Want to play guitar like Steve Lukather?
Want to learn to play guitar like Steve Lukather of Toto? Make your vision a reality with the Steve Lukather Player Study.
This course will teach you the guitar virtuoso’s techniques, including fast mixolydian runs, hybrid picking, alternate picking, and more.
Background
Steve Lukather, the son of a Paramount Studios assistant director and production manager, started playing musical instruments at an early age. He started with keyboards and drums and then taught himself to play guitar at age seven. Lukather got an acoustic guitar and a copy of The Beatles’ “Meet The Beatles” album for that birthday, the latter of which he credits for “changing his life”. During high school, he met the people who would become his future Toto bandmates.
Lukather’s first professional musician job was as a session musician for Boz Scaggs. He helped form Toto in 1976 along with fellow session musicians David Paich, Jeff Porcaro, Steve Porcaro, Bobby Kimball, and David Hungate.
Lukather is the original lead guitarist for the band and has been the sole continuous member of the group since its inception. He also serves as composer, backing and lead vocalist. He has won five GRAMMY Awards, three for his work with Toto.
As a session guitarist, Lukather has worked with prominent artists including Aretha Franklin, Lionel Richie, and Michael Jackson. He has also released eight solo albums.
Style
Lukather’s playing style is described as “melodic and intense”. He utilizes his knowledge of music theory to follow chord charts and changes in a way that’s characteristic of jazz musicians. He counts blues-rock guitarists like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, and Jimmy Page among his influences, as well as Steely Dan.
Gear
Lukather used to utilize an elaborate set of effects pedals in his playing setup, but now plays mostly modification-free other than delay. He has collaborated with EMG on his own Lukather signature “SL20” pickup system, as well as DiMarzio on a set of signature pickups named “Transition”. He endorses Music Man guitars.
Once you’ve mastered Lukather’s signature style, you can find tabs for dozens of Toto songs in the Fret Zealot app including “Rosanna”, “Africa”, and “Georgy Porgy”.
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