Herman Li
Encyclopedia
Herman Li is a British Chinese
musician, best known as a guitar
ist for the power metal
band DragonForce
.
-type noises in the song "Through the Fire and Flames
" on Inhuman Rampage
. His playing style consists of fast descending and ascending legato
and staccato
licks, exotic scalar runs, making extensive use of the harmonic minor and Phrygian dominant scale
, extreme use of his whammy bar, quick full ascending and descending sweep picking arpeggios, alternate picking
and tapping (especially two-handed) on the higher frets as well as incorporating many other shred guitar
style techniques. Li is left-handed but learned to play right-handed. Recently, he has started to use a device called the Hot Hand that sits on his right hand like a ring, which causes extreme vibrato
when shaken, giving him greater capacity to emulate certain video game sounds. Li has stated John Petrucci
's fast guitar playing heavily inspired his own style.
guitars
, his signature Ibanez
models based on his old Ibanez S Series, which was retired from stage at the end of the Inhuman Rampage tour. The EGEN18 has a 'Transparent Violet Flat' finish (transparent purple on a flamed-maple top), and the EGEN8 has a 'Platinum Blonde' finish (natural wood finish with a flamed-maple top). Both have a rosewood fingerboard and gold hardware. The E-Gen model has many unique features and improvements over a standard S, including its versatile tone selection with coil tap switching for both the bridge and neck pickups, Edge Zero bridge (the EGEN8 has Edge III), custom DiMarzio
HLM pickups (the EGEN8 has Ibanez pickups) and an extended scoop on the lower horn of the body, as well as a 'Kung-Fu grip' on the upper horn shaped by Li's hand. It is currently Ibanez's flagship model for S body style guitars.
On 9 May 2010, Li announced via Facebook
that he had received a custom-made Ibanez 7-string guitar. As of yet no details are known about this guitar, other than it has seven strings, and it is unknown whether it will be mass-produced for his E-Gen signature line.
Before the E-Gen, he had been known to play Ibanez S Prestige guitars. An Ibanez S470SOL (Japanese build 1995), a seven string Ibanez
540S7 (Japanese build 1991) (used in Revolution Deathsquad, Storming the Burning Fields, before the second verse and in the outro of Heartbreak Armageddon and the bridge
section of Operation Ground and Pound), and an Ibanez S540FMTTS (Japanese build 1995). He has also been seen playing an Ibanez S2170FB and an Ibanez S2170FW. He also owns an Ibanez Jem7BSB
, which has been used on every DragonForce
album for recording rhythm guitar
parts, an Ibanez J Custom RG, an Ibanez RG2228 (8-string model), and a PRS
Modern Eagle, which he received as a gift from Paul Reed Smith
and can be seen in the studio.
Pedals:
British Chinese
British Chinese , including British-born Chinese are people of Chinese ancestry who were born in, or have migrated to, the United Kingdom. They are part of the Chinese diaspora, or overseas Chinese...
musician, best known as a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist for the power metal
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
band DragonForce
DragonForce
DragonForce are an English power metal band from London. Formed in 1999, the group is known for its long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-based lyrics, and electronic sounds in their music to add to their retro video game-influenced sound. Guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman are the only two...
.
Playing style
Li draws influences from rock, all sub-genres of metal as well as video game music and often mimics sounds from popular retro games from the late 80s, early-90s arcade, and PC games. For example, Li has been known for making several Pac-ManPac-Man
is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
-type noises in the song "Through the Fire and Flames
Through the Fire and Flames
"Through the Fire and Flames" is a song by English power metal band DragonForce. The song is acclaimed as the most successful song by the band. The song is a single as well as the opening track from DragonForce's third album, Inhuman Rampage, and features rapid twin guitar solos by Herman Li and...
" on Inhuman Rampage
Inhuman Rampage
-Personnel:DragonForce*ZP Theart – lead vocals, backing vocals*Herman Li – lead guitar, backing vocals, mixing, engineering, artwork*Sam Totman – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, mixing*Vadim Pruzhanov – keyboards, piano, backing vocals, mixing...
