Last month, a Hungarian high-schooler went viral after footage of him absolutely nailing Steve Vai’s electric guitar masterclass For the Love of God at his own prom emerged online.
At the time, fans were quick to shower the young player – who goes by the name of Laci – with praise, with one punter even ambitiously declaring, “I will make sure Steve Vai sees this.”
Well, whether it be due to the efforts made by that one commenter or the sheer power of the internet (we suspect it might be the latter) Vai has indeed seen Laci’s flawless performance – and he’s given the aspiring shredder a resounding vote of approval.
“I came across this clip and I so much enjoyed watching this,” Vai comments on Laci’s original video. “Great job Laci! Good intonation, vibrato and phrasing. If you play this piece, or any song, over and over and over, etc, and keeping your full attention on every note, something interesting starts to happen.
“The performance becomes more fluid, more inspired, much more exciting to play, and it starts to really sound like music. You’re doing great.”
Laci’s performance of For The Love of God was no doubt equally impressive in the eyes of Vai, owing to the fact the virtuoso has previously gone on record to discuss just how challenging it was to record.
“I was trying to push myself to the limit,” Vai once told Guitar World about For The Love of God, a song he prepped for by meditating, fasting, and practicing non-stop for four days
“When it came time to record, my fingers were totally gone. I had pictures of my fingers taken after that session, and they were bleeding under the skin.”
Could this be the start of a bright six-string future for Laci? We wouldn’t bet against it, especially when one considers Steve Vai’s track record for praising up-and-coming talents in the past.
Over the years, he’s tapped the likes of Matteo Mancuso and Marcin before they became (guitar) household names. Watch this space...
