# New Polyphia Single - Playing God



## ItWillDo (May 10, 2022)

I wasn't blown away by some of their latest work as it was starting to get monotonous, but I didn't expect that a change of instrument in the same style would result in such a fresh breath of air.

Also, does anyone have more info on the guitars they're playing here?


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## Emperoff (May 10, 2022)




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## Edika (May 10, 2022)

Nice composition and insane playing but it really sounds quite similar to their other stuff, just with semi acoustic nylon string guitars. I'll listen to it more of course as I like their tunes!

Since they make so much effort for the drums to sound like trip hop drums, why not have the dude play an electronic kit? Because acoustic drums certainly don't sound like that lol.

On another note, I think Tim's style is now transitioning to a Japanese metal band/starring in an Anime kind of thing lol.


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## wheresthefbomb (May 10, 2022)

They shoot their videos in really cool locations.


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## odibrom (May 10, 2022)

... nylon string guitars sound bad when picked with a plectrum... the guitars' tone is not appealing to me... nor the drums... cool playing...


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## Kaura (May 10, 2022)

Impressive but unpleasant. Really don't dig the "chilling but also full on shred" vibe on this one. I liked them more when their songs were actual songs and not just going up and down the fretboard with some trap drums keeping the beat. Like "Crush" for example, that song is Polyphia at its finest, if you ask me.


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## ExMachina (May 10, 2022)

Yep, impressive, sounds like...polyphia


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## jaxadam (May 10, 2022)

Sounds like they played this wrong.


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## Wc707 (May 10, 2022)

I have their other albums, but this really feels like a big helping of riff salad with no really good hooks.


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## Jonathan20022 (May 10, 2022)

jaxadam said:


> Sounds like they played this wrong.



I dig Polyphia quite a bit, but this is a hard slap in face to Meola/Lucia 

It's "similar" in the use of instrument type, and chording genre but that's it


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## CanserDYI (May 10, 2022)

I'm super whelmed by this release.

It's not bad, by any stretch of the word, I'm just really desensitized by virtuoso music. 

Tim's face the entire time just screamed even he was bored with it.


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## spudmunkey (May 10, 2022)

Edika said:


> Since they make so much effort for the drums to sound like trip hop drums, why not have the dude play an electronic kit? Because acoustic drums certainly don't sound like that lol.


Because electronic drums look dorkier than headless guitars (I say as someone who totally gets the appeal and wouldn't mind owning one someday).


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## wheresthefbomb (May 10, 2022)

I hate this band but I'm glad Tim Henson is out here looking like he does making life a little more awkward for all the fucking squares in the house.


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## syzygy (May 10, 2022)

spudmunkey said:


> Because electronic drums look dorkier than headless guitars (I say as someone who totally gets the appeal and wouldn't mind owning one someday).


It could also be that electronic kits are miserable to play. Maybe I just haven't found the right one yet, but they're all so uncomfortable and you have to alter your drumming technique pretty significantly when drumming on electronic kits. It's super easy to build bad habits. 

As far as the song goes, I liked it a lot. Not sure about the nylon tone (sounded really bad over Youtube compression, but when I listened to it on Apple Music later it was fine) but the addition of some Latin influences into the Polyphia fusion thing they have going on was pretty neat. Stoked to hear more stuff from them!


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## Bloody_Inferno (May 10, 2022)

ItWillDo said:


> Also, does anyone have more info on the guitars they're playing here?



They're LACS variants based on the old Talman Intermax TMX nylon string. 

It'd be cool to see them come back, even as Polyphia sigs after this song blows them up.


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## shredmechanic (May 10, 2022)

Meh


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## mmr007 (May 10, 2022)

I liked that a lot more than I expected and I agree where they shot the video was cool. That said something about the drums didnt work for me


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## Chanson (May 11, 2022)

The first intro section of the song sounded indistinguishable to me from all of their other stuff. Aside from the acoustic quality. I like the concept on paper, but they have a unique vibe that they don't seem to deviate much from, and it doesn't work for me.


