@@ScotchEggD2 I'd meme the fuck out of that by asking everybody I see in Guitar Center "You know Herman Lee actually owns these guitars? He just lets Guitar Center sell them"
Polyphia is the first band that got me interested in this genre of music, they’re highly technical and literally everyone in the group is extremely talented. They’re very hard to match.
Listen to Between The Buried And Me and The Human Abstract. Both super technical music but so fun to listen to. Listening to them got me here. Might as well work backwards and maybe find something you like!
@@internetexplorer9898 that looks awful and gross to my hear. Yes its technical but it isn't the only genre that is. There is technical death, great classic guitar piece etc
The thing about Polyphis for me is that I always think "damm this song sounds good, is catchy" before I think about how technical amd difficult it is to perform
It's also a testament to their growth as musicians. 10 years ago they were all technical and it was a little overwhelming. But even though they were technically amazing they kept pushing themselves musically and found a way to make it all come together!
Exactly. I was all about cramming as much into my licks as possible without thinking about phrasing. After a while I realized, what you dont play is just as important as what you do and somehow they do both.
theres no feel what so ever tho , everything is so overly produced and mixed its not even live raw music anymore , might as well be from a drum machine if they gonna make it sound like that
For me, the thing that hits best about Polyphia is how cohesive everything is from the seamless blending of genres to their aesthetic and the direction of their music videos. It's all incredibly clean and crisp even before you get to how technically talented every member of the band is.
@@The_Cat_Authority Funny you're commenting this on Dragonforce content, both bands had periods of sloppy performances due to alcohol but have addressed it and are much better now.
The guitar reaction channel we all needed but never thought could truly happen. It's just great to watch a seasoned veteran pay his respect to the new guys paving the way.. Cheers
“The future of guitar is here” This is a phenomenal take on Polyphia. I like how you mentioned how the shred era with Steve Vi kind of died out and Polyphia is keeping guitar instrumental alive in a new way. Ironically, Polyiphia just made a song called Ego Death with Steve Vi. The connection of modern guitar instrumental evolving here is huge. I also loved how you mentioned that the environment of easily accessible music along with Hip Hop and pop being very prominent right now has a big influence on Polyphia’s music, as well as their earlier prog metal, rock, and so on. Phenomenal take on this, thank you.
Yeah, well he did mention Vai died out. But what he meant was that style wasn't popular past like Eric Johnson's A via musicon. Grunge came in, at least in the states. But regarding Vai. He's better now than he was. He always improves. Candle power is proof. Extremely technical. Also Eddie isn't obsolete either I mean the stuff he did. Like drop dead legs. Unbelievable. My point is some things never get old.
Honestly, I think I like Polyphia so much because for so long the music was the same formula. Now it seems the formula has changed and its hitting serotonin receptors in my brain again.
Polyphia's style is nothing new, its just a very obscure style and a lot of guitarists who play like this aren't doing it in a band. It's really refreshing to see it in this kind of a setting. Like a pure shot of dopamine to my brain 😂
That seemless transition from a Paco De Lucia style vibe into a Brazilian Bossa Nova groove combined with the haunting yet catchy whistling melody phrase...it's an earworm like no other.
I sincerely hope this track leads to a mainstream resurgence and acknowledgement of Paco's greatness. His technical ability, along with other classical greats like John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, and Adrian Legg, deserve more acclaim outside of the niche world of guitarists. They were also master songwriters in addition to their masterful playing
The master has spoken, and finally someone who reacted to Polyphia spoke about the "creation", "creating something". Bravo Mr. Li, 100% agree here. Polyphia's members are all virtuoso in their respective instruments, but it's their songwriting / composing that really caught my attention.
Yeah I think it is an important distinction. Most people playing covers admittedly quite well could not begin to dream of writing songs of a similar quality or even style and creativity. People like Ichika Nito or the people in Polyphia are rare when it comes to writing songs.
Yeap Tim is an artist, a creator. He has "seen' his music while day dreaming about it. Then he puts it all together. Then he plays it - beautifully. Again, and again and again ...
@Marty Mustaine Tim is 1000% percent a virtuoso. He's easily in the conversation of best guitarist in the world right now when it comes to skill and composition.
Polyphia has been one of my favorite bands. Getting ups from Dragonforce, doing collabs with Steve Vai. Finally everyone else is seeing them on the same level that i do. They're living proof that rock will never die, it will only evolve.
I am 57 years old and have never heard such great music have no desire to go back to the great gutar players of the previous decades other than Gary Richrath. Polyphia is so tight and love the hybrid picking amongst numerous other techniques they do. And Clay the drummer well you know the old saying your band is only as good or bad as the drummer. Really refreshing to see this new style emerge.
The most amazing thing about Polyphia is the complex arrangement. Basically all 4 of them are soloists and they all play technically well together. Like Herman said, covering this song would be a feat, but MAKING it is next level. When ppl say shit like too many cooks in the kitchen, a band like this could easily fall into that category, but these guys play so amazingly together.
as a multiple instrument musician i find it super impressive but it does not groove to me at all. i think alot of it is im an old school type and this style is so far away from what i enjoy that i dont like sitting and listening to a song and saying where in the flying fuck is one at? lol still they are insane musicians no doubt. id like to see them breathe and do something a little more basic with groove and feel being the most important over technical prowess basically
this video is great, but Tim did a live play through the entire song both parts. He's insane. Been playing since the early 80's thanks to Randy Rhoads and over all these years it's amazing to experience the evolution of guitar. I remember reading an interview w/ Satch many moons ago he said the guitar will never be mastered, cause there will always be something new to learn, it's always evolving. I thought I don't know about that, but it's true.
It's definitely always evolving. There's even new techniques being discovered. It works much like how the best of the best in sports became foundation for a new path of improvement. Watch how the Olympics were 50 years ago to now. If you factor in just new technology in guitars and effects, that can expand what we can do with it.
@@darkstar8196 i hate when people compare music to sports. If i wanted to compete I wouldnt have played music. I refuse to take part in a “battle” of the bands because bands should work together. Music is not a contest
Tim is an amazing composer and player BUT my issue with putting him in the upper echelon of guitar greats is his inability to improv. Abassi has a similar problem. Go watch Tim Henson jamming with Vai, Paul Gilbert, and Satch. His technical ability vanishes. No intonation, no rhythm, no creativity. He is absolutely one of the most creative guitar composers but I don't think he's up there with the guitar greatest players.
