dont get me wrong, I like Tim Henson, I adore Manuel Gardner, love Plini or Nick Johnston... But Tosin is just something else. The compositions, the mindset towards guitar, the skillset, the image - hands down best of our generation
Y'all remember when "Wave of Babies" was the wildest guitar song ever created? That was twelve years ago. This man has given us SO MUCH. A whole generation of great new players, too.
I never touched any deluxe editions or re-releases from AaL before this, so the first time I heard Wave of Babies was in concert in 2017, and I freaked the fuck out. Turned to my wife like "WTF is this?!", found the song, and then put it on loop for the next two months. Quintessential Djent song IMO
For a long time I thought Wave of Babies was just some bonus track and never listened to it. What a mistake that was. I do believe it's the perfect intro song to AAL. The crazy fun heaviness, the stunning jazzy and melodic bits, the perfectly crafted momentum, all while being technical and still probably their most fun song. Just brilliant and never gets old.
Watching Tosin play makes me realize that the potential of my guitar vs. how I actually play it would be like owning a Bugatti, but only ever driving it as though I'm going through a school zone. Meanwhile Tosin is on the raceway red-lining that bitch.
Hes definitely amazing. I would go so far as to say he's an innovator, like Hendrix, van Halen and Abasi. Hes just taking guitar to another level. It's amazing.
Exactly. There were times when the other judges made absolutely no sense but Tosin was always honest and spot on. Alice Cooper had some bad takes in that completion in my opinion lol
@@ivankyselov2030 jr is very skilled and technical, and any great musician who stand out do look at guitar differently. But fast technical metal isn't new.
I heard a quote from him somewhere where he was talking about how much he looked up to Javier Reyes as a guitarist and asked him to join his band. Now if a guy like Tosin looks up to you, learned your style and technique, and asked you to join his band, you couldn't say no. Animals As Leaders is the leading musicianalistic, technical band out there.
It's crazy some of this was 14 years ago.. shits crazy. Stuff like on impulse, wave of babies, etc blew my mind and entirely changed how I looked at guitar. Dudes been at the forefront of guitar for over a decade now
While I prefer the music created by all of our other favorite prog-god guitarists, Tosin has to be the most technically proficient guitar player ever. Genuinely, ever.
I had the exact same reaction the time I was 14, and watched Alan Holdsworth from about 15 ft away.. I think I recognized like 3 chords that night.. (middle 80s in Davis Ca.) Absolutely changed my perception of the instrument
Tosin makes me glad I don't play guitar. I get all the joy of my mind being blown without all the existential dread that comes with knowing I've dedicated years to the same craft and can play at 0.000056% of his level.
Tosin is a hyper talented guitarist, but I’ve seen interviews with him where he openly admits that he got a lot of the finger picking\slap style stuff from times he’d hung out with Victor Wooten
From what I watched, he got this style from a friend in the previous band Reflux, who was taught by Reggie Wooten. So it's more indirect teaching yeah.
People knew he got his thumb technique from Wooten when the AAL self-titled first dropped; I remember talking about it with friends irl, and it hardly killed the hype. Probably every AAL fan I knew then was a Wooten fan, too. Your average rock and metal guitarist who's advancing technique and pushing the genre forward to the extent Tosin Abasi did isn't making stuff up out of whole cloth, rather they're just creative enough to borrow from musicians outside of their genre. It's really a matter of whether you've heard music remotely like what they've made before, not whether they actually came up with every discrete technique they use by themselves.
This just shows how much time he has dedicated on his instrument. With tosin I learned that everything is possible and the sky is the limit. You just have ro grind to be on that level. Everything is possible as long as you put your mind in to it. Thanks tosin for making art and the musician I am today🙌
So funny you post this today. That "tosin abasi plays a custom 8 string" video was the first time I ever saw him and I was watching it yesterday. Gives me tons of nostalgia.
I had a coworker like 12 years ago tell me about him and I’ve been following him since then. What a fucking creative machine this guy is. The talent is obviously ridic but it’s his imaginative mind which makes him unique. Favorite guitar player ever, hands down.
