@@Gavinn07 you think it's more overtly condescending to others or more that he's passively condescending by giving himself more reverence than others? Or both? I haven't noticed him being like this yet, but I only found out about him yesterday, so I want to be prepared and not assume this guy is always as nice and cool as he seems so far. We all have obvious flaws and strengths, and it's human to notice people who seem to not be so damn flawed or who are very gifted, and use these outliers as inspiration, but often we end up blind to their other imperfections and end up building them up unrealistically and then getting letting let down.
@@Gavinn07 oh man ok yeah I totally feel that! Man that's actually got to be a tough position in terms of keeping a normal, humble, down to earth mental state. People who are able to be humble and never overstate themselves or have ego over-inflations are even more inspiring. I was absolutely delighted to see Herbie Hancock and how down to Earth he was in a Jacob Collier video about harmony. I've never heard people communicate in piano like they did. ua-cam.com/video/eRkgK4jfi6M/v-deo.html
I call it "pride in one's abilities". You can be a humble person but take pride in your ability. Pink Floyd would straight up come out and say they were better than everyone, and that's not where he is. He knows he's good and he takes take pride in it, and that can come off as conceit sometimes.
@@PieceOfDuke Fascinating question, I do wonder. I suppose brilliance can manifest in many ways. People can be geniuses/brilliant in all kinds of very distinct ways, in math, music, physics, anything really. But true geniuses are born geniuses, it's not possible to achieve through study. 5 lifetimes worth of study in physics will still not make your brain work like Einstein's. Brilliant people are called "gifted" for a reason, they're just born wired for a certain thing. So if you're born either brilliant or not brilliant, then I see no reason you couldn't have an ego. Imagine a 5 year old child shows extraordinary brilliance in a certain skill, and they are told their entire life how amazing they are. There doesn't necessarily need to be any point in their life where they become humble. They can go on being arrogant and egotistical for their whole life, and brilliant the entire time as well. By asking "Can you possibly even have an ego when you're this brilliant?" you are implying that through the process of learning (and *becoming* brilliant), you inevitably become humble too. But the thing is, you can't "become" brilliant like that, you must be born with it. You have to be wired that way, like Einstein. There is a difference between someone who is really good at something and someone who is truly brilliant. Because brilliant doesn't just mean smart or well read, it means gifted. Brilliance is most often demonstrated by individuals who are experienced and well-practiced, so it's easy to mistakenly assume that brilliance is attained *through* that experience and practice. But it isn't. No matter how much you practice, you won't suddenly become brilliant. You're born brilliant. We just end up being exposed to the people who are both brilliant and have ambition and experience, so we falsely believe their experience made them that way. But how many brilliant people never had the opportunity to discover their brilliance? A child in afghanistan or africa could have brilliance far exceeding Einstein's, but no one would ever know. We don't get to see all the countless brilliant individuals who never had the chance to learn or practice. But they're still brilliant. It is the learning, the practice, the experience, all of those things that cause someone to become humble. But you can be brilliant without learning, practice, or experience. So without these things to humble you, I see no reason you could not have an ego and also be brilliant.
@@whirlwind872 Seems like you made the meaning of the world brilliant a bit more nuanced for me. (English is my learned language). Does it have to do with potentiality and ability, and not necessarily the results?..
@@PieceOfDuke Correct. People sometimes use the word brilliant in casual conversation to just mean "smart" but it doesn't _really_ just mean smart. It's more like... exceptionally intelligent. Note the difference between intelligence and knowledge though. Intelligence (IQ) is based on your genetics, and has to do with your ability to understand concepts and solve problems. Nothing you do will make you more intelligent. You can study hard and become super knowledgeable, to the point that you have memorized every fact on wikipedia, and you will be incredibly knowledgeable - but no more intelligent than before. Consider the astronomical amount of knowledge the average person has today in 2020. Compared to cavemen from 15,000 years ago, we are WAYYYYYY more knowledgeable. And yet, the intelligence of modern humans is no greater than the caveman's. But yes, being brilliant just means you are incredibly intelligent. (intelligence of course can manifest in different ways, like math/art/martial arts etc.)
@@whirlwind872 I get your point but disagree on our unability to become more intelligent. What we inherit is a range of possible values for every trait, and the exact value is influenced by our lifestyle and health. But that's just me being pedantic. Thanks for explaining )
and it literally explains his skill level as well. victor wooten has always been my fav bassist of all time. and honestly, tosin abasi is getting right up there with victor, just playing a different style of music.
I consider myself as a music nerd. But...I've never heard of Tosin Abasi or Animals as Leaders until yesterday. And I am so blown away by this music. They became like instantly on of my favorite bands ever.
It’s crazy how fast it happens, right? One day you just find them and it almost consumes you. When I first heard of them I think I listened to their first two albums for like a year straight 😂 and their newest one is on repeat now
His playing in AaL doesn't even sound from this planet yet he's so humble and mellow like the ideal human lol amazing talent. One in a million for sure.
I'm always in awe when watching Tosin, from his playing to just the way he composes and articulates what he's saying. You're never confused when he's talking.
I'm so glad we finally have an extreme guitar god that is healthy and intelligent. We hopefully are going to have him contributing to our art for many more decades to come. So many of our truly gifted artists can't handle it and die before we're ready to let go of them. This guy seems like his head is on straight and he'll be blessing our ears with innovation, our minds with knowledge, and our hearts with inspiration for a long time.
