Dragonforce Guitarist To Embark On European Workshop Tour

Guitarist Herman Li of British extreme epic power metallers Dragonforce will embark on an Ibanez-sponsored guitar workshop tour of Europe. Apart from showcasing his unique playing style, Herman will answer questions from the audience and talk about everything from performance techniques, to the business side of the music industry.

"I really want to encourage people to come to these workshops not just to sit and watch, but to participate and ask questions to get as much as they can from this experience," said Herman. "I'm looking forward to connecting with the fans on a more personal level and being able to share some knowledge with them first hand."

Here are the confirmed dates so far, with more to be added:

03/09 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Feedback
03/10 - Saint-Nicolas, Belgium - Key Music
03/11 - Niederlenz, Switzerland - Musik Produktiv Schweiz AG
03/12 - Pfaeffikon, Switzerland - Seedamm Music Store
03/13 - Morges, Switzerland - Boullard Musique SA
03/14 - St. Gallen, Switzerland - Musik Shop
03/16 - Nancy, France - Music Academy International
03/17 - Toulon, France - Le Vox – Steel Music – La Garde
03/18 - Trento, Italy - La Pietra Music Planet
03/19 - Modena, Italy - Lenzotti Strumenti Musicali
03/20 - Barcelona, Spain - Rock and Classics S.L
03/22 - Seville, Spain - MAT Guitar & Bass
03/23 - Lisbon, Portugal - Music Factory
04/27 - Guildford, United Kingdom - ACM
04/28 - Birmingham, United Kingdom - PMT

For more information, visit www.hermanli.com.

Thanks for the report to Blabbermouth.net.

Comments

[Freohr7]

"British extreme epic power metallers." XD

[uk.mace]

Awaits "enhancement pedal" "jokes"...

[padgea7x]

Tis cool that Herman's doing a workshop tour, I'd go but

meh

[Lord_Doku]

hehe, extreme epic power metallers, so untrue...

Is he gonna teach us how to break strings with the whammy bar ? Is he gonna teach us how to talk like a duck with the whammy bar and some additional tremolo effects from pedals ?

[aaciseric]

He's coming really close to where I am actually, can't see myself going though to be honset, but I know quite a few people who probably will want to.

[ChucklesMginty]

Lord_Doku wrote:

hehe, extreme epic power metallers, so untrue...

Is he gonna teach us how to break strings with the whammy bar ? Is he gonna teach us how to talk like a duck with the whammy bar and some additional tremolo effects from pedals ?

Hope I can make it to one of these, Herman's a cool guy and great guitarist.

[Nirvanarien]

Apart from showcasing his unique playing style

He's a decent shredder but he certainly isn't unique, ofcourse it's pretty hard to shred and be unique but some bands pull it off, so imo he isn't bad as a guitarist (even though i loathe Dragonforce) but he isn't that good...

[RockUAway]

They aren't anything special but they have achieved much more than any you who have posted so far so hush.
I don't think anybody outside of your neighborhoods have heard of you people.

Too bad there aren't any US dates.

[theotherguy7145]

"Guitarist Herman Li of British extreme epic power metallers Dragonforce will embark on an Ibanez-sponsored guitar workshop tour of Europe. Apart from showcasing his unique playing style..."

Either whoever wrote this is being sarcastic, or they're biased towards Dragonforce.
Can't say i'm a fan myself. Heard one song heard them all.

[ILuvPillows?]

Didn't he do this last year? That was cool and i enjoyed watching it on youtube ect, but apart from the new sig lines and some new song material im not sure how it will differ.

[crazysam23_Atax]

Anyone thinking that he'll just play studio-enhanced clips while standing onstage drunk looking like he's playing?...

[Sonny_sam]

This would be great if his technique wasn't so abhorrant.

[Cacophonic]

As with so many others here so far, this section made me laugh.

Apart from showcasing his unique playing style, Herman will answer questions from the audience and talk about everything from performance techniques, to the business side of the music industry.

From what I could tell, his performance techniques weren't all that impressive. Maybe it's about.. "How to fail harmonies with fellow mediocre guitarist Sam Totman."

[bokma]

I don't see why people would want to learn from a guitarist with such sloppy and wanky technique.

[fastlanestoner]

I wish more guitar heroes would do things like this.