@@Ottophil what are you even talking about? I used sports because that's the peak of human performance. What was the peak in music 50 years ago has a new peak of performance today. I never said anything about a competition.
An absolute jaw-dropping track. The variety of complex yet subtle techinques, dynamics and arrangement is phenomenal. I just don't even know how to classify this music as they've seemlessly interwoven multiple styles into a single composition. Mind = blown.
I have been obsessed with Polyphia for the past 5 years. Their sounds are so transportive. They inspire me to move, to exercise, to think, to push myself. I'm so glad to see them achieving so much success, and to get such commendations from someone of Herman's calibre.
I saw an event Tim and Scott did in Singapore I believe where they did stories in between songs and took Q and A and they talked about learning to "tastefully" flex their chops in the music. I think that is what they're accomplishing here. It's showcasing their brilliant talents but in a way that is structured and musically makes sense, opposed to just carving out space in songs specifically for showing off.
Yeah I think the point of this is that it is not just talent on display: there is a lot of that out there. This is talent in guitar skills mixed with talent in musicality and writing a song that flows and makes use of all the talent. That alone is a difficult thing. To imagine them being able to do all of that makes them leagues above many other artists out there.
Tim has a vid called flex vs melody and it does a great job highlighting this. Not only can they play this technically insane music, but it's not their peak solo performances. They could do more but reign it in for the sake of the finished piece. In one of the "world's largest shred collab" videos where I was first introduced to Tim, he was the only person who made me immediately stop the video to look him up. His part in the music wasn't just flexing how fast he could shred, it was musically brilliant in a way that none of the other guitarists showed. He could shred some really interesting lines and flex hard, but instead he wrote and performed something so unique and perfect as a break from the confused chaos of mindless shredding. There were some other incredibly players who did more than just play fast and accurate but incredibly musically, but nobody contributed as much to that video as Tim.
7:40 Exactly my thought. When I first started playing guitar on my own, I wish I had spotify, google and youtube instead of a simple chord grid and the few tunes I recorded on tapes from the radio. With all the knowledge available on the internet, the next generations will be killer. Polyphia is only the first wave, we're not prepared !
Love the way that Herman speaks about this and new music -a genuine appreciation and support of a new generation of talent. There's humility in the way he speaks, alongside his excitement about what future sounds will be like.
I've been playing guitar since I was 18 and I'm 50 now. I love what Tim is doing and look forward to where polyphia is going. There's so many layers in their music and they go in direction that I don't expect. it's so fresh and different. I can hear the influences sprinkled all over the song, but it all grooves smoothly as a cohesive journey.
I think that they introduced a very good sound with a lot of technical skill. But more importantly they put hybrid picking front and center and showed why it's important to learn it, because when you get to the edge of regular play it's required.
Tim made reaction videos to people covering GOAT and when he saw people playing GOAT on acoustic he seriously said “I need lessons from this guy” and look at Tim now. Playing God on nylon strings inspired by the talent of his fans and he took it to a whole new level and the rest of the band as well were just like “sure we can do this.” Scott, the Clays and TIm said “no problem, and just for kicks let’s also include a genre switch to bossanova in the middle of the song!”. Yeah that’s Polyphia going absolutely mental on the creativity and still essentially acknowledging their fans. Goddamn impressive is what this song is. Can’t wait for the new album to drop.
Sorry but Polphia is just not my thing. Why pretend to be in a band if your music sounds like it was made entirely on a computer? Sure, they are probably great musicians and they might even be great to see live but this sounds like it could have been made by a dj in the edm scene
@@johndude2726 unique sound design and innovative edm is just about as hard to make as anything else. Time to appreciate all genres and those who infuse them
Playing God is so sophisticated, it sounds phenomenal. It is like a organized mess of musical notes and timing! This a visual stunning video too. Perfection!!
I'm so impressed with their creativity. They make me think of a quote I heard once: "To properly break the rules, you first must know them well." They obviously have so much knowledge on theory, but they bend the rules of music to their will and it's such a trip to listen to. Great band. Ps can we get some love for their beast of a drummer?
"NO - drummer is not important!". Just kidding. And what I love about Polyphia is that in every video all three guitarists play their guitars FACING the drummer and actually they do pay an homage to him :)
I wuz thinking along those same lines with respect to the drummer.................. I'm hearing this amazing guitar work, then mind-blown by the drummer. Crazy good stuff here!!
Actually Tim once mentioned that he doesn’t have any proper academic education on music, he doesn’t even know the names of the chords he’s playing, not even a key, and he actually composes and plays by tabs. But I think he just “understands” it, just like pals with perfect pitch are able to distinguish notes apart like colors.
@@barsikaz I was going to say, one thing my guitar teacher always taught me is that your ear is the best tool for writing. Theory can help, but yeah apparently Tim doesnt know much theory, which just shows how well he understands the instruments, same with Scotty. Bless them both. They ran so we can slowly walk behind them and learn new techniques and styles! cheers fellas.
It's one of those tunes where people who appreciate high level musicianship can dig it, and they can hear the intricacies of the playing, the arrangement, and the production, but even people whose ears are not tuned into that can listen to it and think "this is fucking dope".
Paolo Gans not only covered "Playing God" but his cover inspired Tim to cover his cover of his own song and it also won Paolo Gans the contest they were holding.
I've only just discovered this band...and as an old school professional muso I am overjoyed to see such outstanding talent and musicianship coming from a group of people who are way too young to have the insane amount of skill they display and it's not just one incredible musician but 4! Truly inspiring
To me, Polyphia is the future of Guitar World. Many people disagree with that, but once our heroes like Petrucci, Satriani, Vai and so on will be gone, it's up to guys like Tim Henson, Tosin Abasi and many more to bring guitar music to another level. The cool thing about that is, good music will never die!
yeah you're right, we can't shred like it's the 80s forever, we have to push ourselves, guitar players, through new things, technology gives us tools, why not using it ?
I play guitar, but the bass in polyphia is superb. It's like that one person in the group who doesn't talk a lot but when they do, it really means something.