The guitar continues to be revolutionized every 20-30 years or so. Page, Beck, and Hendrix did it. Satch and Vai did it. Now Tosin and Guthrie are doing it.
No argument intended, but why do you say Guthrie? He seems more like a master of many styles, rather than an actual technical innovator. (No hate on Guthrie at all)
@@jasonaggarwal3450 I think that the style of Guthrie is fundamentally not taking yourself too seriously, and being a counter to the pure, amelodic shred stuff. He's a bit of a popularizer of jazz/fusion sorta thing for folks from a metal background.
@@wer13245 Hendrix was garbage? What the actual fuck are you saying? C'mon man, you're better than that. Clearly you haven't studied Hendrix with detail.
@@sohamsengupta6470 my fretting hand is above par. But to groove it’s harder with the right hand. I still do simple downstroke exercises and finger picking techniques
When I met him in 2004, I told him he reminded me of Steve Vai, in his playing style. He totally scoffed at the idea, and was like "Steve who?" Then a couple years later, he was posing in magazines with him. He is really an amazing guitarist, and Steve has a lot of respect for him
Anyone remember when they had the shirt that said, "odds are, we're better musicians than you"? So many people were pissed off about it but in reality, they're not lying.
It takes hard work to get anywhere on an instrument. People who get pissed about the simple facts are too proud to realize this, they can be better if they put the work in. Likely they won't so they can stay mad. xD
@@tylerforde87 Polyrhythms are great and can be difficult, but that doesn't actually make you a better musician. Music is about expression. Daniel Johnston is better than a lot of bands today but he's pure technical garbage with an awful voice.
@@SkeeterMcBeater Yes. And by the same token, mature people don't brag, nor need to. One can be very competent at a technical skill, and, unfortunately, incompetent emotionally and socially. That said, I don't know if this anecdote is even true of Abasi, but if so, my guess is -- merely judging by this interview -- that he's probably grown up since then. Another point: if by "discipline" you merely mean the ability to whiteknuckle, enduring drudgery and hard work, frankly that's an (often) over-rated trait. Hours and hours of pactice doesn't necessarily result in great skill; *effective* and *efficient* practice does. (Ask Govan, he says he didn't enjoy it, he never would've practiced that much.) A related point: a puritanical attitude in which one feels the constant need to delay gratification and punish oneself is mental illness, not virtue. A broader point about technical skills in general: even if one has reached a point of perfection in terms of competancy (assuming such a perfect endpoint even exists), that's only virtue in a narrow sense, as in the use of the term in antiquity, i.e. virtus or "prowess." Virtue in a larger sense concerns what you actually *do* with a skill, as skill alone is not a guide to a good choice. In other words, does it follow that because you can do an action, you should? Can you derive an ought from that is?
But boring as shit. In 20 years no one will no or care about nor remember one of their songs. Sad really because he's talented as a musician. As a songwriter....wellllll. My 2 cents
@@dennismcdonald2607 Maybe prog metal inspired by classical isn’t your thing? All of Animals shit is brilliant. Post some of your stuff so we can see how it compares.
@@tc5328 lol,don't be one of 'those guys'...I like them and all, but they're not for the gen pop. That's the biggest difference between musicians of yesteryear regardless of prog or what have you, their songs were more accessible. King Crimson, Genesis etc. My 2 cents.
@@dennismcdonald2607 i dunno man, if you sit down and really try and get it into it, it's just gorgeously written music. holds a very special place in my heart, even though i admit it's not the most mainstream haha
Tosin Abasi is just showing his picking technique, it took him years and years to develop such ways of playing guitar like the way he does, dont ever desprestige someone's hardwork and dedication
Hearing him talk about the ‘rhythm’ guitarist in his band and how hearing him inspired him to learn classical/flamenco blows my mind. It would appear that Tosin is far and away the talent in his band, but it just goes to show there’s so much more behind the scenes that we’d never know if they never told us. Very cool.
Of all the modern styles that’ve popped up, Tosin’s is the one that actually sounds like music being made. He’s the true heir to what would be considered a “guitar hero”
I remember seeing AaL live and not believing that he was playing without a loop. Whole concert around me and I was just staring, fixated on his right hand. The depth of sound that comes from those three is just unreal, especially so live.
It’s amazing watching somebody who’s mastered his craft try to explain muscle memory in words. “Uhm, a cluster of chords, and like lower notes below it.” Like he is so used to it he can’t even put it into words.
Great technical guitarist. probably the best currently. But he suck at composing. Remind me of Ronaldhino, really gifted soccer player and pretty much can do anything. but if you put him on a team he's not that sharp. he's not gonna bring your team much value. Unlike C. Ronaldo. eventhough he's not a prodigy, but he's very deadly and very useful and bring great value to the team. Eventually, people would pick Ronaldo over Ronaldhino
That end bit is legit like magic. I love when people play guitar and you're not entirely sure how they're making the sounds come out of it without inspecting it.
I am so blessed to have seen you play live with Evan Brewer and Vinny Vinh. Such an amazing show! And your guys were first line up... what a joke! Got to chat with Evan and Vinny in the alley while they warmed up. Bother super cool dudes. I miss me some Reflux ..
