During a conversation with Ultimate Guitar's Justin Beckner, Steve Vai talked about music theory, playing songs that he didn't like, and his reasons for preferring to remain a solo artist. Following in an excerpt from the chat.

UG: I would imagine that if you wanted to join a big band, you could. Is the reason you've stayed solo for so long that freedom to write and work on songs that you want to work on?

Vai: "Yeah, I have sort of a split musical personality. Part of me has rock 'n' roll in my blood and I really love the energy of being an arena performer. In the '80s, when I was touring with David Lee Roth and Whitesnake and even Frank Zappa, there were huge gigs. With Roth and Whitesnake, it was an opportunity to play the rockstar card. It was great fun but there was this type of music in the back of my head that wouldn't let go. It was there since... as long as I can remember. It wasn't a particular song or anything, it was just a perspective on music creation. There were certain chord structures and melodies that my ear was attracted to that just didn't resonate in those rock bands. I knew that it had to come out. So that's when I did Passion & Warfare.

From then on, I realized that I had a particular musical voice and I know how to express it - from plugging in the guitar to micing the cabinets to recording the drums and bass, and constructing the music - it's the hook, line, and sinker. That vision is like a plaything. I entertain myself with it. It's kind of autonomous too, in that when I try to bring someone else into it to try to get the best out of me, there's always a dilution - the vision gets diluted somehow and it starts to lack little delicacies that I put in the music that lights me up. I might be one of the only ones that hear them but they're important. So that's why I choose to work alone. I've gotten offers to play with various other rock bands and, occasionally, I'll contribute because I still do like that energy. But I usually don't go out on tour unless it's with a group of guys who are really doing something interesting - like when I played with Zappa Plays Zappa or the Experience Hendrix Tour or something like that.

I recently got an offer from somebody - I don't want to mention who - but this other guitar player offered for me to go out on tour with a couple of other guys and do the music from his band, and I love that band. And if that works out, that would be a situation where I feel it would be cool to go out with some other guys. But really, you have to get the right guys and they have to have the right intention. I have no desire to go out and relive the glory days of a rockstar - I did that, I'm grateful for it, I appreciated it, but I'm much more comfortable doing what I'm doing."

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