His youtube channel used to be something like "the next guitar god" or legend, or something like that. I remember coming across him pretty early in the animals as leaders genesis and saw the first video on the channel, immediately was like.. yep, he's right
When an insane talent lives within someone with what must be an insane dedication to hard work, you get this absolute genius. I mean yes he probably puts more hours into practicing guitar every month than I do in an entire year, but at the same time you cannot deny that his hands are fuggin huge and his fingers are perfect for playing guitar, and that only a very select few people in the world have an alien thumb like he does
Can you imagine if The Omnific (two expert level bass players) combined forces with Animals as leaders (one god level and another expert level guitar players)? 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯 The rumor is our mortal minds wouldn't be able to comprehend that level of music.
6:45 from what I gather it’s downstroke thumb, upstroke thumb, then pluck with index middle finger and finally 3rd finger (I don’t know what it’s called lol
I've watched this man play (not in person, unfortunately) and tried to dissect his picking technique, and I genuinely have no idea what is going on with like half of these. It's like he places his hand on the guitar and just wills the strings to move, and they just do. It's incredible.
As a drummer (oh my god Chris Turner is a freakin robot!!!!) and a noob guitarist, my go to for expertise was Jeff loomis...but i just got my mind blown 😳
It was such a treat seeing him live in April. You had me laughing with this video with your mind being blown. Takes me back when I first discovered the Abasi God. Literally nothing compares to him and Reyes (well, and of course Garstka) together.
Many moons ago, my pops took me to a show at a spot called MoJos in Joliet and Evan Brewer opened for him. Had to of been one of his first tours. Was on a school night at the time lol and my father invited him after the show for some food at the diner down the road ❤
Bro I remember going to a Reflux gig in San Diego about 20 years ago and Tosin was next to me in the crowd shredding scales on his guitar like a wizard before his set 🧙♂️he’s a madman
Yesss!!! More Tosin play throughs reactions, he did two from the new album that’s ridiculous, “Monomyth” & “Gordian Naught” you think your brain hurts from the Thump promotion video, wait till you react to those two play throughs 😈🤣🎸🤘
Dude, I feel you about the ability thing. I mean, I've been playing guitar for a long time, and I feel the same way like, damn. I'm not capable of such feats, but I'll still keep playing though I've had moments similar to this where I felt like quitting. Like " I'm just not that good and should hang it up" but it passes.
This guy is a talent vampire. Every single guitarist that has died since his birth... He's drained them off their talent and made it his own. That's my explanation and I'm sticking with it.
Stumbling across this after being recently put back in my place by Tosin made me feel better. If you want to feel better, watch the video of Tosin with Petrucci and Townsend in Rick Beato's studio. It made me go "okay, these gods are still better than I will ever be and they're still in awe of whatever TF Tosin is doing"
I got to meet Tosin during a Fishman (pickups) clinic at Ted Brown music in Tacoma Washington in 2016. He is a really chill, down-to-earth guy and of course his playing is absolutely mind-blowing. Ken susi (Unearth) was also there for the clinic. Cool guys.
Archetype abasi is what I use most days, and it fucks.. Try it! Even if you don't have an interface, get one second hand and do the trial. It's worth it.
I love how Tosin's fingerstyle technique is more reminiscent of what I would describe as "hybrid thumping" as the playstyle is similar to hybrid picking but with an emphasis on thumping (also without a pick). I'm just really happy that Tosin has been doing what he's been doing for so long now that he's inspired a bunch of other guitarists to continue to push the limits of the instrument in new and interesting ways.
The only guys I would possible rate above Tosin and Tim and Ichika would be Marcin and Alexandr. Those guys who incorporate percussion onto the guitar.
I would put Andy McKee, Antoine Dufour and Jon Gomm above Marcin and Alexandr if you begin to include percussion, but in the world of electric guitars percussion isn’t as needed because you have a dedicated drummer
@@Cestariarts or without speeding stuff up. He finally played live not long ago & he absolutely was not nearly as good as people think. Like, he was playing sh*t i can play.
My favorite Tosin video is him jazz vibing it up with my waifu Hailley Niswanger. He's plays a lick and she plays it back on saxophone and its just like 30 seconds of pure bliss as the sounds intertwine.
Dude,thanks for making this. Took me back💭☺️🤝🤘🏿
God is here!!