Check out this cat right here, he’s excellent in bumpin and thumpin. With 8 string guitars from Ormsby Guitars instagram.com/ando__san?igshid=szum3ude9ew6
Just watched an older video and I don't think it is just the audio quality this guitar sounds so much better than his older Ibanez model he used to play. Beautiful tones. That axe is a gift from the metal tone gods.
Hearing that Tosin Abasi Learned double thumb technique from Evan Brewer is about the greatest thing I’ve heard all year ! So much awesome in that statement lol!
I like how at 2:31 Tosin says "He knew how to do all that double thumping stuff..." as if he were an old man describing some new fad that he doesn't fully understand.
That's basically this entire video though. "Oh hey, if you don't use a pick, you can use all your fingers!" Yeah, it's called fingerstyle....it's how (classical) guitar is actually supposed to be played. I just really don't like this hipster crap.
Professor Abassi your work , both guitar design and music works don’t need my acknowledgement after being acknowledged by great friends and artists who have a great admiration for you. Thank you for your amazing 😉 contribution for all musical humanity.
I see these dudes playing 8 string guitars and 6 string basses and I can't fathom how they have that sort of reach. I get it, practice, but just look at how enormous that neck is!
Found it in comments, it is Ectogenesis by their band Animals as leaders. The way he plays it here is a bit more attractive to me than in the song. Especially the part higher up on the neck. Still insane song though. And that drumming...
I agree. A scholar, true gent. And I find some of the comments hostile and quite strange. Borderline racist. I think they are quite surprised to see a black man with this kind of guitar skill and a sober, studious attitude. It doesn't fit the stereotype they expect. Sad for them.
I see the most innovative ideas coming from this young man carrying the guitar forward instead of being a copied cliche of days gone past… A very nice spirit in him as well, not in the least full of himself… Wonderful and inspirational playing even to an old school cat like me who grew up on McLaughlin,Holdsworth and Beck!🙏🏻🎶✌🏻🌍
While I admire Tosin greatly, and don’t actually disagree with anything he said… I feel like contextual limitations spur creativity and a tight focus can make one deeply sensitive to nuance. Simplicity as a goal isn’t stupid, it isn’t pointless, and it isn’t easy. Malcolm Young is very, very hard to imitate, for example. I like the contextual boundaries of being a “Rock Guitar Player”. I don’t mean that as a challenge to the technical player. I was/can still be interested in becoming as technical as possible. I want to use that facility to make my simple parts translate more effectively.
Extremely well-articulated alternative to this philosophy. Far be it for me to attempt to speak for Tosin, but I would bet that he’d agree with everything you’ve said here, too. What I think is cool regarding your point about contextual limitations is that Tosin seems, to me, to seek to create restrictions precisely by innovating (i.e how would I play if I forced myself to abandon the pick? How would I create metal if I forced myself to think in the context of funk? Etc.) I don’t know man, but I love Tosin and I love Malcolm. Blessed contributors to the craft.
Man, Tosin Abasi really inspires me and makes me want to get on his level. His ability forced me to go back and pick up classical guitar to really understand music. Once I understand music and make a classical guitar sing, only then will I be able to make an eight string scream and cry.
He's the only guitarist that makes me regret learning guitar right handed because playing like him is just too much practice. Good vibrato and legato technique took me far less time than it should have but any picking techniques result in many hours of practice with very little progress.
I remember giving this guy lessons here in Texas many years ago. So glad that he got away from the music he was doing at the time. I hear pieces of me in his playing. . .the little nuances that he got to pick up from our hour every other week. Proud of him.
I walked into a club in Madison, Wisconsin in 2009 or so and these guys were playing, my mind was blown. I’ve kind of lost track of them in recent years but I know they are excellent musicians.
Yeah! Javier is a great master too, one learns from the other some of their influences. Check the Instagram of Tosin. instagram.com/p/BVqyYNOA6cf/?taken-by=tosinabasi
I knew after hearing a few songs by Animals as Leaders they were a different type of metal band. I wasn’t at all expecting what I got in terms of hearing them play not just a bunch of wild notes, but extremely technical and complicated music. Great to see how this guy stands alone as well and is interested it other genres.
The other guitarist in his band was one of his biggest influences. That is pretty cool.
Tosin is so humble. His attitude is *very refreshing.*
Javier Reyes
@@Gavinn07 you think it's more overtly condescending to others or more that he's passively condescending by giving himself more reverence than others? Or both? I haven't noticed him being like this yet, but I only found out about him yesterday, so I want to be prepared and not assume this guy is always as nice and cool as he seems so far. We all have obvious flaws and strengths, and it's human to notice people who seem to not be so damn flawed or who are very gifted, and use these outliers as inspiration, but often we end up blind to their other imperfections and end up building them up unrealistically and then getting letting let down.
@@Gavinn07 oh man ok yeah I totally feel that! Man that's actually got to be a tough position in terms of keeping a normal, humble, down to earth mental state. People who are able to be humble and never overstate themselves or have ego over-inflations are even more inspiring. I was absolutely delighted to see Herbie Hancock and how down to Earth he was in a Jacob Collier video about harmony. I've never heard people communicate in piano like they did.
ua-cam.com/video/eRkgK4jfi6M/v-deo.html
I call it "pride in one's abilities". You can be a humble person but take pride in your ability. Pink Floyd would straight up come out and say they were better than everyone, and that's not where he is. He knows he's good and he takes take pride in it, and that can come off as conceit sometimes.