You can always appreciate technique, wether you like it or not. What is really great is when you appreciate the technical side but let yourself be taken on a journey in the creativity of the piece! I love their sound and Herman’s great feedback on their music. Top shelf!
The overall sound and vibe of the song is just phenomenal. Grabs ur attention from the start and just takes u on a roller coaster ride with the all the high and lows. Polyphia has been quite enjoyable to watch grow and genre bend album to album and still surprise u with every new song they release. Looking forward to seeing Tim and Herman do another jam session together on Twitch
The thing about Polyphia which always stands out for me is the fact that it’s incredibly technical but they are also not afraid to be quite cheesy and catchy.
I love the main riff, ik he jokes about it but tim genuinely does write incredibly catchy hooks. The breakdown at 4:40 is my favourite part. Also for polyphia covers, danny yau is incredible
Herman is the nicest guy. I ran into him before a Dragonforce show in Oregon at the pizza place and had the honor of buying him a slice. That was one of the coolest things, so dope. Polyphia is incredible! Much love.
Creating fresh, new unique guitar instrumental music with a visual aesthetic that grandparents and grandkids share on social media is just a winning formula. That’s what Polyphia is accomplishing. Amazing!
Can we also just do a shout out to the most amazingly jammy drummer on the planet? The guitars and composition is incredible, but the drums give it sooo much life!
The way he's able to blend hip hop, pop, and rock percussion into something completely unique is really underappreciated. They're all geniuses in their own right, it's a shame people just assume they're a "guitar band" because everyone jumps all over Scott and Tim's parts.
It was 2007 when I first hear DragonForce crazy twin guitars. Flash forward 15 years, I am equally amazed at the evolution of style in mainstream guitar.
First time listening to you and Polyphia and I’m gob-smacked! Not just the techniques- you are all more than ear candy, tasty and rich in multiple melody lines, counterpointed and unique in rhythms colliding in a divine composition that hits my soul and transports me upward. I hear the greats of classical fusing with modern music in an elevated way. Subscribed to you and Polyphia!
The amazing skill that clearly went into making this kind of music is why polyphia is becoming my favorite band, and the fact that you could play it in a car with subs and it would sound amazing is a huge bonus bonus.
Polyphia have done this incredible thing where they have not only merged technical/virtuosic music with pop culture, they’ve done it as an INSTRUMENTAL band. I can’t think of any band who have pulled it off, let alone with such a bang.
Dude! This is just catchy AF! Awesome talents I look forward to hearing much more for these guys! PS Herman introduced me to these guys a couple of days ago
Well about 3 or 4 years ago, I heard G.O.A.T and I thought to myself ... "There's no way Tim can top that." Here I stand corrected. Playing God might be the best composition I've ever heard, but I do have a bias to Spanish style guitar licks.
He uses tools like that for composing. There's a couple vids where he explains how he composed GOAT and OD. He grabs things he likes and twist it around as he sees fit. He is a huge producer of his own stuff.
"Very cool" is exactly how I felt listening to it. But I still don't feel like I got the message behind the music. I still feel it is for technique geeks ,and not so much to convey an emotion or accessible meaning.
@@VexylObby it's instrumental. It's all about the feel. Similar to jazz. Flexing, taking current techniques and then melding them together to make something new while that sounds good.
The thing I love about this band is underneath all the ridiculousness is a very accessible core. There’s a familiarity for the average person with the chord progressions, and there’s all the technical aspects that us music nerds salivate over.
You are amazing as brilliant musician then you go and show us a whole new dimension of being a more brilliant reviewer that teaches us brilliant music! Much love and keep em coming
One of my favorite things about this video is how obviously into the music Tim is. Typically he’s pretty poker face and no really reaction in his videos. But this one he has a slight smile/grin and you can tell he’s super in to this song. Like he’s really proud of what they’ve created.
The great thing about this song, is not even jus the song itself. It is the reaction from people, those who are musically inclined/trained to casual listeners usually have a reaction or opinion. Some music is crafted in such a careful way that it does more than provide background noise for life, and to achieve that without lyrics right now is no small task.
The combination of the styles of mainly classical music, pop music, hip hop music, electronic music, and metal music is why I loved it so much. It's crazy amazing! It's like listening to numerous genres in one song!
Polyphia bridged the gap between the new the old and the future! The new wave of masters inspiring the next wave of masters. So happy to hear them not only crush it but totally evolve and level up to something that no one ever thought of before.
Every time I listen to Polyphia my head is blown. I agree with Herman, these new kids are taking to another level...from how things have changed since I started playing 30yrs ago, I'm loving this new stuff and the levels they're reaching.
If my comment with a link gets deleted heres the name of what ur looking for: "Playing God (Polyphia) but on one guitar only", this broski won their cover contest and by ur comment it seems u havent seen it yet
Thanks slot Herman lol. How the F am I supposed to concentrate on the song and your reaction with all of those sweet guitars behind you. Every single one is beautiful. Cool reaction man.
The first time I heard their music I said to myself, "Oh! The new generation of music has arrived!" ...and that's the way it is, it took years to come up with new and exciting music at the same time, but these guys did it.
Yeah, YT has done wonders for incredible musicians to make names for themselves. Imagine 30 years ago, how many instrumentalists would be counted among the top 10 artists of the day, much less solo acts that are known primarily from "bedroom playing"? Charles Berthoud is an insanely gifted bassist, but I find it hard to believe he or even Polyphia would've had this big an impact on the industry even just 20 years ago. We're in a golden age of musicianship and people just brush it off like, "kids these days with their beep boops and their computer synthesizers..."
My favorite things about this song are the blending of such seemingly different genres into something absolutely beautiful and harmonious. Jazz, Metal, Bossa Nova, Spanish Guitar, Hip-Hop/Trap, all combined into one amazing piece of music. The arpeggios are fantastic and so different sounding, but still so good. It's still musical
I stopped playing guitar for a few years because of depression. The first time I heard Polyphia it immediately ignited my creative side and got me back into playing music. I’m not sure how many people realize just how talented they all are.
Nice overview H. Love that you're mentioning the new direction. This does help the guitar industry in the end. Young people will pick up the instrument!