Tosin you really are frigging amazing man. You have been my favorite guitarist for years.
Just subscribed to you Tosin 🤘
You're amazing brother, keep up the great work ♥️
3:50 ish what guitar is that?
I feel like Tosin Abasi is just an ancient god of music who was reincarnated just to mess with the minds of mere mortals.
He's just Orpheus come to earth in protest of pop.
This comment
This is true.
Agreed. Like Steve Vai. Just like "go forth, and make everyone else (like me! lol) sound slow and sloppy".
Right?!
dont get me wrong, I like Tim Henson, I adore Manuel Gardner, love Plini or Nick Johnston... But Tosin is just something else. The compositions, the mindset towards guitar, the skillset, the image - hands down best of our generation
I can't add anything more to what you said other than i completely agree 💯 🙂
I third this. one of the most influential guitarists ever imo
All self taught, too
@@SDsimplelifeIn fact, he went to college study music. But you're probably right that they don't teach in school many things he does 😜
In a technical standpoint, Tosin is a beast among those but in my personal preference, I prefer Tim Henson and Plini more than Tosin.
“He literally uses all 8 strings, it’s illegal” - lmao
All 8 tentacles some may say
His riffs are so sick we need to give them free health care.
But his playing is so clean its like the healthcare for the riffs
one of the most epic comments ever
I bet you can't sing any of the riffs in this video
Y'all remember when "Wave of Babies" was the wildest guitar song ever created?
That was twelve years ago. This man has given us SO MUCH. A whole generation of great new players, too.
Then he created micro Aggressions.....
@@frodowatt4272 that main riff is seriously the most savage shit I've heard
I still do the stank face every time I hear that song. So freaking good.
I never touched any deluxe editions or re-releases from AaL before this, so the first time I heard Wave of Babies was in concert in 2017, and I freaked the fuck out. Turned to my wife like "WTF is this?!", found the song, and then put it on loop for the next two months. Quintessential Djent song IMO
For a long time I thought Wave of Babies was just some bonus track and never listened to it. What a mistake that was. I do believe it's the perfect intro song to AAL. The crazy fun heaviness, the stunning jazzy and melodic bits, the perfectly crafted momentum, all while being technical and still probably their most fun song. Just brilliant and never gets old.
Watching Tosin play makes me realize that the potential of my guitar vs. how I actually play it would be like owning a Bugatti, but only ever driving it as though I'm going through a school zone. Meanwhile Tosin is on the raceway red-lining that bitch.
I heard him on a car podcast I listen to. No Bugatti, but I wanna say he has a white audi r8.
Nice analogy. Mine is like, in the garage but sometimes i get in and make Vrooom sounds
@@therealfolkblues2526 think he has a McLaren now
@@Gwyn1stborn hahahah yess that is so accurate
*More reasons to never pick up my guitar...*
Me to man... Me too.
Bro last week during the charity stream i was there, you play better than that!
I'm not that good and I figured out thoughts and prayers just have fun don't quit
@@clydewy The real charity is in the comments.
All the reasons I picked the bass back up. These guys need a bassist that can keep up, live.
He didn't go to Berklee, Berklee has a field trip to go near Tosin. Riding a bus down a street near his house is enough.
When you said “what’s the point my guitars look at me like they are disgusted” I felt that
Mine is downstairs and I don’t want to touch it because I would never be able to please it like that man
Last time I picked mine up I swear it said "just stop bro"... I usually don't put up with such disrespect but then I see videos like this smh
Hes definitely amazing. I would go so far as to say he's an innovator, like Hendrix, van Halen and Abasi. Hes just taking guitar to another level. It's amazing.
But he is Abasi or did you mean someone else or?
i am confusion
Abasi is definitely Abasi level I agree, maybe even a bit better
@@LoganDoesntHaveAidshello confusion
@@talla7615 I AM CONFUSION
I just watched him judge on a show called No Cover. His insight and advice was levels above the other judges.
Exactly. There were times when the other judges made absolutely no sense but Tosin was always honest and spot on. Alice Cooper had some bad takes in that completion in my opinion lol
Abasi and Gavin felt like the only two completely serious judges from two different perspectives.... Lizzy was viben
He is the reason that I started watching the show.
he seemed so out of place on that american idol copy show, none of the acts kept me interested just Tosin.