. His playing style consists of fast descending and ascending legato
Legato
In musical notation the Italian word legato indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly and connected. That is, in transitioning from note to note, there should be no intervening silence...
and staccato
Staccato
Staccato is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation it signifies a note of shortened duration and separated from the note that may follow by silence...
licks, exotic scalar runs, making extensive use of the harmonic minor and Phrygian dominant scale
Phrygian dominant scale
In music, the altered Phrygian scale or Freygish scale , featuring an unusual key signature and a distinctive augmented second interval, is the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale, the fifth being the dominant...
, extreme use of his whammy bar, quick full ascending and descending sweep picking arpeggios, alternate picking
Alternate picking
Alternate picking is a guitar playing technique that employs strictly alternating downward and upward picking strokes in a continuous run, and is the most common method of plectrum playing...
and tapping (especially two-handed) on the higher frets as well as incorporating many other shred guitar
Shred guitar
Shred guitar or shredding is lead electric guitar playing that relies heavily on fast guitar solos. While some critics argue that shred guitar is associated with "... sweep-picked arpeggios, diminished and harmonic minor scales, finger-tapping and ... whammy-bar abuse", several guitar...
style techniques. Li is left-handed but learned to play right-handed. Recently, he has started to use a device called the Hot Hand that sits on his right hand like a ring, which causes extreme vibrato
Vibrato
Vibrato is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms of two factors: the amount of pitch variation and the speed with which the pitch is varied .-Vibrato and...
when shaken, giving him greater capacity to emulate certain video game sounds. Li has stated John Petrucci
John Petrucci
John Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist and songwriter best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Along with his former bandmate Mike Portnoy, he has produced all Dream Theater albums since their 1999 release, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory...
's fast guitar playing heavily inspired his own style.
Guitars
Li uses Ibanez E-genIbanez E-Gen
- Origins :The Ibanez E-Gen was introduced in 2008 as Herman Li’s signature model. It is derived from the Ibanez S prestige models. - Features :...
guitars
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, his signature Ibanez
Ibanez
is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as well as the first brand of guitars to mass produce...
models based on his old Ibanez S Series, which was retired from stage at the end of the Inhuman Rampage tour. The EGEN18 has a 'Transparent Violet Flat' finish (transparent purple on a flamed-maple top), and the EGEN8 has a 'Platinum Blonde' finish (natural wood finish with a flamed-maple top). Both have a rosewood fingerboard and gold hardware. The E-Gen model has many unique features and improvements over a standard S, including its versatile tone selection with coil tap switching for both the bridge and neck pickups, Edge Zero bridge (the EGEN8 has Edge III), custom DiMarzio
DiMarzio
DiMarzio, Inc. is an United States manufacturer best known for its revolutionary direct-replacement guitar pickups. The company also produces miscellaneous guitar accessories, such as cables, straps and hardware.DiMarzio became known for its Super Distortion model, which was the first after...
HLM pickups (the EGEN8 has Ibanez pickups) and an extended scoop on the lower horn of the body, as well as a 'Kung-Fu grip' on the upper horn shaped by Li's hand. It is currently Ibanez's flagship model for S body style guitars.
On 9 May 2010, Li announced via Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
that he had received a custom-made Ibanez 7-string guitar. As of yet no details are known about this guitar, other than it has seven strings, and it is unknown whether it will be mass-produced for his E-Gen signature line.
Before the E-Gen, he had been known to play Ibanez S Prestige guitars. An Ibanez S470SOL (Japanese build 1995), a seven string Ibanez
Ibanez
is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as well as the first brand of guitars to mass produce...
540S7 (Japanese build 1991) (used in Revolution Deathsquad, Storming the Burning Fields, before the second verse and in the outro of Heartbreak Armageddon and the bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
section of Operation Ground and Pound), and an Ibanez S540FMTTS (Japanese build 1995). He has also been seen playing an Ibanez S2170FB and an Ibanez S2170FW. He also owns an Ibanez Jem7BSB
Ibanez JEM
Ibanez JEM is an electric guitar manufactured by Ibanez and first produced in 1987. The guitar's most notable user is its co-designer, Steve Vai. As of 2010, there have been five sub-models of the JEM: the JEM7, JEM77, JEM777, JEM555 and the JEM333...