He's seems so down to earth with like ZERO ego and is absolutely brilliant
Can one be as brilliant before losing one's ego?..
Srsly, what do you think?
@@PieceOfDuke Fascinating question, I do wonder. I suppose brilliance can manifest in many ways. People can be geniuses/brilliant in all kinds of very distinct ways, in math, music, physics, anything really. But true geniuses are born geniuses, it's not possible to achieve through study. 5 lifetimes worth of study in physics will still not make your brain work like Einstein's. Brilliant people are called "gifted" for a reason, they're just born wired for a certain thing.
So if you're born either brilliant or not brilliant, then I see no reason you couldn't have an ego. Imagine a 5 year old child shows extraordinary brilliance in a certain skill, and they are told their entire life how amazing they are. There doesn't necessarily need to be any point in their life where they become humble. They can go on being arrogant and egotistical for their whole life, and brilliant the entire time as well.
By asking "Can you possibly even have an ego when you're this brilliant?" you are implying that through the process of learning (and *becoming* brilliant), you inevitably become humble too. But the thing is, you can't "become" brilliant like that, you must be born with it. You have to be wired that way, like Einstein. There is a difference between someone who is really good at something and someone who is truly brilliant. Because brilliant doesn't just mean smart or well read, it means gifted.
Brilliance is most often demonstrated by individuals who are experienced and well-practiced, so it's easy to mistakenly assume that brilliance is attained *through* that experience and practice. But it isn't. No matter how much you practice, you won't suddenly become brilliant. You're born brilliant. We just end up being exposed to the people who are both brilliant and have ambition and experience, so we falsely believe their experience made them that way. But how many brilliant people never had the opportunity to discover their brilliance? A child in afghanistan or africa could have brilliance far exceeding Einstein's, but no one would ever know. We don't get to see all the countless brilliant individuals who never had the chance to learn or practice. But they're still brilliant. It is the learning, the practice, the experience, all of those things that cause someone to become humble. But you can be brilliant without learning, practice, or experience. So without these things to humble you, I see no reason you could not have an ego and also be brilliant.
@@whirlwind872 Seems like you made the meaning of the world brilliant a bit more nuanced for me. (English is my learned language).
Does it have to do with potentiality and ability, and not necessarily the results?..
@@PieceOfDuke Correct. People sometimes use the word brilliant in casual conversation to just mean "smart" but it doesn't _really_ just mean smart. It's more like... exceptionally intelligent.
Note the difference between intelligence and knowledge though. Intelligence (IQ) is based on your genetics, and has to do with your ability to understand concepts and solve problems. Nothing you do will make you more intelligent. You can study hard and become super knowledgeable, to the point that you have memorized every fact on wikipedia, and you will be incredibly knowledgeable - but no more intelligent than before.
Consider the astronomical amount of knowledge the average person has today in 2020. Compared to cavemen from 15,000 years ago, we are WAYYYYYY more knowledgeable. And yet, the intelligence of modern humans is no greater than the caveman's.
But yes, being brilliant just means you are incredibly intelligent. (intelligence of course can manifest in different ways, like math/art/martial arts etc.)
@@whirlwind872 I get your point but disagree on our unability to become more intelligent.
What we inherit is a range of possible values for every trait, and the exact value is influenced by our lifestyle and health. But that's just me being pedantic. Thanks for explaining )
I've followed him since he was a metal core youngster.
Now he's a sophisticated professional.
Metal core? Link pls
Reflux?
@@crumbs72 yes.
Sophisticated professional or, dare I say, an accomplished djentleman?
Now he's Steve Jobs
-Looks at thumb
-Looks at hammer
-"How bad do I want this?"
yeah bro he should join animals as leaders
Too bad I smashed my middle finger with a car door instead of my thumb.
I'm pretty sure that a magic hollow thumb with fifteen handkerchiefs stuffed in it.
Is there any advantage to having a curved thumb like that playing bass?
@@bard416 Ummm...check out Larry Graham's right thumb, sometime Unnatural bend. Works pretty damn good, I'd say.
"He studied with the Wootens." That's a powerful statement in itself.
In other words he studied with a bunch of virtuosos of their respective instruments
goddamn right
and the nicest musician I’ve ever met. been lucky to meet a lot of genuine lovelies, and vic was the warmest of all. and prob the best.
and it literally explains his skill level as well. victor wooten has always been my fav bassist of all time. and honestly, tosin abasi is getting right up there with victor, just playing a different style of music.
Dr. Viktor shining through
I consider myself as a music nerd. But...I've never heard of Tosin Abasi or Animals as Leaders until yesterday. And I am so blown away by this music. They became like instantly on of my favorite bands ever.
Isn’t he amazing
amazing
It’s crazy how fast it happens, right? One day you just find them and it almost consumes you. When I first heard of them I think I listened to their first two albums for like a year straight 😂 and their newest one is on repeat now
@@KimchiFarts damn straight I heard tooth and claw and it was a wrap
@@KimchiFarts I always wondered why noone ever heard of them. I heard Cafo late one night on my local Radio and followed them ever since
i still think he is a robot. he does a damn good human impression here but then he plays and its obvious he is a robot.
like buckethead is a robot, except his human impression sucks
Lol, thanks for that .
he even thinks in "blocks of chords" and "clusters of higher pitch notes".