He, Ichika and Tim just look at the guitar differently than other people do. That’s what blows my mind so much.
JR: Am I joke to you?
What about JR?
@@ivankyselov2030 Rogan plays?
@@nezmustard Jason Richardson... He's shred god
@@ivankyselov2030 jr is very skilled and technical, and any great musician who stand out do look at guitar differently. But fast technical metal isn't new.
It's actually hard to even COMPREHEND whats going on with his playing. Very very very impressive, I'm blown away
I heard a quote from him somewhere where he was talking about how much he looked up to Javier Reyes as a guitarist and asked him to join his band. Now if a guy like Tosin looks up to you, learned your style and technique, and asked you to join his band, you couldn't say no. Animals As Leaders is the leading musicianalistic, technical band out there.
Tosin & Javier are beast crazy they're in the same band & Matt to bring it together with the drums
I came for the guitar playing, but I stayed to watch Niks soul melt in his tears.
It's crazy some of this was 14 years ago.. shits crazy. Stuff like on impulse, wave of babies, etc blew my mind and entirely changed how I looked at guitar. Dudes been at the forefront of guitar for over a decade now
While I prefer the music created by all of our other favorite prog-god guitarists, Tosin has to be the most technically proficient guitar player ever. Genuinely, ever.
I was legit open-mouthed at that last THUMP video. I love that musicians can still floor me.
I had the exact same reaction the time I was 14, and watched Alan Holdsworth from about 15 ft away.. I think I recognized like 3 chords that night.. (middle 80s in Davis Ca.) Absolutely changed my perception of the instrument
I'm surprised your coming across his gold mine of a channel only now
I think this guy came from another dimension. Like the 8th dimension, where beings can manipulate matter with just a thought.
Tosin makes me glad I don't play guitar. I get all the joy of my mind being blown without all the existential dread that comes with knowing I've dedicated years to the same craft and can play at 0.000056% of his level.
Tosin is a hyper talented guitarist, but I’ve seen interviews with him where he openly admits that he got a lot of the finger picking\slap style stuff from times he’d hung out with Victor Wooten
At least he openly credited Wooten. None of this minimises his excellence though, besides he does much more on the guitar than thumping
From what I watched, he got this style from a friend in the previous band Reflux, who was taught by Reggie Wooten. So it's more indirect teaching yeah.
@@mjKlaim Evan Brewer!
People knew he got his thumb technique from Wooten when the AAL self-titled first dropped; I remember talking about it with friends irl, and it hardly killed the hype. Probably every AAL fan I knew then was a Wooten fan, too. Your average rock and metal guitarist who's advancing technique and pushing the genre forward to the extent Tosin Abasi did isn't making stuff up out of whole cloth, rather they're just creative enough to borrow from musicians outside of their genre. It's really a matter of whether you've heard music remotely like what they've made before, not whether they actually came up with every discrete technique they use by themselves.
@@DillSkin Ah yes, thats the name he named in several interviews! I dont know if he is well known.
This just shows how much time he has dedicated on his instrument. With tosin I learned that everything is possible and the sky is the limit. You just have ro grind to be on that level. Everything is possible as long as you put your mind in to it. Thanks tosin for making art and the musician I am today🙌
Dude is too good. He's like one or two levels beyond next level. Really love his use of Allan Holdsworth-esque chord scales and the sounds it creates.
Tosin Abasi is one of my Top 3 Guitarists of all time to listen to. He needs no accompaniment or explanation. Everything he creates is pure beauty.
So funny you post this today. That "tosin abasi plays a custom 8 string" video was the first time I ever saw him and I was watching it yesterday. Gives me tons of nostalgia.
I had a coworker like 12 years ago tell me about him and I’ve been following him since then. What a fucking creative machine this guy is. The talent is obviously ridic but it’s his imaginative mind which makes him unique. Favorite guitar player ever, hands down.
Saw AAL live recently and I gotta say that the thumping bits sound amazing in a live setting with roaring speakers. They rock really hard.
His youtube channel used to be something like "the next guitar god" or legend, or something like that. I remember coming across him pretty early in the animals as leaders genesis and saw the first video on the channel, immediately was like.. yep, he's right
His fingers move like spider legs, like all independent of each other and super fluid. Tosin’s a God.
