He's no music snob

For a veteran musician who has never worked with a pop artist in his 30-year career, Steve Vai is rather open minded when it comes to appreciating bubblegum pop, the bane of many serious rockers.

In a phone interview with M from his home in Los Angeles last week, the 53-year-old guitar maestro - known for his collaborations with rock legends Frank Zappa, Whitesnake and David Lee Roth - credited his wife for keeping him in the know about current mainstream pop trends.

"My favourite kind of music is the eclectic sort, tunes with an esoteric quality," he said. "But my wife listens to a lot of pop stuff and I go to concerts with her. Some of them were really good!

"Like Katy Perry's. Lady Gaga was unbelievable. And Pink's too - I've never seen a better concert in my life!"

Vai's other half is Pia Maiocco, a former bass player of US heavy metal band Vixen. They have two sons - Julian, 24, and Fire, 21.

"So, can pop music provide you with a profound, intense experience?" he added.

"Well, if you ask me, yes, to a certain degree." The Berklee College of Music alumnus will be in town on Friday night for a concert.

It will mark Vai's third visit here - he previously played in Singapore in 1997 and 2004.

If you are wondering how he always manages to captivate audiences with his fiery fret work on classics such as Tender Surrender and For The Love Of God, the answer is simple: Practice, lots of it.

Long hours

"In my younger years, I wouldn't be happy till I had practised nine hours a day," he said.

"Stopping (practice) was hard and everything else felt like a chore. When I was 12, my parents got scared at how much time I was spending on playing the guitar - I was at it all day and all night," he added.

Vai's hard work has paid off. Today, he is recognised as one of the world's guitar greats, alongside Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert and Yngwie Malmsteen.

But Vai stressed that he doesn't view any of his peers as rivals.

"I took guitar lessons from Joe when I was 12, so he will always be my mentor," he said.

"Our egos will never have enough of adulation, money and fame... I prefer to compete against myself."

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