It's quite surprising how many Anime Influenced Metal Bands actually exist. Ariabl'eyeS is a great example. You won't expect Metal when you Anime Gothic Lolitas.
just imagine coming in to the rehersal space and saying "hey guys, Ive been thinking. how about a trap beat and then we do nylon stringed guitars over that. seems good right?" and not having the rest of the band call some mental health aid hot-line.
even though instrumentals like this have been around for so long, Polyphia comes and has a freshness, unique vibe that is very pleasing to listen to. This makes musicians really excited to see a focus on instruments that breaks into the top's of YT. amazing.
It's sort of understandable for this song as the focus is less on the bass than with other songs. Goat has a full on bass solo, so Clay G's more likely to be commented on there.
I always tend to point out the skill of their drummer to provide backing and consistency in his timing/playing. He's awesome, and helps hold together the rest of the instruments.
In this band, Clay G has the same problem Brad Delson does in Linkin Park (hear me out). He's more often than not complimentary to the band. Is he capable of playing things that are technically more complex? Sure. Is that what the SONG needs? No. I think Clay's contributions are important, and I think having the restraint to be able to say "I don't need to have my own moment to shine in this song" is important.
The bass lines are actually my favorite part of Polyphia. The way the bass mixes with the drums is so good. I love GOAT, Nasty and Look but Dont Touch.
I'm a fifty seven year old guitarist here in Seattle who grew up only being able to learn from having my mother's nylon string guitar, vinyl record albums, a record player, and my ear. KISS Alive, all Led Zeppelin, Queen, the Who, Blue Oyster Cult, Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Rush, etc. I absolutely admire these bands like Chon, Polyphia, and all of the others in the genre. But i love it all. I especially appreciate Henry Li and how he participates like he does here. Peace from Seattle everyone.
Herman provides the only reaction that actually explains the technical aspects of the song with any respectable fidelity. Most of the fools that have "reacted" to this song have no idea what they're talking about and are just looking to leech views. Love you, Herman!!!
That's what I herd when they started they had one but the person couldn't keep up after awhile and dropped out. The old vocalist seems chill he came on one of the TH-cam comments. I wouldn't be surprised if he was the whistler.
Its nice for guitar center letting herman stream in their shop 😊
Haha that's hilarious...
😅😅
Its the other way round. Herman lets guitar centre sell his guitars from his many warehouses.
@@ScotchEggD2 I'd meme the fuck out of that by asking everybody I see in Guitar Center "You know Herman Lee actually owns these guitars? He just lets Guitar Center sell them"
How much is that furnished apartment?
Polyphia is the first band that got me interested in this genre of music, they’re highly technical and literally everyone in the group is extremely talented. They’re very hard to match.
yes
Listen to Between The Buried And Me and The Human Abstract. Both super technical music but so fun to listen to. Listening to them got me here. Might as well work backwards and maybe find something you like!
What is this genre of music ?
@@sh0bohoso280 All I know is that they do Math Rock which is highly technical. Not sure if that's a genre tho.
@@internetexplorer9898 that looks awful and gross to my hear.
Yes its technical but it isn't the only genre that is.
There is technical death, great classic guitar piece etc
The thing about Polyphis for me is that I always think "damm this song sounds good, is catchy" before I think about how technical amd difficult it is to perform
They do a great job of appealing both those who "Listen" and those who "Analyze."
Tim Henson writes a lot of his songs based off of hip hop song beats.
I think its polyphia
It's also a testament to their growth as musicians. 10 years ago they were all technical and it was a little overwhelming. But even though they were technically amazing they kept pushing themselves musically and found a way to make it all come together!
Exactly. I was all about cramming as much into my licks as possible without thinking about phrasing. After a while I realized, what you dont play is just as important as what you do and somehow they do both.
There is just so much "proud dad" energy in this reaction, you can just feel the joy and excitement in Herman's voice
Is he Tim's Dad?
@@peeckle1657 Yes.
😂
Herman bought Tim his first fendi sweater.
@@lakejizzio7777 don't see that coming!!!
I rarely ever see people talk about how good their drummer is but like god damn that dude can play. He keeps everything together so perfectly
their first drummer Brandon Burkhalter was amazing too, not sure what happened there. maybe creative differences
id like to seen the take from the studio though to be honest thats where you can peel the layers back
It's so crisp it sounds like a drum machine lol
honest seen them live last month and the entire set was the most insane thing ive ever seen live
theres no feel what so ever tho , everything is so overly produced and mixed its not even live raw music anymore , might as well be from a drum machine if they gonna make it sound like that
I just love how this song simultaneously goes hard af but is also chill. Great work Polyphia.
We’re all fkn headbanging to nylon strings!GOAT!!!!
I was thinking the same. It reminds me of the feel of soothsayer by buckethead.
Tim gets me hard while inspiring me to chill.
Wait...
...
Oh come on, don't act like you weren't thinking the exact damn same with that 30$ haircut.
Polyphia just bangs
Is chill if you feel it, it goes hard if you analyze it
For me, the thing that hits best about Polyphia is how cohesive everything is from the seamless blending of genres to their aesthetic and the direction of their music videos. It's all incredibly clean and crisp even before you get to how technically talented every member of the band is.
Should check out one of their drunk messes of a live concert LOL real cohesive sounds!!
@@The_Cat_Authority Funny you're commenting this on Dragonforce content, both bands had periods of sloppy performances due to alcohol but have addressed it and are much better now.
@@The_Cat_Authority Your name truly suits, just a hater.
@@The_Cat_Authority agree lol
I'm not a fan of their style but boy they are a talented bunch and there's no denying that.
The guitar reaction channel we all needed but never thought could truly happen. It's just great to watch a seasoned veteran pay his respect to the new guys paving the way.. Cheers
“The future of guitar is here”
This is a phenomenal take on Polyphia. I like how you mentioned how the shred era with Steve Vi kind of died out and Polyphia is keeping guitar instrumental alive in a new way. Ironically, Polyiphia just made a song called Ego Death with Steve Vi. The connection of modern guitar instrumental evolving here is huge. I also loved how you mentioned that the environment of easily accessible music along with Hip Hop and pop being very prominent right now has a big influence on Polyphia’s music, as well as their earlier prog metal, rock, and so on. Phenomenal take on this, thank you.