, which has been used on every DragonForce
DragonForce
DragonForce are an English power metal band from London. Formed in 1999, the group is known for its long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-based lyrics, and electronic sounds in their music to add to their retro video game-influenced sound. Guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman are the only two...
album for recording rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
parts, an Ibanez J Custom RG, an Ibanez RG2228 (8-string model), and a PRS
PRS Guitars
PRS Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer headquartered in Stevensville, Maryland. PRS Guitars was founded by guitarist and luthier Paul Reed Smith in 1985. The company is one of the leading manufacturers of high-end electric guitars.-Materials:...
Modern Eagle, which he received as a gift from Paul Reed Smith
Paul Reed Smith
Paul Reed Smith , is a luthier and the founder and owner of PRS Guitars.Smith is originally from Bowie, Maryland. He made his first guitar while at St. Mary's College of Maryland, and continued to build guitars after he finished college, making them one at a time, one a month...
and can be seen in the studio.
Amplifiers and effects
Li keeps his effects and amplifiers in a rack, as stated on his official website:- Furman Power Conditioner 220V
- KorgKorgis a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners...
DTR-2000 Guitar Tuner - Rocktron All Access LTD Edition (installed on slide-out tray at the back, controlled by guitar tech)
- Source Audio – Hot Hand MIDI-EXP Controller
- Source Audio – Hot Hand Wah Filter (with Wireless Adapter (worn like a ring). Daisy chained to MIDI-EXP)
- Samson Synth 5 UHF Dual Wireless System
- Rocktron Patch Mate Loop 8 (for patching pedals parallel into the Prophesy II loop)
- Rocktron Prophesy II (x2)
- Dunlop Cry BabyDunlop Cry BabyThe Dunlop Cry Baby is a popular wah-wah pedal, manufactured by Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc. It is the best selling guitar pedal of all time. The name Cry Baby was from the original pedal from which it was copied, the Thomas Organ/Vox Cry Baby wah-wah. Thomas Organ/Vox failed to register the name as...
DCR-2SR - Rocktron Hush Pro
- Digitech GSP1101 (used only for extra effects. Attached to Hot Hand MIDI-EXP)
- Mesa BoogieMesa BoogieMesa/Boogie is a company in Petaluma, California that makes amplifiers for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969....
Stereo 2:Fifty Power Amp (x2) - PeaveyPeavey ElectronicsPeavey Electronics Corporation is one of the largest audio equipment manufacturers in the world, headquartered in Meridian, Mississippi in the United States.- History :...
JSX Speaker Cabinets (go direct to Front of House)
Pedals:
- Source Audio Hot Hand Wireless Adapter
- Digitech WhammyDigitech Whammy-Overview:The WH-1 Whammy pedal, the original whammy, first engineered and manufactured in 1989 by IVL Technologies and discontinued in 1993, remains the most sought-after.-Controls:...
2 (connected to the Rocktron Patch Mate for true bypass) - Dunlop Cry BabyDunlop Cry BabyThe Dunlop Cry Baby is a popular wah-wah pedal, manufactured by Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc. It is the best selling guitar pedal of all time. The name Cry Baby was from the original pedal from which it was copied, the Thomas Organ/Vox Cry Baby wah-wah. Thomas Organ/Vox failed to register the name as...
Controller - Rocktron All Access
- Rocktron MIDI Mate (controlled by guitar tech)
Notable awards and achievements
Li has won and featured in the following awards:- Metal Hammer Golden Gods 2009 – Best Shredder Award
- Grammy Awards 2008 – Best Metal Performance “DragonForce” Nomination
- Guitar World Reader’s Poll 2007 – Best New Talent (winning by 70%)
- Guitar World Reader’s Poll 2007 – Best Metal
- Guitar World Reader’s Poll 2007 – Best Riff
- Total Guitar Reader’s Poll 2007 – Best Solo “Through the Fire and Flames”
- Terrorizer Reader’s Poll 2006 – Best Band “DragonForce”
- Terrorizer Reader’s Poll 2006 – Best Musician “Herman Li”
- Terrorizer Reader’s Poll 2006 – Best Live Act “DragonForce”
- Metal Hammer Golden Gods 2005 – Best Shredder Award
- Guitar World Magazine – 50 fastest guitarists