Best coment I've come across in a long time man... Good one :)
That's it. He's fully updated Buckethead!
Tosin complementing Javier and calling him amazing puts a smile on my face
His playing in AaL doesn't even sound from this planet yet he's so humble and mellow like the ideal human lol amazing talent. One in a million for sure.
*billion
I'm always in awe when watching Tosin, from his playing to just the way he composes and articulates what he's saying. You're never confused when he's talking.
I'm so glad we finally have an extreme guitar god that is healthy and intelligent. We hopefully are going to have him contributing to our art for many more decades to come. So many of our truly gifted artists can't handle it and die before we're ready to let go of them. This guy seems like his head is on straight and he'll be blessing our ears with innovation, our minds with knowledge, and our hearts with inspiration for a long time.
What a beautiful comment.. I really appreciate your perspective there.
It's not enough that he's a guitar god but that his fashion sense is always on point.
Banananaz it's only because his brother dresses him lol.
Banananaz RIGHT!?
Blake Killganon oh! Is his brother in the fashion industry or just has a good taste for it?
Blake Killganon oh! Is his brother in the fashion industry or just has a good taste for it?
His brother is in the fashion industy, look for Abasi Rosborough, that’s his brother’s brand
The guitar continues to be revolutionized every 20-30 years or so. Page, Beck, and Hendrix did it. Satch and Vai did it. Now Tosin and Guthrie are doing it.
No argument intended, but why do you say Guthrie? He seems more like a master of many styles, rather than an actual technical innovator. (No hate on Guthrie at all)
Yvete Young developed a pretty sick technique too
@@jasonaggarwal3450 I think that the style of Guthrie is fundamentally not taking yourself too seriously, and being a counter to the pure, amelodic shred stuff. He's a bit of a popularizer of jazz/fusion sorta thing for folks from a metal background.
Hendrix was garbage idk why people say he "revolutionized guitar"
@@wer13245 Hendrix was garbage? What the actual fuck are you saying? C'mon man, you're better than that. Clearly you haven't studied Hendrix with detail.
"You already know how to play with your left hand."
No, not like you, sir.
Yeah like dude stop reminding me how much I suck
@@sohamsengupta6470 my fretting hand is above par. But to groove it’s harder with the right hand. I still do simple downstroke exercises and finger picking techniques
I was born playing with my left hand. Switching hands is the tricky part. Always lose a stroke.
When I met him in 2004, I told him he reminded me of Steve Vai, in his playing style. He totally scoffed at the idea, and was like "Steve who?" Then a couple years later, he was posing in magazines with him. He is really an amazing guitarist, and Steve has a lot of respect for him
Wow
It's completely possible he genuinely didn't know who Steve Vai was at the time. A lot of people don't know of him unfortunately.
@@anonemoose6622 a career musician as well studied as tosin would definitely know who steve vai was... I don't think that would be the case
@@anonemoose6622 possibly he was just in disbelief and being sarcastic
Is weird that Tosin reminds you of Vai's style. For me they sound so different and their guitar work is focus on different things
This is pretty good. He should join a band
He already has a band its animals as leader
Leaders*
kerem tatar Do you even humor bro?
He IS a band
He should join a band named Animals As Leaders.
0:00 Another Year
0:59 Modern Meat
2:59 The Woven Web
4:14 Ectogenesis
5:10 Physical Education
Paul Phariss thanks man
The thumb slapping and double bass drum kick combo in ectogenesis is possibly the sickest thing I’ve ever heard
Thanks! Also I love your profile pic!
Alex Cruz the intro to Infinite Regression though
You're the man
How do I get one of those thumbs? They sounds amazing.
CRISPR
Apparently by taking the regular thumb you have now, and bending it backwards at a 90° angle.
Be black
Squid Messiah i can get a tan
Learn how to slap bass
Anyone remember when they had the shirt that said, "odds are, we're better musicians than you"?
So many people were pissed off about it but in reality, they're not lying.
It takes hard work to get anywhere on an instrument. People who get pissed about the simple facts are too proud to realize this, they can be better if they put the work in. Likely they won't so they can stay mad. xD
Mediocre people resent competent people. They're reminded of their own inadequacies & lack of discipline.
@@SkeeterMcBeater that and they play in a lot of odd time signatures and poly rhythms
@@tylerforde87 Polyrhythms are great and can be difficult, but that doesn't actually make you a better musician. Music is about expression. Daniel Johnston is better than a lot of bands today but he's pure technical garbage with an awful voice.
@@SkeeterMcBeater Yes. And by the same token, mature people don't brag, nor need to. One can be very competent at a technical skill, and, unfortunately, incompetent emotionally and socially.
That said, I don't know if this anecdote is even true of Abasi, but if so, my guess is -- merely judging by this interview -- that he's probably grown up since then.
Another point: if by "discipline" you merely mean the ability to whiteknuckle, enduring drudgery and hard work, frankly that's an (often) over-rated trait. Hours and hours of pactice doesn't necessarily result in great skill; *effective* and *efficient* practice does. (Ask Govan, he says he didn't enjoy it, he never would've practiced that much.)