Ummm, Vai, And The Rest Are NOT DIED OUT, AND NEVER WILL BE, ARE YOU FOR REAL? WHAT KIND OF GUITAR LOVER ARE YOU?
Yeah, well he did mention Vai died out. But what he meant was that style wasn't popular past like Eric Johnson's A via musicon. Grunge came in, at least in the states. But regarding Vai. He's better now than he was. He always improves. Candle power is proof. Extremely technical. Also Eddie isn't obsolete either I mean the stuff he did. Like drop dead legs. Unbelievable. My point is some things never get old.
Honestly, I think I like Polyphia so much because for so long the music was the same formula. Now it seems the formula has changed and its hitting serotonin receptors in my brain again.
Polyphia's style is nothing new, its just a very obscure style and a lot of guitarists who play like this aren't doing it in a band.
It's really refreshing to see it in this kind of a setting. Like a pure shot of dopamine to my brain 😂
I think soon we will get flamenco mixed song this year cuz Tim gave spoilers he was learning flamenco from Marcin 😁
That seemless transition from a Paco De Lucia style vibe into a Brazilian Bossa Nova groove combined with the haunting yet catchy whistling melody phrase...it's an earworm like no other.
tf 😂
The way you described it lmao
Yup!
I sincerely hope this track leads to a mainstream resurgence and acknowledgement of Paco's greatness. His technical ability, along with other classical greats like John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, and Adrian Legg, deserve more acclaim outside of the niche world of guitarists. They were also master songwriters in addition to their masterful playing
Absolutely! It's a beautiful blend, and I was surprised to hear it gaining a more mainstream following.
Yes, the part remembers me the guitar playing of Paco de Lucia
The master has spoken, and finally someone who reacted to Polyphia spoke about the "creation", "creating something". Bravo Mr. Li, 100% agree here. Polyphia's members are all virtuoso in their respective instruments, but it's their songwriting / composing that really caught my attention.
Yeah I think it is an important distinction. Most people playing covers admittedly quite well could not begin to dream of writing songs of a similar quality or even style and creativity. People like Ichika Nito or the people in Polyphia are rare when it comes to writing songs.
Yeap Tim is an artist, a creator. He has "seen' his music while day dreaming about it. Then he puts it all together. Then he plays it - beautifully. Again, and again and again ...
@Marty Mustaine Tim absolutely is. If you disagree, then please point me towards who you would consider virtuosic.
@@jakel7213 forrreeeeaaaaallllll. Some of these commenters. I saw some dude say Tim sucks. GTFO of here.
@Marty Mustaine Tim is 1000% percent a virtuoso. He's easily in the conversation of best guitarist in the world right now when it comes to skill and composition.
It seem like there is a lot of really skilled muting going on, too. Absolutely love this track.
Polyphia has been one of my favorite bands. Getting ups from Dragonforce, doing collabs with Steve Vai. Finally everyone else is seeing them on the same level that i do. They're living proof that rock will never die, it will only evolve.
Actually there's someone who covered that and win a Henson's signature guitar. He's name is Paolo Gans from Philippines. Pinoy Rocks!
That cover is mind-breakingly good. Pinoy absolutely rocks!
I saw him too!!!
I am 57 years old and have never heard such great music have no desire to go back to the great gutar players of the previous decades other than Gary Richrath. Polyphia is so tight and love the hybrid picking amongst numerous other techniques they do. And Clay the drummer well you know the old saying your band is only as good or bad as the drummer. Really refreshing to see this new style emerge.
My man
The most amazing thing about Polyphia is the complex arrangement. Basically all 4 of them are soloists and they all play technically well together. Like Herman said, covering this song would be a feat, but MAKING it is next level. When ppl say shit like too many cooks in the kitchen, a band like this could easily fall into that category, but these guys play so amazingly together.
as a multiple instrument musician i find it super impressive but it does not groove to me at all. i think alot of it is im an old school type and this style is so far away from what i enjoy that i dont like sitting and listening to a song and saying where in the flying fuck is one at? lol still they are insane musicians no doubt. id like to see them breathe and do something a little more basic with groove and feel being the most important over technical prowess basically
thing is tho, i think despite the technicality, the song has a real groove to it.@@deadshot4245
Two other bands I can think of where multiple members (sometimes all) "solo" at the same time: Rush and Dream Theater.
this video is great, but Tim did a live play through the entire song both parts. He's insane. Been playing since the early 80's thanks to Randy Rhoads and over all these years it's amazing to experience the evolution of guitar. I remember reading an interview w/ Satch many moons ago he said the guitar will never be mastered, cause there will always be something new to learn, it's always evolving. I thought I don't know about that, but it's true.
It's definitely always evolving. There's even new techniques being discovered. It works much like how the best of the best in sports became foundation for a new path of improvement. Watch how the Olympics were 50 years ago to now. If you factor in just new technology in guitars and effects, that can expand what we can do with it.
@@darkstar8196 i hate when people compare music to sports. If i wanted to compete I wouldnt have played music. I refuse to take part in a “battle” of the bands because bands should work together. Music is not a contest
Tim is an amazing composer and player BUT my issue with putting him in the upper echelon of guitar greats is his inability to improv. Abassi has a similar problem. Go watch Tim Henson jamming with Vai, Paul Gilbert, and Satch. His technical ability vanishes. No intonation, no rhythm, no creativity. He is absolutely one of the most creative guitar composers but I don't think he's up there with the guitar greatest players.
@@Ottophil what are you even talking about? I used sports because that's the peak of human performance. What was the peak in music 50 years ago has a new peak of performance today. I never said anything about a competition.
@@darkstar8196 i just meant you compared it to sports. When music and sports aren’t at all the same. Totally different
An absolute jaw-dropping track. The variety of complex yet subtle techinques, dynamics and arrangement is phenomenal. I just don't even know how to classify this music as they've seemlessly interwoven multiple styles into a single composition. Mind = blown.
I have been obsessed with Polyphia for the past 5 years. Their sounds are so transportive. They inspire me to move, to exercise, to think, to push myself. I'm so glad to see them achieving so much success, and to get such commendations from someone of Herman's calibre.