[dagget]

ive seen them live - they play VERY well and very in much in sync with each other in terms of the harmonies and timing. I def was skeptical about seeing them after seeing their drunken performances that have made them notorious on the internet..especially the "betcha cant play this" video. But I assure you, they are impressive guitar players live, at least in my opinion.

[Chozodragon]

theotherguy7145 wrote:

"Guitarist Herman Li of British extreme epic power metallers Dragonforce will embark on an Ibanez-sponsored guitar workshop tour of Europe. Apart from showcasing his unique playing style..."

Either whoever wrote this is being sarcastic, or they're biased towards Dragonforce.
Can't say i'm a fan myself. Heard one song heard them all.

I disagree with you. Heard fours songs, heard them all, ok, but not "one".

[JFRules]

I guess its the cool thing to do is bash dragon force. I bet some people like it just don't want to admit to it. Sad they really good guitarist.

[ewall09]

RockUAway wrote:

Too bad there aren't any US dates.

Hence why it's a European tour lol

[maidenfan15]

Dragonforce has gotten WAY better live after they cleaned up their act. I'm not a fan of them at all, but I respect them as a band and I'm above mindless bandwagon hate.

Herman's a good guitar player. He's not amazing, but he gets the job done. Sam's pretty bad though, at least for the fame he has.

[MetalUpYourRear]

Unique playing style...

lol

[ryaniomitch]

why isnt he coming to glasgow?
probs cos he'd be stabbed but come to glasgow or edinburgh

[Kenbeek]

Article wrote:

extreme epic power metallers

LOL

[3-R4Z0R]

I'll be there, already signed up last week for the workshop in Pfäffikon. =)

[Let It Be0o0]

Lord_Doku wrote:

hehe, extreme epic power metallers, so untrue...

Is he gonna teach us how to break strings with the whammy bar ? Is he gonna teach us how to talk like a duck with the whammy bar and some additional tremolo effects from pedals ?

He's also gonna teach how to play pac-man and mario sounds xD

[Tsunami3000]

i remember seeing a video of him playing at the NAMM show, he actually did good, i think he would be better known if his videogame noises band wasnt around

[flame_mc]

Lord_Doku wrote:

hehe, extreme epic power metallers, so untrue...

Is he gonna teach us how to break strings with the whammy bar ? Is he gonna teach us how to talk like a duck with the whammy bar and some additional tremolo effects from pedals ?

do you know how to do those things? I don't, and I would love to learn it.

[nightraven]

checked

"no talent,studio tricks,hermanRi" jokes are soooo old

[Thrill-house]

"British extreme epic power metallers" wow haha thats a first. I like dragon-force, its all pretty good stuff. I burned all of their stuff to my 360's hard-drive, then play their music while playing Oblivion. Its awesome (even better if high while doing so)

[SmittyMan90]

Hes ok but I think they suck. Not really that much change per song.

[mr.hamburgalor]

I'm sure herman has more talent than 99% of the people bashing his abilities on this website. He is a very gifted guitarist and I'm sure the majority of us on this website have not experienced anything close to the amount of success he has enjoed with Dragon Force. I for one would love to go to a clinic where he is teaching I'm sure he can teach people a lot of neat tricks.

[HammettFTW]

maidenfan15 wrote:

Dragonforce has gotten WAY better live after they cleaned up their act. I'm not a fan of them at all, but I respect them as a band and I'm above mindless bandwagon hate.

Herman's a good guitar player. He's not amazing, but he gets the job done. Sam's pretty bad though, at least for the fame he has.

Sam writes most of the music though, whilst he isn't as technically brilliant as Herman Li (and I know from seeing them live myself), I doubt we would've known (hated) Herman Li if he didn't meet Sam

[DrizztDoUrden]

Dammit, no Irish date as always, it was the same with the jeff loomis clinics, I'd love to see one of these, hung out with herman on the sonic firestorm tour and he is a really cool guy, it would be better if sam went along aswell, seeing the two of them playing sitting down and sober would be brilliant

[ibrahimasood]

ill go

[slight☼return]

HammettFTW wrote:

maidenfan15 wrote:

Dragonforce has gotten WAY better live after they cleaned up their act. I'm not a fan of them at all, but I respect them as a band and I'm above mindless bandwagon hate.