Missed opportunity of putting loading circle on Nick's forehead. 😂
I went to an Animals as Leaders show and Tosin was so cool letting the kids check out his guitar right before going on stage.
The first video was the first time he ever picked up a guitar. Legend has it he discovered the pick of destiny the month prior
"He is the quad delay." Well said Nik, that's who he is. And we're just mere mortals.
its like Tosin is preparing for losing his right hand
When an insane talent lives within someone with what must be an insane dedication to hard work, you get this absolute genius.
I mean yes he probably puts more hours into practicing guitar every month than I do in an entire year, but at the same time you cannot deny that his hands are fuggin huge and his fingers are perfect for playing guitar, and that only a very select few people in the world have an alien thumb like he does
4:17 Not Berklee, but Atlanta Institute of Music iirc
Can you imagine if The Omnific (two expert level bass players) combined forces with Animals as leaders (one god level and another expert level guitar players)? 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯 The rumor is our mortal minds wouldn't be able to comprehend that level of music.
6:45 from what I gather it’s downstroke thumb, upstroke thumb, then pluck with index middle finger and finally 3rd finger (I don’t know what it’s called lol
I've watched this man play (not in person, unfortunately) and tried to dissect his picking technique, and I genuinely have no idea what is going on with like half of these. It's like he places his hand on the guitar and just wills the strings to move, and they just do. It's incredible.
"It's so clean! It's like...it's disinfected!"
Gonna start using this
As a drummer (oh my god Chris Turner is a freakin robot!!!!) and a noob guitarist, my go to for expertise was Jeff loomis...but i just got my mind blown 😳
It was such a treat seeing him live in April. You had me laughing with this video with your mind being blown. Takes me back when I first discovered the Abasi God. Literally nothing compares to him and Reyes (well, and of course Garstka) together.
Dude this was freaking awesome and hilarious
He actually went to AIM Atlanta Institute Of Music now known as Atlanta Institute Of Music and Media.
Many moons ago, my pops took me to a show at a spot called MoJos in Joliet and Evan Brewer opened for him. Had to of been one of his first tours. Was on a school night at the time lol and my father invited him after the show for some food at the diner down the road ❤
"I'm straight up gonna play the Kazoo" 😂
Abbasi doesn't play like a human, he is something super human
Tosin: *plays shit nobody else on earth could even fathom
Also Tosin: “It’s pretty nice!”
Bro I remember going to a Reflux gig in San Diego about 20 years ago and Tosin was next to me in the crowd shredding scales on his guitar like a wizard before his set 🧙♂️he’s a madman
4:16 He went to the Atlanta Institute of Music. I think that's a shorter degree (maybe a semester or two? I don't quite remember) but dunno.
Yesss!!! More Tosin play throughs reactions, he did two from the new album that’s ridiculous, “Monomyth” & “Gordian Naught” you think your brain hurts from the Thump promotion video, wait till you react to those two play throughs 😈🤣🎸🤘
I love Tosin so much , he kind of reminds me of Jason Becker in terms of just his raw passion for guitar
Now You can start to make video about "how to like Tosin Abasi in 30 seconds"
The slow blink of disbelief it's just so funny to watch 😂😂😂
Every single thought I've ever had about his playing has been said right here
My everlasting reaction to this video and the clips within is perfectly captured at 7:00 - Tosin’s a treasure
Have you watched their drummer? He is so fucxing good
this has to be your most entertaining video yet
Nik's face at 5:57, is my face every time when I see Nik playing way better then me. 😂
Dude, I feel you about the ability thing. I mean, I've been playing guitar for a long time, and I feel the same way like, damn. I'm not capable of such feats, but I'll still keep playing though I've had moments similar to this where I felt like quitting. Like " I'm just not that good and should hang it up" but it passes.
Na man you are capable, just buy the thump
Dvd. Trust me on this, it changed the way I play and think when writing music.
React to Charles Berthoud I know it's bass but if you think this is insane that dudes thump skills are ridiculous.
I also had that exact same face of disbelieve on that last video. Tosin is just from another world.
Totally agree, he is impossibility good, amazing, been following him and Animals as Leaders for a few years now.
