I dedicated all the time I had to it. The 10 hour workout was just what I put in the magazine at the time, but for me it was every waking moment.
Interpretation
Dedication to one's passion is an all-consuming endeavor that goes beyond mere appearances.
In this quote, Steve Vai emphasizes the depth of his commitment to music and practice. He suggests that the hours reported in the magazine only scratch the surface of his true dedication, which encompasses all his waking moments devoted to honing his craft and pursuing his passion for music.
In practice
During a speech on perseverance, I might reference this quote to illustrate the importance of hard work.
I think every artist subconsciously wants to evolve themselves. Sometimes they get stuck in ruts because of pop culture, peer pressure, stuff like that. But what excites me most is exploring my own musical insights and expanding upon them.
If you want to play something that you hear, you need to listen with your mind's eye. You've heard of the mind's eye, right? Your mind has an ear too. It's a kind of listening, but it's not using your ears to listen. It's listening with your inner ear, and that's what you want to translate onto the guitar.
The tone is in your fingers, not in your amp or effects.
I could never overstate the importance of a musician's need to develop his or her ear. Actually, I believe that developing a good 'inner ear' - the art of being able to decipher musical components solely through listening - is the most important element in becoming a good musician.
If you want to play something that you can't, you need to see and hear yourself doing it in your minds eye. It will start to happen
A good solo is like a book. It will start out in a phrase, it will go on in paragraphs, and then it will have a great ending.
You can't ask for what you want unless you know what it is. A lot of people don't know what they want or they want much less than they deserve. First you have figure out what you want. Second, you have to decide that you deserve it. Third, you have to believe you can get it. And, fourth, you have to have the guts to ask for it
God does not ask your ability Or your inability. He asks only your availability.
Sometimes it is better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness.
No-limit people are so in charge that they can trust their instincts, be childlike, be creative, do anything that makes sense to them and make their lives into what they really believe they want for themselves.
To me, it doesn't matter how good you are. Sport is all about playing and competing. Whatever you do in cricket and in sport, enjoy it, be positive and try to win.
You always think, 'Oh, if only I had a little chalet in the mountains! How great that would be and I'd do all this writing' Except, no, I wouldn't. I'd do the same amount of writing I do now and the rest of the time I'd go stir crazy. If you're waiting for the perfect moment you'll never write a thing because it will never arrive. I have no routine. I have no foolproof anything. There's nothing foolproof.
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