Music World

Lahir di Hong Kong, Herman Li adalah musisi yang otodidak, sebagian besar ia belajar gitar dari mendengarkan musik favoritnya dan menonton video.
Setelah bermain di sejumlah underground rock dan metal di London, Herman memutuskan satu-satunya cara bagi dia untuk maju, adalah untuk membentuk sebuah band. Pada musim panas tahun 1999, Herman menemukan sejumlah musisi di Inggris untuk membuat band baru yang sekarang dikenal di seluruh dunia sebagai DRAGONFORCE. Walaupun intensifnya world tours dengan DragonForce, Herman juga mempunyai waktu untuk menulis kolom bulanan gitar di majalah Total Guitar (Inggris).
Dia juga telah memberikan banyak konsultasi gitar di seluruh dunia, dan menampilkan pendekatan ke instrumen untuk membantu menginspirasi gitaris di seluruh dunia.
Herman Li juga terlibat dalam pengembangan gitar listrik, dan memberikan ide-ide baru untuk meningkatkan instrumen.

Herman Li memenangkan 'Best Shredder' penghargaan tahunan di Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards 2005. Bersama Sam Totman, Herman memenangkan empat kategori di Guitar World's Readers Poll 2007 untuk Best New Talent, Best Metal, Best Riff dan Best Shredders. Mereka juga memenangkan 'Best Guitar Solo' melalui lagu Through the Fire and Flames di Total Guitar. Herman dan partnernya Sam Totman telah bermain bersama selama bertahun-tahun, keduanya membuat dampak yang besar pada modern rock and metal scene.

Tahun 2007 Herman menerima undangan untuk tampil sebagai tamu khusus bersama dengan gitaris legendaris Steve Vai di Ibanez jem / RG model 20. Acara itu ditampilkan di Hollywood, California. Serta bermain di Steve Vai's set, Herman berbagi panggung dengan gitaris legendaris seperti Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert, Tony MacAlpine dan Andy Timmons.

Siapa yang tidak kenal Band legenda dunia, QUEEN, yang lahir di Inggris tahun 1970. Lengkap dengan karakter musik rock progresive atau Classic Rock, dikenal sebagai salah satu grup yang hampir semua personilnya adalah orang-orang yang sebenarnya adalah akademikus. Queen yang dimotori oleh Freddie Mercury (Piano/Vocal), Brian May (Guitar), Roger Taylor (drums), John Deacon (Bass) berhasil menghipnotis dunia melalui karya-karya besarnya. Kekuatan music yang dilahirkan Queen ternyata bukan hanya sekedar lahir dari ekspresi musisi saja. Queen dibangun oleh orang-orang cerdas.

Seperti salah satunya adalah Brian May, sosok musisi gitar rock yang paling progressive. Gaya clasical musik yang berbaur dengan deru electric guitar rock yang pastinya lengkap dengan efek-efek distorsi, sebagai salah satu kekuatan musik Queen.

Brian May (60), sebenarnya adalah seorang fisikawan. Dan bulan Agustus tahun ini (2007), Brian May meraih gelar doktor di bidang Astrofisika. Wow... rasanya jarang musisi yang juga menguasai ilmu-ilmu murni. Rasanya teringat filosof masa lalu, seperti Aristoles, Phytagoras, yang juga menguasai musik. Gitaris tangguh ini Februari 2008, tidak berhenti berkarya di usia yang tua. Ia diangkat menjadi seorang Rektor di Liverpool John Moores University, Inggris. Ia mengambil alih tugasnya itu dari Cherie Blair, istri mantan Perdana Menteri Inggris ,Tony Blair.

Sebenarnya, May memulai penyusunan disertasi Ph.D.-nya tahun 1974 lampau, namun meninggalkan kegiatan akademis seiring melambungnya popularitas band Queen. Sepeninggal mendiang Freddie Mercury November 1991, vokalis Queen yang didera AIDS, Brian May lalu memilih untuk kembali menekuni studinya mulai tahun 2006 lalu.

Ia mesti membersihkan tumpukan catatan kuliahnya yang tertutup debu karena terlampau lama terabaikan dan kemudian menyerahkan tesis doktornya bertajuk "Kecepatan Radial Dalam Awan Debu Zodiak" yang terdiri dari 48.000 kata kepada Kepala Departemen Astrofisika Imperial College, Profesor Paul Nandra. Tugasnya sebagai rektor kehormatan akan meliputi memimpin upacara wisuda dan mewakili universitas di berbagai kegiatan khusus.

