Berkleemusic Launches Online Steve Vai Course

Steve Vai Guitar Techniques provides an unprecedented opportunity for musicians from across the globe to take an "under the hood" look at the work of one of music's most influential guitarists, learn the secrets behind Steve's unique playing style, and incorporate Steve's techniques into their own playing. The Steve Vai Guitar Techniques online course builds upon the guitar curriculum Berklee has been providing to students for decades.

"What's fascinating to me is that the barriers to learning music directly from recognized experts - whether it's myself or the rest of Berklee's renowned guitar faculty - no longer exist with online music education," said Vai. "I'm intimately involved in creating this course, from the crafting of the lesson content, to providing hours of never-before-seen video, and even a dedicated live chat between myself and the online students. This truly is an evolution in the way to teach and learn guitar."

Since Berkleemusic's inception, more than 30,000 students from over 130 countries have studied online. Steve Vai Guitar Techniques is another powerful addition to Berkleemusic's extensive guitar curriculum, which in 2007 received the Distance Learning College Course Award for Guitar Chords 101 from the University Professional and Continuing Education Association. Berkleemusic currently offers over a dozen online guitar courses authored and led by Berklee's esteemed faculty covering all areas of study, both genre-based and technique based.

"We are excited and privileged to have Steve Vai join our portfolio of renowned course authors," said Debbie Cavalier, Berklee's Dean of Continuing Education. "This new course and partnership with Vai is a natural evolution of our ongoing dedication to providing innovative courses and incredible opportunities to students around the world."

Steve Vai Guitar Techniques presents students with the chance to gain a deep understanding of Vai's death-defying playing styles, repertoire, techniques and musical concepts. This 12-week online course will not only teach students to craft and perform lead lines like those in "Tender Surrender," "For the Love of God" and "The Attitude Song," but also will teach students Vai's distinctive and seemingly impossible techniques such as two-hand tapping, sweep picking, sliding, pull-offs and other ear-bending licks. Each lesson will include play exercises, listening examples, hours of exclusive video, song transcriptions, a performance assignment and more.

The course is taught by Vai and members of Berklee College of Music's guitar department, who provide all students with detailed and personalized feedback on their work on a week-to-week basis.