Herman's a good guitar player. He's not amazing, but he gets the job done. Sam's pretty bad though, at least for the fame he has.
Sam writes most of the music though, whilst he isn't as technically brilliant as Herman Li (and I know from seeing them live myself), I doubt we would've known (hated) Herman Li if he didn't meet Sam

You're 100% right. If Herman hadn't met Sam he would be beta testing Nintendo Wii games and "pwning" his friends on Guitar Hero.

[EpiExplorer]

Guildford ftew!

British extreme epic power metallers.

The new SYL.

[Sam Wotrey]

EpiExplorer wrote:

Guildford ftew!

British extreme epic power metallers.

The new SYL.

If by SYL you mean Strapping Young Lad please remove yourself from existence immediately

[jhart08]

i've heard he's a real arrogant a***** so i wouldnt be seen there even if he were in the US...maybe he just hates the US lol. Anyway, I'm not a real shred fan, but appreciate talent...but I'll pass on this band. What kind of a name is Dragonforce anyway? It sounds like a f**king video game...

[mustainex2000]

sloppy player as sheeeeet

[KazRahiz]

great guitarist.

wat

[Shade7777]

jhart08 wrote:

i've heard he's a real arrogant a***** so i wouldnt be seen there even if he were in the US...maybe he just hates the US lol. Anyway, I'm not a real shred fan, but appreciate talent...but I'll pass on this band. What kind of a name is Dragonforce anyway? It sounds like a f**king video game...

Met him a few times after shows and during signings and they are all really friendly and nice.

Apart from that, he accomplished something extroardinary with his band. And for people who say that Dragonforce sound exactly the same, listen to AC/DC. Same story but since it's the 'legendary' AC/DC, no one has the guts to bash it. Black Ice was the exact same thing they've been doing the last X years, but it still was a decent album.

[guitarsftw]

Oh, awesome, he's gonna tour Europe to attend actual virtuoso's workshops.

Oh, wait... damn.

[Raizer Sabre]

OMG guildford acm?! damn, wish i went there, thats right in the centre of my town. lucky b*stards :P

[the agony scene]

ug seems butthurt by herman lees success hes a great player 99% of this site couldn't come close to him.

for the record i despise dragon force but i can except that this guy can actually play guitar.

[hamsteroceros]

You haters are ridiculous. This guy could indeed play better than 99% of all of you all while blindfolded and being attacked by ninjas. If you'd seen them live lately, there is virtually zero slop and they are one of the most entertaining, theatrical bands out there. The fact that he makes it look easy or routine while running (literally) around and jumping all over doesn't mean that the stuff he does isn't ridiculous. But hey, all you studs are WAAAAAYYYYY better, right? Let's see some youtube posts of how great you are, since most of the hate for this band comes from a couple shitty old video clips from way back. I await the chance to let your collective brilliance soak in.

[kellen.dobmeier]

what is with this inane idea that success=quality?

[kellen.dobmeier]

hamsteroceros wrote:

You haters are ridiculous. This guy could indeed play better than 99% of all of you all while blindfolded and being attacked by ninjas. If you'd seen them live lately, there is virtually zero slop and they are one of the most entertaining, theatrical bands out there. The fact that he makes it look easy or routine while running (literally) around and jumping all over doesn't mean that the stuff he does isn't ridiculous. But hey, all you studs are WAAAAAYYYYY better, right? Let's see some youtube posts of how great you are, since most of the hate for this band comes from a couple shitty old video clips from way back. I await the chance to let your collective brilliance soak in.

Don't act like there aren't a million better guitarists out there. There are pop artists who are better guitarists....I'd point out John Mayer, but anyone with any knowledge knows he's one of the best in the world.

[bokma]

hamsteroceros wrote:

You haters are ridiculous. This guy could indeed play better than 99% of all of you all while blindfolded and being attacked by ninjas. If you'd seen them live lately, there is virtually zero slop and they are one of the most entertaining, theatrical bands out there. The fact that he makes it look easy or routine while running (literally) around and jumping all over doesn't mean that the stuff he does isn't ridiculous. But hey, all you studs are WAAAAAYYYYY better, right? Let's see some youtube posts of how great you are, since most of the hate for this band comes from a couple shitty old video clips from way back. I await the chance to let your collective brilliance soak in.