"Brian May adalah pribadi yang sangat berbakat yang mencapai sukses global bersama kelompok band rock Queen," kata kepala eksekutif dan wakil rektor universitas, Profesor Michael Brown, seraya berujar, "Dalam masa budaya pesohor kini, jarang ditemukan seorang yang dikaruniai kemasyhuran, nasib baik dan pengakuan internasional, namun tetap mempertahankan nilai-nilai keyakinan hakikinya, yakni terus belajar dan memperoleh pencerahan."

Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (lahir di Ripley, Surrey, England, 30 Maret 1945; umur 63 tahun), julukan: "Slowhand", adalah gitaris sekaligus penyanyi, pencipta lagu, dan komponis asal Inggris yang pernah memenangi Grammy Award. Sebagai salah seorang musisi paling sukses di abad ke-20 dan abad ke-21, namanya diabadikan di museum Rock and Roll Hall of Fame sebanyak 3 kali (sebagai personil The Yardbirds, Cream, dan sewaktu berkarier solo). Penggemar dan kritikus musik menyanjungnya sebagai gitaris terbesar sepanjang zaman. menempati urutan ke-4 dalam daftar Gitaris Terbesar Sepanjang Masa yang diumumkan majalah Rolling Stone.[Selain itu, namanya juga masuk ke dalam daftar "100 Artis Terbesar Sepanjang Zaman" (The Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time) yang diumumkan majalah yang sama.

Sepanjang kariernya, Clapton dikenal memiliki gaya bermusik yang sangat bervariasi, namun semuanya berakar dari blues. Selain itu, nama Clapton dicatat dalam sejarah musik sebagai pencetus aliran blues-rock (bersama John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers dan The Yardbirds) serta psychedelic rock (sewaktu bersama grup musik Cream). Bukan hanya itu saja, lagu-lagu Clapton sukses dalam tangga lagu berbagai aliran, mulai dari delta blues (Me and Mr. Johnson) hingga kategori musik pop ("Change the World") dan reggae (sewaktu menyanyikan ulang lagu Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff"). Clapton juga terkenal dengan lagu "Layla" sewaktu bergabung bersama grup musik Derek and the Dominos.

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (27 November 1942 – 18 September 1970) adalah musisi, penyanyi, penulis lagu, gitaris dan tokoh budaya Amerika. Ia sering disebut sebagai salah satu pemain gitar listrik paling berpengaruh dalam sejarah musik rock.

Hendrix adalah peringkat teratas dalam 100 gitaris rock terbaik , karya-karyanya seperti Little Wing , Voodo Child , dan Red House menjadi legenda di belantika musik rock dunia.

Banyak gitaris yang meniru permainannya seperti Joe Satriani , Yngwie Malmsteen , Steve Vai sampai Buckethead.

Namun Sayang usia Hendrix tidak bertahan lama , Dia meninggal di usianya yang masih muda yaitu 28 tahun

Michael Angelo Batio (pronounced /ˈbeɪtioʊ/,also known as Mike Batio or MAB) (born in 1956) is an American virtuoso guitarist and columnist from Chicago, Illinois. Considered to be one of the fastest guitarists in the world, Batio was voted the "No. 1 Shredder of All Time" by Guitar One Magazine in 2003. He was also listed as one of the "Top 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time" by Guitar World Magazine, for which he writes the column Time to Burn, and one of the "20 Greatest Shredders of All Time" by Total Guitar Magazine, both in April 2008.

Early life and career

MAB started playing the piano and composing music at the age of five, and first played guitar at the age of ten, reportedly playing faster than his teacher within two years. At the age of fourteen he started playing jazz guitar, and within two years he had won the Chicago-based "All-State Jazz Solo Award". He attended Northeastern Illinois University and achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Theory and Composition. After he had graduated, Batio looked to become a session guitarist in his hometown. When he asked for a job at a nearby studio, he was given a piece of music and simply asked to play it. Naturally, he managed to play it and added in some of his own improvisations and fills, making him the studio's primary call-out guitarist. As a session player, Batio recorded music for such companies as Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, United Airlines, United Way, McDonalds, Beatrice Corp. and the Chicago Wolves hockey team.

