STEVE VAI Says He 'Won't Be Able To Play For A While' Following Trigger Finger Surgery

In a new interview with the "Guitar Villains" video podcast, legendary guitarist Steve Vai revealed that he recently underwent hand surgery as a result of an injury he sustained while working on his upcoming "acoustic vocal" record. "I was doing this fun thing, and I had to put my thumb in this really weird position," he explained (see video below). "And I had to kind of hold this chord really for a long time — I was meditating on it. And I knew it was a hard position, and I just kept sitting there and playing it and playing and playing, and 20 minutes later, I'd kind of come out, and I [felt pain in my hand]. So I kind of sprained this, and then, all of a sudden, I developed trigger finger… My wife said, 'Don't show anybody,' 'cause they did that operation and they cut in there, and the guy's fooling around with everything in there, and it's really bizarre. But it's all fine — it's something very simple that they can fix. But I won't be able to play for a while."

Last month, Vai told "The Cassius Morris Show" that he also had a shoulder operation which further affected his playing ability.

"Before [the trigger finger surgery] happened, my shoulder was screwed up and I couldn't use this [picking] hand, so I was playing with one hand," he said. "So I did a little song with one hand, [and] I'm gonna work on trying to get that out."

In addition to the "acoustic vocal" album, Steve is also reportedly working on three new instrumental guitar records — the first two with clean and dirty tones, respectively, and the third with all "drop-tuned eight-string stuff." He is also planning a new "Generation Axe" live release, as well as additions to his orchestral record series, "Sound Theories".

In September 2019, Vai released a Blu-ray edition of his 2015 live DVD, "Stillness In Motion", via his personal record label Light Without Heat, distributed by The Orchard. The release features Vai's complete performance at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on October 12, 2012.

As a virtuoso guitarist, composer and producer, Vai has sold over 15 million albums and won three Grammy Awards. Vai has toured the world with Frank Zappa, ALCATRAZZ, David Lee Roth, WHITESNAKE and the "G3" tour. He appeared in the acclaimed movie "Crossroads", and also established the Make A Noise foundation. Vai owns the Favored Nations Entertainment record label, and has created music for blockbuster films, best-selling video games, national sports franchises, and corporate brand initiatives.