The newly minted Strandberg trademark artist reveals how Vai’s innovative thinking influenced his approach to guitar.
Jacob Collier has opened out about his relationship with one of his “dearest friends,” Steve Vai, and how he helped him become a better player without ever touching an electric guitar.
The creative genre-hopping multi-instrumentalist, who recently partnered with Strandberg to produce a unique five-string signature guitar, most recently worked with Vai on his current album, Djesse Vol. 4, which is the climax of a quad-record epic that also features John Mayer.
However, while he tells Kerrang! that Vai “taught me a lot about the guitar,” the most important lessons were imparted away from the instrument. Instead, Collier was most drawn to virtuoso’s innovative mindset.
“[With] Steve Vai, I listen as a fan and wonder, ‘How does he do that? That is crazy! “He is an amazing guy,” he says. “He taught me a lot about the guitar, but not by showing me things on the neck or talking about picking or anything like that.
“It’s more about his approach to life that is quite resplendent and his philosophy for radically accepting a process and trusting the universe, which feels very big and glorious.”
Finally, Collier believes that music and living have a mutually beneficial relationship. He didn’t need Vai to show him a new scale or technique; he simply needed perspective.
“I think that any aspect of music is kind of an extension of life,” Collier says. “Many of the same elements that function in music also work in life.
“Music is not one of those languages where there are intrinsic right and wrong ways to do things. There are principles and steps you can take to learn who you are and what language you speak. But in the end, you can do whatever you want. And I believe that’s a wonderful realization.
Vai returned to Collier’s London studio, having previously been on Djesse Vol. 2’s Do You Feel Love, for another dazzling guest appearance.
This time, Vai, equipped with his black Ibanez PIA trademark guitar and a pedalboard that got a lot of use during the session, particularly his DigiTech Whammy DT, contributed a face-melting slice of cosmic shred to the end of Box of Stars Pt. 2.
Earlier in the record, John Mayer unleashed nearly a minute of soloing on Lizzy McAlpine’s Gonna Be Alone. The trio collaborated to perform the song at LA’s Troubadour in 2022.
Collier is also at the core of what could be 2024’s most notable signature guitar release. When asked how guitarists have approached his wild five-string Strandberg, Collier remarked, “The first thing they’ll try to do is make one of the six-string guitar shapes work.” “There’s a car crash!”
The artist claims that the instrument’s symmetry-focused D A E A D tuning “gives me a ton of fresh ideas, and enables me to cover more ground with fewer strings to cross”.