Batio began his recording career in 1984 when he joined new Chicago-based heavy metal band Holland, an eponymous project set up by ex-Steppenwolf singer Tommy Holland. With major label Atlantic Records, the band released their debut studio album in 1985 entitled Little Monsters, which saw moderate success in the United States. The band split up soon after, and a compilation of material from the Little Monsters sessions, Wake Up the Neighbourhood, was released in 1999 through Batio's label M.A.C.E. Music.

After the breakup of Holland, Batio started his own eponymous band with singer Michael Cordet, bassist Allen Hearn and drummer Paul Cammarata. The Band did not release any albums, though three of their songs appeared on the 1998 Nitro compilation Gunnin' for Glory.

In 1987 Batio joined glam metal artist Jim Gillette on his solo album Proud to Be Loud, before founding the band Nitro with bassist T.J. Racer and drummer Bobby Rock. In 1989 Nitro released their first studio album, O.F.R., from which they released two singles, "Freight Train" and "Long Way From Home". The music video for "Freight Train", which received much airplay on MTV, was notable for featuring Batio playing his now famous 'Quad Guitar', a notion which FHM Magazine voted one of the "50 most outrageous moments in rock history".

By 1992, Rock and Racer had been replaced by Johnny Thunder and Ralph Carter respectively, and it was in this year that they released their second studio album entitled Nitro II: H.W.D.W.S.. Included on the album was a cover of Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever", which the band also recorded a music video for. Nitro disbanded shortly afterwards.

In April 1993, Batio founded his own record label, M.A.C.E. Music, which became one of the first labels online in 1996.He used this label when he began recording his first album, No Boundaries, which he released in 1995. Batio's second studio release was Planet Gemini in 1997, which showed a very progressive, experimental side to his playing. In 1999, Batio released his first instructional video, Jam With Angelo, which came with his third studio album as a companion CD: Tradition. This was quickly followed by a fourth full-length album in 2000, Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity, which was credited to "Mike Batio and Rob Ross", the latter being the drummer. In 2003, Batio released his first DVD, the title release in his Speed Kills series, followed by the second, Speed Lives, in 2004. It was also in this year that Batio released a compilation album, Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity Part 2, which featured songs from Tradition and Lucid Intervals.

In 2005, Michael released his highly anticipated cover/tribute/studio album, Hands Without Shadows, which featured guest appearances from such musicians as Mark Tremonti (of Alter Bridge fame), Rudy Sarzo (of Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake and Dio fame) and virtuoso newcomer Bill Peck. In 2006, DVD Speed Kills 2 was released, in addition to the first in the new Hands Without Shadows series, Performance. Batio's latest release came in 2007, when his first two albums - No Boundaries and Planet Gemini - were remixed and remastered with additional drums, for an album entitled 2 X Again; the title of a song from the first album. Angelo also released three DVDs in 2007: Speed Kills 3, 25 Jazz Progressions and MAB Jam Session.

Two DVDs were slated for a 2008 release, one that focuses on neo-classical techniques and concepts and another which contained Batio's live performance at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center on July 9.One of these DVDs was apparently to be entitled The Neoclassical Power Approach, according to the flyer for the aforementioned concert.

Film Appearance

In 1991, Batio's guitar work appeared in the low budget horror film Shock 'Em Dead, recording tracks for the soundtrack as well as playing the guitar parts of the demonically possessed main character Angel Martin in close ups.

Style

Batio is (self-taught) ambidextrous, able to play two guitars at the same time either in synchronization or using separate harmonies, as shown when he plays his famous Double-Guitar. Though naturally left-handed, he plays as a right-handed person when playing one guitar. Batio invented the "Over-Under" technique, which involves flipping his fretting hand over and under the neck, playing the guitar both regularly and like a piano.

Batio taught guitarist Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave fame) while at college. Morello has credited MAB with teaching him in a feature article in Guitar World Magazine in 2005. Michael also gave lessons to guitarist Mark Tremonti after Creed broke up and Tremonti wanted to learn more techniques.

Equipment

Guitars

Batio is an exclusive user of Dean Guitars, both electric and acoustic. In 2007 he designed and developed a signature guitar with Dean, known as the MAB1 Armorflame. ;Pickups Another signature piece of equipment Batio developed is the "MAB Hands Without Shadows" pickup, which he uses in his Double Guitar when touring. The pickup is specially designed for shred guitar, and provides the clean tone Batio is accustomed to. The Armorflame, Batio's signature guitar, uses EMG 81, 85 and SA pickups.