A related point: a puritanical attitude in which one feels the constant need to delay gratification and punish oneself is mental illness, not virtue.
A broader point about technical skills in general: even if one has reached a point of perfection in terms of competancy (assuming such a perfect endpoint even exists), that's only virtue in a narrow sense, as in the use of the term in antiquity, i.e. virtus or "prowess." Virtue in a larger sense concerns what you actually *do* with a skill, as skill alone is not a guide to a good choice. In other words, does it follow that because you can do an action, you should? Can you derive an ought from that is?
to me, Tosin Abasi is one of the most, if not the most, brilliant guitar player of his generation
Love his playing and also his thumbs look like boomerangs. Much love.
That's cause its double jointed, DOUBLE DJONTED
Xuen Yung Sim DOUBLE DJENTED
He's got that Jaco thumbs
It's called hitchhiker's thumb, and it's a relatively common genetic thing. Around 30% of people have it.
I have thumbs like that
Just on skill alone, he's basically one of the best guitarists in the world.
But boring as shit. In 20 years no one will no or care about nor remember one of their songs. Sad really because he's talented as a musician. As a songwriter....wellllll. My 2 cents
@@dennismcdonald2607 Maybe prog metal inspired by classical isn’t your thing? All of Animals shit is brilliant.
Post some of your stuff so we can see how it compares.
@@tc5328 lol,don't be one of 'those guys'...I like them and all, but they're not for the gen pop. That's the biggest difference between musicians of yesteryear regardless of prog or what have you, their songs were more accessible. King Crimson, Genesis etc. My 2 cents.
@@dennismcdonald2607 i dunno man, if you sit down and really try and get it into it, it's just gorgeously written music. holds a very special place in my heart, even though i admit it's not the most mainstream haha
of all time
Magic. Pure magic
Sorcery. Unadulterated sorcery.
Random. Pure random notes.
AllKeys JamTracks it is not a music
Tosin Abasi is just showing his picking technique, it took him years and years to develop such ways of playing guitar like the way he does, dont ever desprestige someone's hardwork and dedication
Water pure water
I'm a drummer, so I know guitars very minimally. But it's incredibly fascinating to watch Tosin and learn from him. Love all these videos!
Hearing him talk about the ‘rhythm’ guitarist in his band and how hearing him inspired him to learn classical/flamenco blows my mind. It would appear that Tosin is far and away the talent in his band, but it just goes to show there’s so much more behind the scenes that we’d never know if they never told us. Very cool.
He and Animals as Leaders in general are such a blessing to the "metal" music scene
that's true!
fortunately they're not metal.
@@blackmantram6057 They are to a extent
Jazz metal
dude iam not fan. i respect em. (btw big metal fan) Animals is heavy as fuck, so it has extreme metal influences and sound.
Barber: What would you like?
Tosin: A dollop of hair please.
Gobi Grey 😂😂😂
Say no more
1:45 is this the PlayStation 5 startup sound
echus IDK I'm not from the future like you
.
You meant Windows 95
I just had a look , totally sounds like it xD .
yes
Of all the modern styles that’ve popped up, Tosin’s is the one that actually sounds like music being made. He’s the true heir to what would be considered a “guitar hero”
I remember seeing AaL live and not believing that he was playing without a loop. Whole concert around me and I was just staring, fixated on his right hand. The depth of sound that comes from those three is just unreal, especially so live.
Tosin looks like a Jedi
Therealmatthew 2 But he's dressed like a 60 year old lol
He dresses like a sociology teacher
Andrew Drow He dresses like Robin Williams in good will hunting
All these comments are gold. I'm laughing to death over here
He looks like Tosin Abasi, a guitar player for a band named ANIMALS AS LEADERS.
It’s amazing watching somebody who’s mastered his craft try to explain muscle memory in words. “Uhm, a cluster of chords, and like lower notes below it.” Like he is so used to it he can’t even put it into words.
Tosin is a god of guitar. He is a true pioneer of guitar music
Joshua Batch innovator***** a pioneer would be like Chuck Berry lmao
TickleTrunks Or Allan Holdsworth.
Stfu Chuck Berry
Great technical guitarist. probably the best currently. But he suck at composing. Remind me of Ronaldhino, really gifted soccer player and pretty much can do anything. but if you put him on a team he's not that sharp. he's not gonna bring your team much value.
Unlike C. Ronaldo. eventhough he's not a prodigy, but he's very deadly and very useful and bring great value to the team.
Eventually, people would pick Ronaldo over Ronaldhino
@@CoolAsianGuy you obviously never saw prime Ronaldinho, the guy literally won everything you could possibily win
when he does the muted strumming its already better than most music today. this man is really really talented!
So precise, epic talent right there. Good amount of practise behind those skills. Keep rocking!
I wonder if Tosin and Thundercat will ever collab.
I would cry.
That would be mindblowing
Or a Tosin/Snarky Puppy collab
Ripbooboo that is honestly what I thought the moment I read that 😄
that wouldnt make sense lmao
Tosin is from another planet. What a skilled individual.
