The Advice I Got from Steve Vai, Alan Holdsworth, and Other Masters That Changed My Playing

So in today's blog, I wanted to share some words of wisdom and advice that have stuck with me and really helped me out in my life of playing.

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to learn from some incredible players—some through clinics and lessons, others through videos or interviews that made me stop and rethink everything. These weren't always tips about which scale to use or how to hold your pick. Some of the best advice I ever got wasn’t even about guitar directly.

Here are six lessons that stuck with me—from guitar legends, jazz giants, and even one comedian who hit me hard with his approach to his craft.

🌈 Steve Vai – Do It, Then Do It Tomorrow

When I was 17, I went to the G3 tour in Toronto — Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and John Petrucci all on one stage. (Needless to say, my 17 year old face was melted.)

After the show, I managed to meet Steve Vai. I had only been playing for about three years at that point, and I was really struggling with improvisation. I didn’t know how to make my playing sound like music. I was stuck in the scale-box trap, and everything felt forced.

So I asked him the big question:

“How do I get better at improvising?”

And he just said:

“Put on a backing track, keep messing around and playing, then when you get tired, stop.  Do it again the next day.”

That was it. No elaborate theory breakdown. No finger patterns. Just… do it more.

At the time, I honestly wasn’t sure what to do with that answer. But now I think it was perfect.

Because a huge part of learning to improvise is removing pressure, and just exploring. There’s no “correct” starting point — there’s just showing up, listening, reacting, and repeating.

And that’s what Vai’s always embodied to me — a kind of playful seriousness. Like: Keep digging. Keep trying stuff. That’s how you figure out what works.

🎸 Alan Holdsworth – Don’t Let Your Fingers Dictate the Music

Back in 2005, I had the chance to attend a free guitar clinic Alan Holdsworth hosted in Toronto — the night after one of his shows.

Let me say that again: Alan Holdsworth — arguably one of the most important voices in modern electric guitar — offered a free clinic… in a café. No ticket price. No ego. Just him, a few dozen players, and a willingness to share.

He wasn’t a big talker. He was soft-spoken and introverted when it came to words. But when he played with his trio (with J.J. Johnson and Gary Husband), the room shifted. It felt like the music was pouring out of him in a way that most of us in that room couldn't even process.

There’s one quote I remember from that day:

“Don’t let your fingers dictate what you can or can’t play.”

It wasn’t just about technique — it was about mindset. Alan’s entire approach to guitar was rooted in openness, experimentation, and getting out of your own way.

And I remember very clearly… a lot of players in that room struggled with that. They wanted tricks, rules, clear answers. But Alan wasn’t offering “play this scale over that chord.” He was saying: Be open. Let go. Don’t limit yourself to what your fingers already know how to do.

It wasn’t a how-to. It was a philosophy — and it’s one I’ve carried with me ever since.

🔧 Oz Noy – You Don’t Need Every Scale (And Stop Overthinking)

Back in 2011, Oz Noy was doing a three-night residency at The Rex Hotel in Toronto. When I heard he was coming, I tracked down his contact and managed to book a one-on-one lesson with him — in the very room he was staying in upstairs from the venue.

I even lugged my amp through the streets of Toronto to get there.

That lesson ended up being one of the most eye-opening experiences of my playing life.

Oz is known for these dense, colorful lines that sound like he’s pulling from every scale and mode under the sun… but when I asked him what scales he actually uses, he broke it down real simply:

Major pentatonic. Minor pentatonic. Mixolydian. Dorian. Diminished. Altered. That’s it.

Everything else — modes, exotic scales, etc.? Nice to have. But you don’t need them to make deep, rich, harmonically interesting music.

Just hearing that gave me a sense of clarity and focus. Instead of trying to master 50 theoretical tools, I could focus on doing a few things really well.

But the lesson didn’t stop there.

At one point, Oz asked me to play a diminished scale. And I nervously said:“Uhh… do you mean whole-half or half-whole?”

He just sighed, shook his head, and said something like:

“Oh no… you went to music school, didn’t you?” 

And he was right — I’d been overthinking it. Oz taught me that being “schooled” can sometimes put too much distance between your brain and your playing. Music isn’t about theory first. It’s about sound, reaction, and instinct — and theory should serve that, not block it.