^LOL

[Angel aka alaab]

I don't see why so many hate Dragonforce, personally i'm a fan of their music. I haven't heard much of their newer stuff, but i still on occasion listen to their older tunes.

Plus you gotta give respect...They are officially huge rockstars who get to tour, get drunk, have fun onstage, have fun with their music, prolly getting lots of pussy lol. They are aware of the jokes people make and they also laugh at them... srsly, they're pretty cool guys.

[Angel aka alaab]

You're 100% right. If Herman hadn't met Sam he would be beta testing Nintendo Wii games and "pwning" his friends on Guitar Hero.

wait, sam or herman? Cuz i can totally see both of them doing that lol XD

[marcelaguiar]

"extreme epic power metallers" wow....

[TheAbsentOne]

"Hi Ima Herman Ri, Ima gonna try answer you question k"
"Whats it like being in such a terrible band?"
"Well you see... Ima Herman Ri, I answer you question. I play da geetar" *Solo, breaks strings & tremolo* "uh oh"
"Play Through The Fire and the Flames!"
"Oh prease dats easy." *Fails at solo* "K thanks Ima Herman Ri I play da geetar bai now"
(Show ends, dissapointed people)

[Goose Catcher]

kellen.dobmeier wrote:

hamsteroceros wrote:

You haters are ridiculous. This guy could indeed play better than 99% of all of you all while blindfolded and being attacked by ninjas. If you'd seen them live lately, there is virtually zero slop and they are one of the most entertaining, theatrical bands out there. The fact that he makes it look easy or routine while running (literally) around and jumping all over doesn't mean that the stuff he does isn't ridiculous. But hey, all you studs are WAAAAAYYYYY better, right? Let's see some youtube posts of how great you are, since most of the hate for this band comes from a couple shitty old video clips from way back. I await the chance to let your collective brilliance soak in.

Don't act like there aren't a million better guitarists out there. There are pop artists who are better guitarists....I'd point out John Mayer, but anyone with any knowledge knows he's one of the best in the world.

Since when is John Mayer one of the best guitarists in the world? He's good, but in terms of technical skill there are tons of guys who can play circles around him.

[zordon_core]

jason becker

Goose Catcher wrote:

kellen.dobmeier wrote:

hamsteroceros wrote:

You haters are ridiculous. This guy could indeed play better than 99% of all of you all while blindfolded and being attacked by ninjas. If you'd seen them live lately, there is virtually zero slop and they are one of the most entertaining, theatrical bands out there. The fact that he makes it look easy or routine while running (literally) around and jumping all over doesn't mean that the stuff he does isn't ridiculous. But hey, all you studs are WAAAAAYYYYY better, right? Let's see some youtube posts of how great you are, since most of the hate for this band comes from a couple shitty old video clips from way back. I await the chance to let your collective brilliance soak in.

Don't act like there aren't a million better guitarists out there. There are pop artists who are better guitarists....I'd point out John Mayer, but anyone with any knowledge knows he's one of the best in the world.

Since when is John Mayer one of the best guitarists in the world? He's good, but in terms of technical skill there are tons of guys who can play circles around him.

example -jason becker

[Kylianvb]

"HURR DURR I MAKE HERMAN RI JOKES".. Yeah, interesting stuff mate. Anyways, I would go, if the workshop in Holland wasn't in Rotterdam, and on a weekday.. Ah well, hopefully Amsterdam next time.

[SamTotman]

Why no Scotland?

[StewieSwan]

Why would anyone want to go to this? Just look at how bad Herman fails at guitar!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll4l06hX2Yo&featur e=related

/sarcasm

[paul556]

Words cannot express how completely and utterly hilarious this is.

[webbtje]

Much as I think the man gets a lot of flak, a fair bit undeservedly, I'm not sure he quite has the calibre to be hosting clinics. I dunno.

[hamsteroceros]

It absolutely amazes me how little credit anyone will give Li or Dragonforce in general. "He sucks!" No, he doesn't. "Well then, he's not the absolute best ever, so there!" No one claimed such, guy. "Well, he's successful, so therefore he cannot be good or worthwhile." You are a jackass. "" Why doesn't anyone take you seriously, I wonder?

Also, their current bass player is a better guitarist than 99% of all you hateful chuckleheads, too.