>Sees him play line from Ectogenesis
>Looks at The Madness of Many tab book on desk
*[Buyers remorse intensifies]*
Didn't realize there was a tab book. >:)
That end bit is legit like magic. I love when people play guitar and you're not entirely sure how they're making the sounds come out of it without inspecting it.
Tosin Abasi. A man who will teach you more in five minutes than you'll learn from anyone else in five years.
He's such an artist. Even though he's probably one of the top guitar players in the world he's always trying to improve.
Duhhh...how you think he got there???
Hes a computer learning to be human
el stupido Nice name stupido
I am so blessed to have seen you play live with Evan Brewer and Vinny Vinh. Such an amazing show! And your guys were first line up... what a joke! Got to chat with Evan and Vinny in the alley while they warmed up. Bother super cool dudes. I miss me some Reflux ..
Not on the radio and one of the most talented in the world..
talk about a guy with absolutely no pretense. Refreshing. I wish more musicians were like him.
Both him and Javier are inspiring dudes! Love them!
That guitar sounds better as a bass than most bass guitars
Nah, is just bassists' poor taste making bass sound bad
What is bass guitar? Never heard of it
Check out this cat right here, he’s excellent in bumpin and thumpin. With 8 string guitars from Ormsby Guitars instagram.com/ando__san?igshid=szum3ude9ew6
@@code07sam ua-cam.com/video/dooKfC3MvEk/v-deo.html this is a bass guitar.
@@oscarsantos2608 a bit late but i still just gotta let you know. he was joking he knows what a bass is
This guy is a genius. There is no one like him.
Just watched an older video and I don't think it is just the audio quality this guitar sounds so much better than his older Ibanez model he used to play. Beautiful tones. That axe is a gift from the metal tone gods.
Thank god for guys like Tosin on guitar always pushing it forward
This man has the guitar strapped higher than the ergonomic shape rests on his legs now THAT is dedication to technique.
Every time I watch someone be extraordinarily good at something it makes me regret most of my life.
same lmao
Me- What time signature is this song Tosin?
Tosin - yes
A lot of the stuff is odd groupings rather than odd time sigs it seems like tbh
ua-cam.com/video/_a784CUVlY4/v-deo.html
Watch this, you might be surprised. You'd be surprised on how weird you can make 4/4 sound (in a good way).
One of the best guitarists of our time. I have watched that Woven Web riff one million times and I still have no idea how it works
cant believe this interview was nearly 6 years ago, such a revolutionary style
Tosin abasi : play melody and harmony at the same time ..
VOICING : .... Yeah
hahaha
People who dig this but also dig the funkier/jazzier side of things ought to check out Charlie Hunter
Justin Garcia some him live in Charleston.....awesome
Justin Garcia I'm going to try some of those techniques. Charlie Hunter is cool too
Someone Toastin has cited as an influence in the past
Oblique Applications I'm going to start referring to Tosin affectionately as Toasty Tosin.
Crunchy!
whenever I see his haircut, I just start to sing "the cult of personality"
Hearing that Tosin Abasi Learned double thumb technique from Evan Brewer is about the greatest thing I’ve heard all year ! So much awesome in that statement lol!
Its like plucking a harp with one hand and moving the cords around with the other. I love how much this style has built over the years.
Finally, a guitarist who can play his instrument as if it was a bass, and not the other way around! :D
I like how at 2:31 Tosin says "He knew how to do all that double thumping stuff..." as if he were an old man describing some new fad that he doesn't fully understand.
That's basically this entire video though. "Oh hey, if you don't use a pick, you can use all your fingers!" Yeah, it's called fingerstyle....it's how (classical) guitar is actually supposed to be played. I just really don't like this hipster crap.
@@levischorpioen What’s your problem?
@@cyanhallows7809 Like I said: Just don’t like hipster crap. I don’t like people overcomplicating fairly simple concepts.
The way his thumb bends scares me
Look up Jaco Pastorius' thumbs and you'll see a thumb that is about as extreme
TRIPLE jointed
mine bends like this but I guarantee I'm shit on guitar :)
I saw nothing unusual compared to my thumb. I can bend it 90° backwards.
Mine does that too. It's called hitchhikers thumb.
Professor Abassi your work , both guitar design and music works don’t need my acknowledgement after being acknowledged by great friends and artists who have a great admiration for you.
Thank you for your amazing 😉 contribution for all musical humanity.
I could watch and listen to Tosin talk about guitar and making music all day long.
I don't get into prog metal much these days, but Animals as Leaders is incredible
1:16 - Animalsasleezwihme
haha I had to laugh out loud mate, thanks :p
😄😄😄😄😄
xd
Haha I came here to comment this. Dammit
😂 🤣 😂 gold man
This guy is seriously inspiring.
The intro to this video is by far my favorite riff... ever.
Iv been playing guitar for over 30 years and this dude is a guitar god in my eyes. pretty sure any accomplished players can agree 💯👍
I see these dudes playing 8 string guitars and 6 string basses and I can't fathom how they have that sort of reach. I get it, practice, but just look at how enormous that neck is!
That ergonomic fretboard may look a little weird, but I feel like it could be one of the most important innovations in guitar history.
1:00 thats really beautiful
modern meat
Sooo good. Dang. I love that whole album
This is the kind of video I somehow always come back to just to, you know, be amazed.