I saw an event Tim and Scott did in Singapore I believe where they did stories in between songs and took Q and A and they talked about learning to "tastefully" flex their chops in the music. I think that is what they're accomplishing here. It's showcasing their brilliant talents but in a way that is structured and musically makes sense, opposed to just carving out space in songs specifically for showing off.
Yeah I think the point of this is that it is not just talent on display: there is a lot of that out there. This is talent in guitar skills mixed with talent in musicality and writing a song that flows and makes use of all the talent. That alone is a difficult thing. To imagine them being able to do all of that makes them leagues above many other artists out there.
Tim has a vid called flex vs melody and it does a great job highlighting this. Not only can they play this technically insane music, but it's not their peak solo performances. They could do more but reign it in for the sake of the finished piece. In one of the "world's largest shred collab" videos where I was first introduced to Tim, he was the only person who made me immediately stop the video to look him up. His part in the music wasn't just flexing how fast he could shred, it was musically brilliant in a way that none of the other guitarists showed. He could shred some really interesting lines and flex hard, but instead he wrote and performed something so unique and perfect as a break from the confused chaos of mindless shredding. There were some other incredibly players who did more than just play fast and accurate but incredibly musically, but nobody contributed as much to that video as Tim.
7:40 Exactly my thought.
When I first started playing guitar on my own, I wish I had spotify, google and youtube instead of a simple chord grid and the few tunes I recorded on tapes from the radio.
With all the knowledge available on the internet, the next generations will be killer. Polyphia is only the first wave, we're not prepared !
Love the way that Herman speaks about this and new music -a genuine appreciation and support of a new generation of talent. There's humility in the way he speaks, alongside his excitement about what future sounds will be like.
I've been playing guitar since I was 18 and I'm 50 now. I love what Tim is doing and look forward to where polyphia is going. There's so many layers in their music and they go in direction that I don't expect. it's so fresh and different. I can hear the influences sprinkled all over the song, but it all grooves smoothly as a cohesive journey.
I think that they introduced a very good sound with a lot of technical skill. But more importantly they put hybrid picking front and center and showed why it's important to learn it, because when you get to the edge of regular play it's required.
It's pure magic! The way it shifts into Samba (Bossa Nova), complete with the whistling, great!
I don't hear any magic in it. It's like the music genre "math core"
Tim made reaction videos to people covering GOAT and when he saw people playing GOAT on acoustic he seriously said “I need lessons from this guy” and look at Tim now. Playing God on nylon strings inspired by the talent of his fans and he took it to a whole new level and the rest of the band as well were just like “sure we can do this.” Scott, the Clays and TIm said “no problem, and just for kicks let’s also include a genre switch to bossanova in the middle of the song!”. Yeah that’s Polyphia going absolutely mental on the creativity and still essentially acknowledging their fans. Goddamn impressive is what this song is. Can’t wait for the new album to drop.
They're so good to their fanbase it's almost unfair to other musicians lol
Sorry but Polphia is just not my thing. Why pretend to be in a band if your music sounds like it was made entirely on a computer? Sure, they are probably great musicians and they might even be great to see live but this sounds like it could have been made by a dj in the edm scene
@@johndude2726 this song particularly doesn’t sound like their normal other previous albums. You would probably enjoy those more.
@@johndude2726 unique sound design and innovative edm is just about as hard to make as anything else. Time to appreciate all genres and those who infuse them
@@mentalman28 edm might be hard to make but how hard is it to perform? You only have to press a play button lol. So talented
Playing God is so sophisticated, it sounds phenomenal. It is like a organized mess of musical notes and timing! This a visual stunning video too. Perfection!!
This band is great. They move up and down the fret board like nothing I've seen. Very creative. Can't wait to see what they come up with next.
just the sound, how clean every note is, how perfectly in time, and coordinated with eachother, it's very pleasing.
I'm so impressed with their creativity.
They make me think of a quote I heard once: "To properly break the rules, you first must know them well."
They obviously have so much knowledge on theory, but they bend the rules of music to their will and it's such a trip to listen to. Great band.
Ps can we get some love for their beast of a drummer?
"NO - drummer is not important!". Just kidding. And what I love about Polyphia is that in every video all three guitarists play their guitars FACING the drummer and actually they do pay an homage to him :)
I wuz thinking along those same lines with respect to the drummer.................. I'm hearing this amazing guitar work, then mind-blown by the drummer. Crazy good stuff here!!
yep the two Clays are very underrated. Polyphia drum and bass is very awesome
Actually Tim once mentioned that he doesn’t have any proper academic education on music, he doesn’t even know the names of the chords he’s playing, not even a key, and he actually composes and plays by tabs. But I think he just “understands” it, just like pals with perfect pitch are able to distinguish notes apart like colors.
@@barsikaz I was going to say,
one thing my guitar teacher always taught me is that your ear is the best tool for writing. Theory can help, but yeah apparently Tim doesnt know much theory, which just shows how well he understands the instruments, same with Scotty. Bless them both. They ran so we can slowly walk behind them and learn new techniques and styles! cheers fellas.
The groove of this song right from the beginning is so Catchy and using their songs I really have improved my guitar
It's one of those tunes where people who appreciate high level musicianship can dig it, and they can hear the intricacies of the playing, the arrangement, and the production, but even people whose ears are not tuned into that can listen to it and think "this is fucking dope".
That's what I find amazing about them. That's really good music when snobs and casuals can listen and enjoy it the same.
Paolo Gans not only covered "Playing God" but his cover inspired Tim to cover his cover of his own song and it also won Paolo Gans the contest they were holding.
I've only just discovered this band...and as an old school professional muso I am overjoyed to see such outstanding talent and musicianship coming from a group of people who are way too young to have the insane amount of skill they display and it's not just one incredible musician but 4!
Truly inspiring
It’s the next level Flamenco with harmonics, a hip hop beat and different musical styles they mix so fluently that makes this track work.
It is more Bossa Nova than Flemenco, but yeah, great building on the base.
@@gregtripuremusic4898 true, and the beat is more Trap
u mean bossa nova?
Totally what I was thinking. It’s Flamenco and Bossa Nova with some elevator music tied together with a metal drummer.
To me, Polyphia is the future of Guitar World. Many people disagree with that, but once our heroes like Petrucci, Satriani, Vai and so on will be gone, it's up to guys like Tim Henson, Tosin Abasi and many more to bring guitar music to another level. The cool thing about that is, good music will never die!
