Two shows into 2024’s Beat tour, Steve Vai received a helpful tip from none other than Robert Fripp, offering advice on how to play a King Crimson song. Fripp, known for his expertise, saw something in Vai’s performance he didn’t like and suggested how to improve it.
Vai had already acknowledged the challenge of playing Fripp’s parts in Beat, the all-star King Crimson tribute band featuring Adrian Belew, bassist Tony Levin, and drummer Danny Carey. Fripp’s “relentless” picking style had been the hardest obstacle for Vai as he prepared for the 65-date tour.
Belew, who had been in King Crimson since 1981 and recorded six albums with the band, was sympathetic to Vai’s struggle, having faced similar challenges. “It took me quite a while to be able to lock in with him,” Belew said of working with Fripp. “Robert told me I don’t hold my pick correctly. Which is true. I never concentrated on that. There are other things about the instrument that I preferred.”
While Belew was open with advice for Vai, Fripp had left him to figure things out on his own. That is, until two nights into the tour.
“We get to our second show, and I get an email from Robert,” Vai shared in a newly released mini-film by Sweetwater documenting the tour. “He was commenting on some of the clips he saw, which was very nice and constructive. And then he said at the end, ‘Can I make a suggestion for Frame by Frame?’”
Frame by Frame was one of the two most challenging songs for Vai, the other being Elephant Talk. Vai had struggled with the song, especially after shoulder surgery in 2021, and Fripp had spotted something in a video from the show that caught his attention.
Fripp suggested, “Why don’t you hammer Frame by Frame? Grab the initial notes and then improvise on it. Then go to the next chord and do that.”
Vai had considered a similar approach earlier but thought it would stray too far from the original, potentially crossing a line. However, Fripp’s suggestion validated the idea. “I did it that night at the show, and it worked beautifully,” Vai said. “It’s unique to me — yet it was birthed by Robert and Adrian.”
Vai will reprise his role in Beat for a show in Chile this May before heading out on tour with the SatchVai band.
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