Tender Surrender

Steve Vai, 1995, from Alien Love Secrets. Solo by Steve Vai.

Vai wrote this as a slow, bluesy ballad, and it's one of his most restrained pieces. The first half is quiet and patient, with clean-toned phrases, delicate harmonics and a vibrato that makes the guitar sound almost like a voice. Then it gradually builds, adding gain and speed until he unleashes fast, fluid runs near the climax. The contrast between whisper and roar shows off his control as much as his technique. Many players consider it the best entry point into his style, because the virtuosity serves the emotion. Listen for the whammy-bar nuance on held notes, where tiny pitch shifts make single tones sigh and cry.

Tender Surrender by Steve Vai is ranked #119 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Steve Vai and the song was released in 1995. It appears on 5 lists, placing as high as #36 (guitarguitar).

In our lists

• See Them Live — #43
• The Greatest Solo of Every Year — #52
• The Modern Canon: Best Since 1990 — #27
• The 25 Greatest Guitar Instrumentals — #13
• The 25 Greatest Shred Guitar Solos — #8
• The 1990s — #20
• Instrumentals — #14
• Ballad Solos — #16
• The Best Steve Vai Guitar Solos — #2

Sources

• guitarguitar: Top 50 Guitar Solos of All Time — #36
• Guitar Solo Legends: The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — Ranked (2026) — #46
• Radio Beat: 88 kytarových sól na Beatu — #60
• Digital Dream Door: 250 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos — #67
• Guitarhabits: 50 of The Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time