True man
"The Future is Now! Old Man"
yeah you're right, we can't shred like it's the 80s forever, we have to push ourselves, guitar players, through new things, technology gives us tools, why not using it ?
Plini is up there for me as well! A good wave of creative players right now, it's pretty cool!
Bumblefoot (planetary lockdown is epic)😁❤️❤️
I play guitar, but the bass in polyphia is superb. It's like that one person in the group who doesn't talk a lot but when they do, it really means something.
You can always appreciate technique, wether you like it or not. What is really great is when you appreciate the technical side but let yourself be taken on a journey in the creativity of the piece! I love their sound and Herman’s great feedback on their music. Top shelf!
The overall sound and vibe of the song is just phenomenal. Grabs ur attention from the start and just takes u on a roller coaster ride with the all the high and lows. Polyphia has been quite enjoyable to watch grow and genre bend album to album and still surprise u with every new song they release. Looking forward to seeing Tim and Herman do another jam session together on Twitch
The thing about Polyphia which always stands out for me is the fact that it’s incredibly technical but they are also not afraid to be quite cheesy and catchy.
like the ABC with Sophie🖖🏽🍀
The true test of a great song for me is whether the melody sticks in my head for awhile after. This song may have taken up permanent residency.
🔄
I've woken up to this playing in my head... It's not going anywhere XD
I love the main riff, ik he jokes about it but tim genuinely does write incredibly catchy hooks. The breakdown at 4:40 is my favourite part.
Also for polyphia covers, danny yau is incredible
yeah Danny put out a cover in like 2 days
@@sp6rda yeah hes always ridiculously fast
Herman is the nicest guy. I ran into him before a Dragonforce show in Oregon at the pizza place and had the honor of buying him a slice. That was one of the coolest things, so dope. Polyphia is incredible! Much love.
There’s a guy who covered Playing god but in one guitar (drums and everything) which steel strings acoustic-electric. He’s actually insane
The tone and Spanish vibe of the opening solo is my favorite part. The musicality of the drums slaps hard too.
Creating fresh, new unique guitar instrumental music with a visual aesthetic that grandparents and grandkids share on social media is just a winning formula. That’s what Polyphia is accomplishing. Amazing!
Sadly ...
There are no sweep picking granma in that videos.
Li shared this, so you’re calling him Grandpa Li now ?
Can we also just do a shout out to the most amazingly jammy drummer on the planet? The guitars and composition is incredible, but the drums give it sooo much life!
The way he's able to blend hip hop, pop, and rock percussion into something completely unique is really underappreciated. They're all geniuses in their own right, it's a shame people just assume they're a "guitar band" because everyone jumps all over Scott and Tim's parts.
It was 2007 when I first hear DragonForce crazy twin guitars. Flash forward 15 years, I am equally amazed at the evolution of style in mainstream guitar.
First time listening to you and Polyphia and I’m gob-smacked! Not just the techniques- you are all more than ear candy, tasty and rich in multiple melody lines, counterpointed and unique in rhythms colliding in a divine composition that hits my soul and transports me upward. I hear the greats of classical fusing with modern music in an elevated way. Subscribed to you and Polyphia!
The amazing skill that clearly went into making this kind of music is why polyphia is becoming my favorite band, and the fact that you could play it in a car with subs and it would sound amazing is a huge bonus bonus.
Polyphia have done this incredible thing where they have not only merged technical/virtuosic music with pop culture, they’ve done it as an INSTRUMENTAL band. I can’t think of any band who have pulled it off, let alone with such a bang.
Dude! This is just catchy AF! Awesome talents I look forward to hearing much more for these guys! PS Herman introduced me to these guys a couple of days ago
This was a great video! Thank you!
Idk if this writing was intentioanal, but I hear hotel California in the intro 1:24 and throughout the song when he does this riff.
Well about 3 or 4 years ago, I heard G.O.A.T and I thought to myself ... "There's no way Tim can top that." Here I stand corrected. Playing God might be the best composition I've ever heard, but I do have a bias to Spanish style guitar licks.
6:57 Tim’s arpeggios sound like a synth arpeggiator… very cool he was able to phrase that like that:.. never heard guitar played that way before
He uses tools like that for composing. There's a couple vids where he explains how he composed GOAT and OD. He grabs things he likes and twist it around as he sees fit. He is a huge producer of his own stuff.
"Very cool" is exactly how I felt listening to it. But I still don't feel like I got the message behind the music. I still feel it is for technique geeks ,and not so much to convey an emotion or accessible meaning.
@@VexylObby it's instrumental. It's all about the feel. Similar to jazz.
Flexing, taking current techniques and then melding them together to make something new while that sounds good.
The thing I love about this band is underneath all the ridiculousness is a very accessible core. There’s a familiarity for the average person with the chord progressions, and there’s all the technical aspects that us music nerds salivate over.
I love it!! It’s super creative and I really appreciate the skill involved!!
You are amazing as brilliant musician then you go and show us a whole new dimension of being a more brilliant reviewer that teaches us brilliant music! Much love and keep em coming
One of my favorite things about this video is how obviously into the music Tim is. Typically he’s pretty poker face and no really reaction in his videos. But this one he has a slight smile/grin and you can tell he’s super in to this song. Like he’s really proud of what they’ve created.
The great thing about this song, is not even jus the song itself. It is the reaction from people, those who are musically inclined/trained to casual listeners usually have a reaction or opinion. Some music is crafted in such a careful way that it does more than provide background noise for life, and to achieve that without lyrics right now is no small task.
The combination of the styles of mainly classical music, pop music, hip hop music, electronic music, and metal music is why I loved it so much. It's crazy amazing! It's like listening to numerous genres in one song!
Very Spanish, lots of Flamingo in there.
Go off Clay!!! Dude is crazy on the drums!
I always appreciate when established musicians are blown away and respect up-and-coming musicians.
Polyphia bridged the gap between the new the old and the future! The new wave of masters inspiring the next wave of masters. So happy to hear them not only crush it but totally evolve and level up to something that no one ever thought of before.
Every time I listen to it I try to hear "everything" at once. I can't so I keep returning to it, it's a damn good song musically and technically.