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## narad (May 11, 2022)

Full of those zoomer harmonics I keep hearing about


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## OmegaSlayer (May 11, 2022)

There's something that makes me unable to bear Tim Henson as an individual.
Don't hate him, but I find him annoying, maybe it's his emo vibe, dunno.
But these 4 guys are insanely good, all the respect on the musicianship and skills.


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## Emperoff (May 11, 2022)

narad said:


> Full of those zoomer harmonics I keep hearing about



But what about boomer bends?


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## Anectine_Matt (May 11, 2022)

I dig the shit out of it, but I consistently like their output. Love the latin/flamenco vibes and looking forward to their new album whenever it comes out.


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## Edika (May 11, 2022)

I do like their creative titles they have for their songs (well not songs as there's no singing) and this is has a nice double meaning that can cater to both fans and haters. The video can support either interpretation.

I'm not sure if it's the Youtube compression but this sounds like an acoustic version of their electric sound, full of twang!


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## Ben Pinkus (May 11, 2022)

Really liked the video locations - was looking for somewhere similar for my band atm (and struggling) 
Enjoyed this more than some of their stuff actually, it just seemed to sit better with me coming from a nylon string (think I've gotten a bit bored with the tone these types of bands were using previously)


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## Esp Griffyn (May 11, 2022)

Using nylon strings doesn't stop it sounding super-played out to me. They seem to have got stuck in one gear. I get it, the trap-hop with harmonics is their "thing" that sets them apart somewhat, but it sounds tired now.


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## sakeido (May 11, 2022)

well that was boring

Weren't they collaborating with rappers on this album? let's hear something with vocals


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## mastapimp (May 11, 2022)

OmegaSlayer said:


> There's something that makes me unable to bear Tim Henson as an individual.
> Don't hate him, but I find him annoying, maybe it's his emo vibe, dunno.
> But these 4 guys are insanely good, all the respect on the musicianship and skills.


Are you familiar with the term "backpfeifengesicht*"?*


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## Agalloch (May 11, 2022)

I feel like these dudes have such a highly-specific style that all their stuff ends up sounding the same. It kind of reminds me of those lo-fi playlists I put on in the background while I work--every song blurs into the next because they're so uniform in _vibe_. Can we call this one lo-fi shred?


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## shpence (May 11, 2022)

ItWillDo said:


> Also, does anyone have more info on the guitars they're playing here?


I'm curious as well.


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## syzygy (May 11, 2022)

mastapimp said:


> Are you familiar with the term "backpfeifengesicht*"?*


A disappointing Animals as Leaders song?


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## jaxadam (May 11, 2022)

I guess I just don't like music anymore.


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## Vegetta (May 11, 2022)

The Drummer is the best part of the band.


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## OmegaSlayer (May 11, 2022)

mastapimp said:


> Are you familiar with the term "backpfeifengesicht*"?*


Now I am, thanks 

But not necessarily that, it's just that I'm an old fart born in the late '70s


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## MemphisHawk (May 11, 2022)




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## Dooky (May 11, 2022)

Nah, big ol' snoozefest if you ask me


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## soul_lip_mike (May 11, 2022)

Getting a neck tattoo sure is an interesting choice.

Any time I see shit like that all I can think of is what that person will look like when they're in their 70's with saggy skin.


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## jaxadam (May 11, 2022)

soul_lip_mike said:


> Getting a neck tattoo sure is an interesting choice.
> 
> Any time I see shit like that all I can think of is what that person will look like when they're in their 70's with saggy skin.



My wife got a butterfly on her back when she was 18 and now it looks like a bat.


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## Hollowway (May 11, 2022)

I loved New Levels New Devils almost exclusively because of the rhythmic elements. This has some of that, which is cool, but I’d probably place it between their old stuff and NLND in terms of how much I like it.


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## Hollowway (May 11, 2022)

soul_lip_mike said:


> Getting a neck tattoo sure is an interesting choice.
> 
> Any time I see shit like that all I can think of is what that person will look like when they're in their 70's with saggy skin.


The better question is what will a blacked out neck look like in their 70s, cuz that’s what all the cool kids are doing. (Not hating - I actually like the look. It just paints you into a corner.)