04:18 Nah bro I think Berkeley went to him lmaoooo
tosin went to atlanta's music school, he has a couple good interviews about it and how it developed him
The perfect reaction at 1:20 Nick. And truly the best answer saying 2 angles.
There was a Tosin Abasi masterclass that was circulating youtube, an hour long and super entertaining
we cant deny the fact that nic is one of the best video reactors :P
Do a video trying out the thump thingy on infinite regression. He has a vid explaining it
Bro this is the funniest video I’ve ever seen, because you vocalized my every thought every time I see Tosin play 😂
This guy is a talent vampire. Every single guitarist that has died since his birth... He's drained them off their talent and made it his own.
That's my explanation and I'm sticking with it.
He stole the pick of destiny
Fun fact: he played for Born of Osiris
For real?
@@DPRvIAN yep
Animals as leaders will never have a cover band 😂
8:00 me every time I hear/watch AAL play
Stumbling across this after being recently put back in my place by Tosin made me feel better. If you want to feel better, watch the video of Tosin with Petrucci and Townsend in Rick Beato's studio. It made me go "okay, these gods are still better than I will ever be and they're still in awe of whatever TF Tosin is doing"
I got to meet Tosin during a Fishman (pickups) clinic at Ted Brown music in Tacoma Washington in 2016. He is a really chill, down-to-earth guy and of course his playing is absolutely mind-blowing. Ken susi (Unearth) was also there for the clinic. Cool guys.
I watched thump and didn't even realise the hugh strings at the start were not a backing track. So sneaky with those picks.
It's the thumb. Ya gotta disjoint your thumb to a 90 degree angle to get that THUMPITY THUMP THUMP
Tosin Abasi is the only 8 String guitar player i respect.
That man's pinky is twice as large and powerful than all my fingers combined
The first song that sounds like he's playing to angels is Point to Point - one of my favorites by them
Tostin AbAssi, change my mind.
Archetype abasi is what I use most days, and it fucks.. Try it! Even if you don't have an interface, get one second hand and do the trial. It's worth it.
I love how Tosin's fingerstyle technique is more reminiscent of what I would describe as "hybrid thumping" as the playstyle is similar to hybrid picking but with an emphasis on thumping (also without a pick). I'm just really happy that Tosin has been doing what he's been doing for so long now that he's inspired a bunch of other guitarists to continue to push the limits of the instrument in new and interesting ways.
That last magic thumpy bit would be the best boss fight music.
Ah yes, my favourite type of show: Nik Nocturnal slowly dying inside 8 minutes straight
3:38 Same Nick. Same.
The only guys I would possible rate above Tosin and Tim and Ichika would be Marcin and Alexandr. Those guys who incorporate percussion onto the guitar.
I would put Andy McKee, Antoine Dufour and Jon Gomm above Marcin and Alexandr if you begin to include percussion, but in the world of electric guitars percussion isn’t as needed because you have a dedicated drummer
You guys might check out Daniel Padim, for me the most amazing fingerstyle guitarist. but not much about slapping or tapping
I don't know why people praise Ichika so much. He can't play anything over 15s
@@Cestariarts or without speeding stuff up. He finally played live not long ago & he absolutely was not nearly as good as people think. Like, he was playing sh*t i can play.
@@jojoversus1100 generation of bedroom guitar players
"I'm straight-up just going to like play the kazoo... "
Tosin is one of my favorite guitarists. The Animals as Leaders self-titled was one of the albums I had on repeat back when I was in design school.
Had discover his music through my band classes in Highschool , blew my mind since the first album been at huge fan since then
My favorite Tosin video is him jazz vibing it up with my waifu Hailley Niswanger. He's plays a lick and she plays it back on saxophone and its just like 30 seconds of pure bliss as the sounds intertwine.
The silence grows louder as the video progresses. It’s hilarious
Tim Henson and Tosin Abasi are totally on another level. Like other dimension or something.
Tim gave Tosin $1000 to upgrade his thump picking skil hehehe
Guy has mastered the guitar. I dont think anything on the instrument is outisde of his ability.
tosin played polyphia 14 years ago :o
Love when you go ”recent” and ur fkn jaw drops 🤣🤣