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“He can connect with people in a certain way, that if I do a fast guitar solo, I cannot do” Herman Li on what Machine Gun Kelly brings to the table as a guitarist
“So many players out there, they’re not doing stuff that Tim Henson or Steve Vai or Tosin Abasi are doing, you know? But man, they catch the audience.”
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Producer, songwriter, and DragonForce shredder Herman Li has shared his thoughts on what pop punk star Machine Gun Kelly brings to the table as a guitarist.
Speaking to Ultimate Guitar about his own guitar journey and how diverse the guitar landscape has become, Li says: “I think sometimes guitar players get a bit obsessive about notes. They get so into it. And I was like that at one point in my life, when I was learning to play the guitar.”
“I would not listen to any music that hasn’t got guitar solos, because we’re just big nerds and we want to do this, and there’s nothing out there except this. You concentrate on a one track mind.”
“And as you play more guitar, you learn about more things. It’s just beyond the notes,” Li adds. “Some people get so into it, they went in a jazz direction and go full on that way. And that’s cool, I have a lot of friends that ended up going to Music Institute, guitar tech schools, and they go all jazzy and fusion.”
“But I think the way I look at it is now, you look at the guitar, the ‘multiple dimensional’ kind of thing. There is you playing the notes, and there is the projection out there. You’ve got to look at it from a third-person point of view, and how you’re playing. And so many players out there, look, they’re not doing stuff that Tim Henson or Steve Vai or Tosin Abasi are doing, you know? But man, they catch the audience.”
Citing Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora-era concerts as an example, Li says: “Those notes, those solos, everyone was singing in the stadium. They’re singing the solos, man. Richie Sambora is actually one of the guitar players that got me into wanting to play solos, because they’re so melodic, and it’s got so much great feeling on it.”
“And then at the same time, these other players like Kurt Cobain, they project the song, what they’re doing really inspires people and a whole generation of players. So, it’s not just about those single notes and ‘Is it sitting on that key? Or is that that?’ It is really beyond that. So, you learn, and I learned more about that.”
Li also praises rapper-turned-rocker Machine Gun Kelly, who’s received no small amount of flak from the guitar community for his newly released razorblade Schecter signature model, among other things.
“So, even players like… look, Machine Gun Kelly got so much shit, but I’ll tell you, he can connect with people in a certain way, that if I do a fast guitar solo, I cannot do,” Li says.