would say this book is more of a glossary for basic music notation and theory. The book answers the "what is it?" question of musical vocabulary but doesn't really delve into the "how to do it" aspects of guitar playing. If you already know concepts like time signature, sixteenth notes, bass & treble clef, staccato, pianissimo, triads, modes, circle of fifths, etc. - then this book is too basic for you. Unfortunately I should have researched this book more before purchasing it. The book is well put together and Steve Vai is very articulate in explaining each musical concept, but I was hoping the book would be more about how to APPLY these elements into your guitar playing. It's more of a reference book for music theory terms and no so much about improving the mechanics of your guitar playing technique. Which is perfectly fine, but when I saw the title "Vaideology" I thought the book would be more about the ins-and-outs of how Vai approaches the guitar from his unique perspective. In many ways the basic content of this book can be found almost anywhere online these days - you don't necessarily need Steve Vai to explain these basic music theory concepts - but it's kind of nice to have everything in an easy to read format I guess.

I really like this book and feel it's easily worth the price. Being lucky enough to meet and talk with Steve Vai (at his Evo meet and greet) and of course having watched many interviews, my only hope was that his genuine way of speaking came across in this music theory book. If he could make music theory more relatable and less intimidating for me I knew it would be worth the purchase and that's exactly the case and the reason I like it so much.

First impression is that I'm going to learn a lot from Mr. Vai.On the other hand, it took well over a month to get the book (didn't take them a month to take my money though). That alone pretty much sucked all the fun out of this purchase.

Great book but handled/printed by amateurs. Every single page inside has a crease. Some have several. The top/ biding part of the book was bent and has several creases as well. Fortunately the content is ... awesome ... thanks, Steve.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Maestro Vai on the Generation Axe tour in Kansas City. He changed my entire approach to my own playing, introducing me to my spiritual approach to technique. So it is wonderful that he has written and easy and readily available source for those seeking a compass in their own approach to authentic play. I would recommend this book to anyone serious about understanding their voice, themselves and their instrument.

Love Steve Via, and this is a fantastic book on theory. If it was $12.99. You can find this same info in many other guitar / music theory books for less than $15. It may not have the cachet of Steve Via's name on the cover, but I don't need that to bone up on my music theory.

Amazing book exactly what I expected thank you Mr. Vai!

I'd wanted this book ever since I first heard that Vai was going to be releasing it. I've been playing guitar for 15+ years now but have never delved that deeply into theory. I've always been more of a 'feel' player up to now. The actual content of this book is very good, although you wouldn't have to go too far on the world wide web to find similar information for free. My problem is with the quality of the book itself. The paper it's printed on is of very poor quality, it's so flimsy that coupled with Amazon's poor quality packaging my copy of the book arrived bent in half! I couldn't be bothered to send it back for the same thing to happen again so for now i've made-do with bending it back into shape myself. It's not a very thick book either, which considering the price of admission is a little disappointing.At the end of the day it's a good book for guitar theory beginners and intermediates. I do get the feeling you're paying the price for the 'Vai' name on the cover though, which I don't begrudge too much as let's be honest...the guy is a genius and I could listen to him talk and play for days. If you're looking for something more comprehensive and of better quality, I'd suggest looking elsewhere. Ted Greene is tough to beat in my opinion.

I've been playing the guitar on and off for almost 20 years, and I've never been able to grasp music theory. Inevitably, my playing plateaued and I became completely bored with the instrument that I love. However, my love for the music of Frank Zappa - as well as my decision to finally buy an Ibanez Jem - has rekindled my passion for the guitar, and Vai's 'Vaideology' (which arrived today) with all of its wonderful illustrations, tips, advice, and encouragement is just what I need to push me beyond my musical limitations. I would strongly recommend it to any guitarist honest and courageous enough to admit to themselves that they could be better.

Will take some time to digest this book, but it isn't disappointing. Great for SV to give back in this way.

Ended up buying two copies. Bought both as gifts. Good value for money. Beauitful illustrations by Vai. The recipients are both fans and play guitar. They loved. Good quality paperback.

Bought this for my kids who play guitar and who wanted a basic music theory book. They love it as it’s written by Steve Vai who they really rate and also as it’s very well conceived and easy to understand!