Earlier on in his career when he was first endorsed by Dean guitars he also embraced Dean's tradition of popularising Dimarzio pickups and had used Dimarzios in his guitars. These include the Dimarzio PAF, Super Distortion (sometimes using the Super Distortion both in the neck and bridge position, like how he did in his Gibson Charvel Circuit Board double guitar. This was the main setup during the recording of No Boundaries). Batio has also used pickups of other brands including Seymour Duncan, namely the Pearly Gates and JB models and also Bill Lawrence pickups. Currently other than using EMGs in his signature guitar he also has a collection of the other brand pickups in his Dean limited edition collectors' models, such as Dimarzio Custom Super Distortions (based on the Super 2 and Super Distortion) in his USA Dean Time capsule Blue Burst ML and the Seymour Duncan pair he used (refer to above) in his USA Dean Collectors edition Hardtail.

The Double-Guitar

Batio was the inventor of the Double-Guitar, a V-shaped, twin-neck guitar which can be played both right- and left-handed. The first version of this instrument was actually two separate guitars simply played together, as opposed to being one entity. A Flying V was fastened to a snare drum in a left-handed position, while another one was strapped around his shoulder. The next version of the guitar, as designed by Batio and guitar technician Kenny Breit, featured a flight case latch attached to the back of each guitar, which could reportedly be assembled in five seconds. In October 2003, Dean designed and built the "Mach 7 Jet", and on March 6, 2007, the newest version was delivered to Batio. The original Double went on display at the Chicago Hard Rock Cafe 'wall of fame' before it was relocated to a HRC in Egypt. Its whereabouts are currently unknown.

When the Double-Guitar was first used in concert, Batio noticed that the guitars created a lot of feedback when played together. He decided that he needed to invent a way to 'dampen' the strings when both guitars were played at the same time, hence the invention of the "MAB String Dampener", which is now available to buy from M.A.C.E. Music.

The Double-Guitar was recently named as the 8th "coolest guitar in rock" by online music magazine Gigwise.

The Quad Guitar

As well as the Double Guitar, Michael Angelo also invented and designed the Quad Guitar. The guitar was originally built in conjunction with Gibson, and built by Wayne Charvel in California. The top two guitars have seven strings, while the bottom two have the regular six. The first Quad, as used in the video for Nitro's "Freight Train", was stolen in El Paso, Texas after the second show of Nitro's O.F.R. tour. When Batio was performing in November 2004, a young fan named Simon Jones and his father turned up with a guitar case which held inside the two top guitars of the Quad, as found by Mick Seymour. Dean designed and built a new Quad Guitar in 2007.

The Quad Guitar was recently named as the 2nd "coolest guitar in rock" by online music magazine Gigwise.

Effects

Batio's effects pedals are exclusively made by T-Rex, with whom he has also developed a signature model, the "MAB Overdrive".In his years with Nitro, Batio used Boss overdrive (DS-1, SD-1) pedals.

In the studio, Michael also uses the following effects pedals:

Amplification

Batio typically uses Marshall JCM 2000 amps on tour and for newer studio records. In the studio, he also uses the Marshall JMP-1 preamp and Rocktron Chameleon and Voodoo Valve preamps. During his years with Nitro, Batio used Randall amplifiers. He has been an avid Marshall amp user throughout his career and has used the JCM 800 (mostly Jose Arrendondo modified circuitry, very early in his career) and JCM 900 (especially when recording No Boundaries). Batio's cabinet setup consists of 4x12 Marshall cabinets loaded with Celeston vintage 30s and Greenbacks in mono and stereo.

Other equipment

Strings

Batio uses Ernie Ball guitar strings, favouring the .009 to .042 models for soloing and most rhythm guitar parts while thicker gauge strings are used for detuned guitars. The acoustic gauge is normally .010 to .046 or .011 to .052.

Picks

Michael uses black Dunlop Jazz IIIs as his guitar pick of choice, and has used the 'teardop' shape of pick since he first started playing. Different picks are sometimes used for acoustic work.

Solo discography

• No Boundaries (1995)
• Planet Gemini (1997)
• Tradition (1999)
• Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity (2000)
• Hands Without Shadows (2005)

Avenged Sevenfold (juga dikenal sebagai A7X), adalah band beraliran rock yang berasal dari Huntington Beach, California.