A True djentleman 😆
I'm not a huge fan of Djent, but I'm a HUGE fan of this comment. :-D
Tosin abasi,the original Djentlemen
Djentelman indeed.
We were just simply implying that he sounds similar to djent. That's all.
@@Salomon_G home slice means that the guitar is kinda djenty looking . But off course animals as leaders arnt anywhere close to djent
Anyone knows where that riff at 4:45 is from ?
Sounds dope !
Found it in comments, it is Ectogenesis by their band Animals as leaders.
The way he plays it here is a bit more attractive to me than in the song. Especially the part higher up on the neck. Still insane song though. And that drumming...
This a beautiful man
I agree. A scholar, true gent. And I find some of the comments hostile and quite strange. Borderline racist. I think they are quite surprised to see a black man with this kind of guitar skill and a sober, studious attitude. It doesn't fit the stereotype they expect. Sad for them.
The way he formulates the passages of his playing is mind blowing. Beautiful style.
I see the most innovative ideas coming from this young man carrying the guitar forward instead of being a copied cliche of days gone past… A very nice spirit in him as well, not in the least full of himself… Wonderful and inspirational playing even to an old school cat like me who grew up on McLaughlin,Holdsworth and Beck!🙏🏻🎶✌🏻🌍
While I admire Tosin greatly, and don’t actually disagree with anything he said… I feel like contextual limitations spur creativity and a tight focus can make one deeply sensitive to nuance. Simplicity as a goal isn’t stupid, it isn’t pointless, and it isn’t easy.
Malcolm Young is very, very hard to imitate, for example. I like the contextual boundaries of being a “Rock Guitar Player”.
I don’t mean that as a challenge to the technical player. I was/can still be interested in becoming as technical as possible.
I want to use that facility to make my simple parts translate more effectively.
Extremely well-articulated alternative to this philosophy.
Far be it for me to attempt to speak for Tosin, but I would bet that he’d agree with everything you’ve said here, too.
What I think is cool regarding your point about contextual limitations is that Tosin seems, to me, to seek to create restrictions precisely by innovating (i.e how would I play if I forced myself to abandon the pick? How would I create metal if I forced myself to think in the context of funk? Etc.)
I don’t know man, but I love Tosin and I love Malcolm. Blessed contributors to the craft.
Never clicked on a video so fast
This guy's gonna be at my local Ted Brown next week for a clinic but I'm at uni California so I can't go. RIP.
you can go to uni everyday, right?
How can he be so awesome, and yet so down-to-earth and nice? Like, he has no discernible flaw.
An excellent critique of his own style, laid out for all to see...in the style of his execution.
When you think tosin was the lead and in reality, he idolize javier more.
Artykmuso well he can't idolize himself really but I see what you are saying
He is the lead guitarist/bassist.
4:40 what is the song ?
Ectogenesis
@@CaptainOffensive 👍👍
@@σκεπτικός Sorry for late responses. You probably know it by now. Haha
When I take LSD how my guitar looks like:
so true looks like those minecraft grid map
i cant see how things can get better than abasi. he's hit peak of guitar playing
Man, Tosin Abasi really inspires me and makes me want to get on his level. His ability forced me to go back and pick up classical guitar to really understand music. Once I understand music and make a classical guitar sing, only then will I be able to make an eight string scream and cry.
He's the only guitarist that makes me regret learning guitar right handed because playing like him is just too much practice. Good vibrato and legato technique took me far less time than it should have but any picking techniques result in many hours of practice with very little progress.
impressive as always from abasi... but can he play ""Old MacDonald Had A Farm""??
He can play the whole farm
What reverb is he using
Flynn Hanbury Tenison a quite ugly one to my ears lol
Strymon Big Sky mostly. Sometimes MXR Reverb and sometimes just the AxeFx.
way to much whatever it is.
Pete Cockcroft - Solarflares what about digotech ups 33b shimmer
Too much
I remember giving this guy lessons here in Texas many years ago. So glad that he got away from the music he was doing at the time. I hear pieces of me in his playing. . .the little nuances that he got to pick up from our hour every other week. Proud of him.
🤣
I walked into a club in Madison, Wisconsin in 2009 or so and these guys were playing, my mind was blown. I’ve kind of lost track of them in recent years but I know they are excellent musicians.
Wait until he discovers the world of flamenco haha
Andy M for all we know he invented flamenco haha
He brings Flamenco influence in some of his songs, listen to AAL new album
J. Júnior That's probably Javier who has a background in flamenco.
He'll get there. I mean his bandmate is a monster flamenco - ist?
Yeah! Javier is a great master too, one learns from the other some of their influences.
Check the Instagram of Tosin.
instagram.com/p/BVqyYNOA6cf/?taken-by=tosinabasi
5:22 Enter Seinfeld
Kemikalsound wat
Kemikalsound don't get it
I get it
thats great
Tosin has the shiniest fingers... and... thats all i have to contribute here.
tosin is really cool guitarist i feel like hes doing stuff i didnt think could be done. i like that he does these videos so i can learn!
I knew after hearing a few songs by Animals as Leaders they were a different type of metal band. I wasn’t at all expecting what I got in terms of hearing them play not just a bunch of wild notes, but extremely technical and complicated music. Great to see how this guy stands alone as well and is interested it other genres.