Hard to believe that young players have put that much time into their craft to master their instrument already. Mind blowing skill.
I love how Tim Henson evolves more and more to look like an anime character
Every time I listen to Polyphia my head is blown. I agree with Herman, these new kids are taking to another level...from how things have changed since I started playing 30yrs ago, I'm loving this new stuff and the levels they're reaching.
Its great to see
guitar still evolving. Polyphia will be up there among the greats, and this song is truly beautiful
would be really sick to see this done on classical acoustic guitars. I think i would implode and form a black hole.
If my comment with a link gets deleted heres the name of what ur looking for: "Playing God (Polyphia) but on one guitar only", this broski won their cover contest and by ur comment it seems u havent seen it yet
@@insertname8811 I was gonna say the same thing
there is a finger style cover, just search "playing god fingerstyle cover"
Look up Paulo Gans cover. He was the one who won the contest.
pretty sure Tim already has an acoustic version on his channel
Thanks slot Herman lol. How the F am I supposed to concentrate on the song and your reaction with all of those sweet guitars behind you. Every single one is beautiful. Cool reaction man.
The first time I heard their music I said to myself, "Oh! The new generation of music has arrived!" ...and that's the way it is, it took years to come up with new and exciting music at the same time, but these guys did it.
Very well composed and expanded with different sounds into it, I like how it feels like a bit of jazz.
Tim’s unplugged video was mindblowing. Not only did he nail the entire song perfectly, but he did it in one take 😳
This really reminds me of Al DiMeola. Just wonderful, technical playing.
That’s the first thing I thought of after the first bar..
Exactly, I think they were inspired by Al
Best cover so far might be Charles Berthoud on a 6 string bass... it's stupid how capable he is.
Danny yau
Charles is stupid talented.
Yeah, YT has done wonders for incredible musicians to make names for themselves.
Imagine 30 years ago, how many instrumentalists would be counted among the top 10 artists of the day, much less solo acts that are known primarily from "bedroom playing"? Charles Berthoud is an insanely gifted bassist, but I find it hard to believe he or even Polyphia would've had this big an impact on the industry even just 20 years ago. We're in a golden age of musicianship and people just brush it off like, "kids these days with their beep boops and their computer synthesizers..."
That reaction at 5:11 is priceless.
My favorite things about this song are the blending of such seemingly different genres into something absolutely beautiful and harmonious. Jazz, Metal, Bossa Nova, Spanish Guitar, Hip-Hop/Trap, all combined into one amazing piece of music.
The arpeggios are fantastic and so different sounding, but still so good. It's still musical
Love the Staccato runs in this piece...
I stopped playing guitar for a few years because of depression. The first time I heard Polyphia it immediately ignited my creative side and got me back into playing music. I’m not sure how many people realize just how talented they all are.
That opening riff is so awesome.
I listen to them and classical music when I’m doing school work. Both are relaxing and help me focus.
Nice overview H. Love that you're mentioning the new direction.
This does help the guitar industry in the end. Young people will pick up the instrument!
Tim is the next level modern guitarist with metal anime style
It's quite surprising how many Anime Influenced Metal Bands actually exist. Ariabl'eyeS is a great example. You won't expect Metal when you Anime Gothic Lolitas.
Tim Henson never ceases to amaze.
just imagine coming in to the rehersal space and saying "hey guys, Ive been thinking. how about a trap beat and then we do nylon stringed guitars over that. seems good right?" and not having the rest of the band call some mental health aid hot-line.
even though instrumentals like this have been around for so long, Polyphia comes and has a freshness, unique vibe that is very pleasing to listen to. This makes musicians really excited to see a focus on instruments that breaks into the top's of YT. amazing.
Got my tickets to see tim amd scottie here in denver next month. Cant wait to see this live!
I mean, Imagine Putting Out a Song called playing god.and Just making it the biggest Musical flex you can Imagine.
That is so dope
I do love Polyphia but , nobody talk about Clay Gober who's a insanely good bassist and that make me sad
Everyone is superb there
It's sort of understandable for this song as the focus is less on the bass than with other songs. Goat has a full on bass solo, so Clay G's more likely to be commented on there.
I always tend to point out the skill of their drummer to provide backing and consistency in his timing/playing. He's awesome, and helps hold together the rest of the instruments.
In this band, Clay G has the same problem Brad Delson does in Linkin Park (hear me out). He's more often than not complimentary to the band. Is he capable of playing things that are technically more complex? Sure. Is that what the SONG needs? No. I think Clay's contributions are important, and I think having the restraint to be able to say "I don't need to have my own moment to shine in this song" is important.
The bass lines are actually my favorite part of Polyphia. The way the bass mixes with the drums is so good. I love GOAT, Nasty and Look but Dont Touch.
Charles Berthoud covered it already.. guitar riff on a bass, sounds awesome. You should check it out.
I'm a fifty seven year old guitarist here in Seattle who grew up only being able to learn from having my mother's nylon string guitar, vinyl record albums, a record player, and my ear. KISS Alive, all Led Zeppelin, Queen, the Who, Blue Oyster Cult, Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Rush, etc. I absolutely admire these bands like Chon, Polyphia, and all of the others in the genre. But i love it all. I especially appreciate Henry Li and how he participates like he does here. Peace from Seattle everyone.
Is one of the hardest songs I've learned! i will upload the video soon guys ;)
Herman provides the only reaction that actually explains the technical aspects of the song with any respectable fidelity. Most of the fools that have "reacted" to this song have no idea what they're talking about and are just looking to leech views.
Love you, Herman!!!
Polyphia is proof that real music wont die with this generation.
Highly advanced, complex yet accessible, next-level musicianship. Polyphia makes sense as an instrumental band because no vocalist could keep up.
That's what I herd when they started they had one but the person couldn't keep up after awhile and dropped out. The old vocalist seems chill he came on one of the TH-cam comments. I wouldn't be surprised if he was the whistler.
They just dropped ABC (with a vocalist), and it's a banger 🤘
You nailed it with your description “ What is this guy up to? Out of their minds!”
Each song is a funkalicious, jammin', mind blowing journey that no one ever asks "Are we there yet?" No matter where they take us... I love the trip!