🎷 Dave Liebman – Laser Focus, and the Two Pockets of practicing

In 2007, during my time at Humber College, saxophonist Dave Liebman came to do a week-long residency — and it was legendary.

His vibe was somewhere between Jazz Yoda and Jazz Pai Mei. He wasn’t just working with students — he was calling out faculty mid-rehearsal, tearing apart harmony analysis, and still somehow making everyone grateful for the beating.

Picture some of the most respected instructors at the school nodding and bowing like:

“Yes master. Sorry master.” 😅

The whole week was a firehose of information, but two lessons stuck with me more than anything:

 1. Focus on one simple thing each week.

He stressed how powerful it is to narrow your focus. Not ten things. Just one. One lick. One bar. Even half a bar.

And work it.

Every day. Until it becomes second nature.

Guitarists of ALL levels can take something from this. Moving from one note to another, one chord to another, a phrase, an improv concept, etc.

2. “Take the Good in One Pocket, and the Bad in the Other”

This quote has never left me.

Liebman said something like:

“You have to take the good in one pocket, and the bad in the other pocket, and move on with your day.”

That’s how he talked about practice. Some days you feel great. Other days you sound like trash.

Both are normal.

The point is to show up anyway — and not get too attached to either outcome.

That line shaped how I approach everything — music, writing, teaching, gigs.Don’t chase perfection. Just carry both pockets and keep going.

🎤 Bill Burr – Finish What You Start (Even the Small Stuff)

This might sound random, but one of the most impactful pieces of creative advice I’ve ever heard came from comedian Bill Burr — and it wasn’t even about guitar.

He was talking on his podcast about just completing things — simple stuff like doing the dishes the night before or handling a household task the moment you notice it. Why? Because it builds the habit of seeing things through.

And then he said something that stuck with me forever:

“If you start doing that sh*t, it becomes who you are. And then it seeps into whatever the f**k you wanna do — and you complete sh*t.”

From there, he went into how this shows up in his stand-up career. Not fixating on results. Not expecting one special to change your life. Just putting stuff out, over and over, until eventually, you have a body of work.

"I’m putting this sh*t out, and some people are gonna see it, and some people are gonna like it.  And then you know what? I’m gonna do it again, and I’m gonna do it again…"

Guitar is the same. Practice. Performances. Writing. None of them are “the big one.” But if you complete them, and keep going — they compound.

🧩 Wayne Krantz – The Final Stage: Finding Your Voice (The Hardest Part Is Letting Go)

I never met Wayne Krantz, but I’ve watched a clip of him speaking at a masterclass in France countless times. It hits me every time.

He was talking about what it really took to develop his sound. And he said:

“I deliberately turned away from all the melody that I loved and all the harmony that I loved, and the rhythm that I loved. I had to give up what I loved to try to come up with something else. That’s the hard part. Because I love the great music that’s been made… but I had to say, ‘Okay — it’s been made.’ What am I gonna do — try to sound like somebody else? I’m a grown man.

Why would a grown man try to sound like another grown man?  We grow up and we have our own things to say.  ”

Because that’s the final stretch a lot of advanced students face — after years of absorbing, copying, and refining:

Who are you now? What do you have to say?

It’s not an easy transition. In fact, it might be the hardest.

But hearing someone as established and fearless as Krantz talk about deliberately stepping away from the music he loved — not because it wasn’t good, but because it wasn’t his voice — that’s the kind of thing that stays with you.

And it reminds me that being a musician isn’t just about playing better.

It’s about becoming more you.

✨ Final Thoughts

These lessons all come from different people, different voices, and different times in my life. But the thread that ties them together is:

Repetition, practice, patience.

Whether you’re just starting out or you’re deep in the journey, there are things you only learn from experience—and from people who’ve been there.

If any of this resonated with you, I hope you hang onto it. Pass it on. And most importantly, keep going.

🔊 Want Some Guidance in Your Own Journey?

I work with students of all levels — from beginners figuring out their first chords to advanced players searching for their own voice.

Whether you’re into jazz, funk, R&B, or anything in between, I’ll help you build real musical fluency and confidence.

👉 Click here to check my availability and book a free trial lesson

Let’s grow your voice, one step at a time.