Biografi

Terbentuknya Avenged Sevenfold

Avenged Sevenfold terbentuk pada tahun 1999 di Orange County, California. Album pertama mereka, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet direkam ketika mereka masih berumur 18 tahun. Album ini dirilis dengan label Good Life Recordings, tetapi setelah gitaris Synyster Gates masuk Avenged Sevenfold, album ini dirilis ulang dengan label Hopeless Records. Lagu "To End The Rapture" juga direkam ulang, kali ini ditambahkan dengan permainan gitar Synyster Gates.

City of Evil (2005-2007)

Tahun 2005, Amerika Serikat tengah jenuh dengan musik hip-hop dan pop yang merajalela, lalu Avenged Sevenfold merilis album mereka City of Evil tepatnya pada tanggal 8 Juni, 2005. Hits single Bat Country merupakan lagu metal/rock pertama yang merajai MTV TRL. Mereka mempopulerkan kembali solo gitar dengan duet gitaris Synyster Gates dan Zacky Vengeance yang benar-benar memanaskan area moshpit. Album tersebut mendapat sertifikat gold dan memenangkan predikat Best New Artist in a Video di MTV VMA 2006 untuk lagu Bat Country.

Avenged Sevenfold (2007-2008)

Tahun 2007, mereka kembali masuk studio untuk merekam lagu terbaru mereka untuk studio album ke-5 mereka. Awal Agustus 2007, mereka menjalani tur Asia Pasifik mereka, dan sempat mampir di Indonesia dan memainkan lagu mereka pertama kali di depan publik. Lagu yang berjudul Almost Easy tersebut mendapat sambutan hangat dari penggemar di seluruh dunia. Ketika itu band punk Jogjakarta Endang Soekamti didaulat menjadi band pembuka.

Tahun 2008 ini, mereka berpartisipasi sebagai headliners di tour Taste of Chaos bersama dengan Bullet for My Valentine, Atreyu, Blessthefall dan Idiot Pilot. Ketika tour, mereka merekam sebuah DVD yang mengandung 6 lagu baru mereka.

Tanggal 22 Oktober 2008, Avenged Sevenfold akan kembali manggung di Indonesia masih dengan event organizer yang sama yakni Java Musikindo dan kali ini band heavy metal Jibril didaulat menjadi band pembuka.

Live In The LBC & Diamonds in the Rough (2008-Saat Ini)

Album yang dirilis pada 16 September 2008 ini Berisi 102 Menit (DVD) Dan 52 Menit (CD)

Discography

• Sounding the Seventh Trumpet (2001)
• Waking the Fallen (2003)
• City of Evil (2005)
• Avenged Sevenfold (2007)
• Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough (2008)

Anggota saat ini

• M. Shadows - vokal
• Synyster Gates - gitar melodi, piano, vokal
• Zacky Vengeance - gitar ritmik, vokal
• Johnny Christ - bass, vokal
• The Rev - drum, perkusi, vokal, piano

Ciri khas

Mereka cenderung memainkan nuansa agresif pada vokal, gitar, dan drum (bass tetap statis). Dengan sentuhan yang dinamis, mau keras atau lambat, mereka tetap menggunakan harmonisasi yang luar biasa dan komposisi yang teratur. Sebut saja lagu-lagu yang sedikit melow, seperti Seize The Day dan Dear God, gitarnya tetap di drop Dm seperti halnya metal-metal kebanyakan. Kemudian, ciri khasnya selain komposisi dan drop, Syn memasukkan nuansa sweep picking (arpeggio) di hampir semua lagunya. Keindahan sweep picking yang dipadukan dengan kromatik, slide, dan teknik-teknik lainnya bisa kita dengar di lagu The Wicked End. Kemudian selain itu, tidak lupa juga sentuhan akustik yang membawa suasana seperti di Hawaii, bisa kita dengar di lagu Sidewinder. Tapi, satu lagi ciri khas yang tidak pernah lepas dari mereka, menduetkan gitar Syn dan Zacky, memakai double bass dengan tempo yang beberapa kali lipat beat-nya dari biasanya.

Mantan Anggota

• Justin Sane - Bass
• Dameon Ash - Bass
• Matt Wendt - Bass