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## OmegaSlayer (May 12, 2022)

jaxadam said:


> My wife got a butterfly on her back when she was 18 and now it looks like a bat.


I have tiger stripes on my arms, I guess I'll look like a zebra


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## narad (May 12, 2022)

I listened to it and then had this one song stuck in my head all day. The one song was G.O.A.T. though.


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## DEUCE SLUICE (May 12, 2022)

So….what are the odds that those guitars come out at NAMM?


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## Naxxpipe (May 12, 2022)

Extremely skillful musicianship, but at the end of the day it is still just fretboard wank right up there with the 80's guitar heroes. Not my cup of tea.


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## brector (May 12, 2022)

OmegaSlayer said:


> I have tiger stripes on my arms, I guess I'll look like a zebra


Liger!!!


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## Demiurge (May 12, 2022)

Can't really knock the widdley skills, but I can't stand the shitty piezo sounds enough to enjoy it.


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## Matt08642 (May 12, 2022)

I wonder if people would be less concerned about their tattoos if Polyphia made music they enjoyed


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## GunpointMetal (May 12, 2022)

soul_lip_mike said:


> Getting a neck tattoo sure is an interesting choice.
> 
> Any time I see shit like that all I can think of is what that person will look like when they're in their 70's with saggy skin.


Whenever I see old people with cool tattoos I think "Damn, that person did whatever they wanted in their life and that's fuckin' cool."


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## jaxadam (May 12, 2022)

GunpointMetal said:


> Whenever I see old people with cool tattoos I think "Damn, that person did whatever they wanted in their life and that's fuckin' cool."



When I was a kid, I went through a punk rock stage and would wear a mohawk and dye it all different colors. Well, one day I went and sat on a bench next to this old man waiting on the bus. He kept looking over at me and so I said "What's a matter old man, you never do anything wild when you were young?" And he looked back at me and said "Well, I once fucked a parrot, and I thought you might be my son!"


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## SCJR (May 12, 2022)

OmegaSlayer said:


> There's something that makes me unable to bear Tim Henson as an individual.
> Don't hate him, but I find him annoying, maybe it's his emo vibe, dunno.
> But these 4 guys are insanely good, all the respect on the musicianship and skills.



Yeah live and let live and all of that but he's pretty hard to take for me as well. It would probably help if I liked their music more. 

I respect the production and the talent but I think the best way to describe their music is that it is not even one ounce more than the sum of its parts.


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## Wildebeest (May 12, 2022)

I just find these guys wholly unpleasant. Even their promo pictures make me feel bad. Incredible talent, but please just keep it away from my eyes and ears.


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## GunpointMetal (May 12, 2022)

jaxadam said:


> When I was a kid, I went through a punk rock stage and would wear a mohawk and dye it all different colors. Well, one day I went and sat on a bench next to this old man waiting on the bus. He kept looking over at me and so I said "What's a matter old man, you never do anything wild when you were young?" And he looked back at me and said "Well, I once fucked a parrot, and I thought you might be my son!"


Weird, my dad told me the same joke when I was in middle school dying my hair a bunch of weird colors.


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## RadoncROCKs (May 12, 2022)

Wildebeest said:


> I just find these guys wholly unpleasant. Even their promo pictures make me feel bad. Incredible talent, but please just keep it away from my eyes and ears.



Scott seems really chill and cool. He also writes some awesome licks and solos that are more melodic than TIm's IMO.

Tim has seemed like an arrogant prick in some of the interviews I've watched. I respect his talent and he's doing some crazy things with the guitar, but he has a "I'm better than you and know it" vibe.

I like Polyphia, but had to get used to their new Chon-esque sound since New Levels New Devils - much prefer Muse and Renaissance where it didn't seem like they were pegged into one particular sound. Now can they even write a song without using natural harmonics? I get they wanted to shed the djent/shred vibes from Inspire but now they're just as locked into another sound but on the other end of the spectrum.


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## syzygy (May 12, 2022)

RadoncROCKs said:


> Scott seems really chill and cool. He also writes some awesome licks and solos that are more melodic than TIm's IMO.
> 
> Tim has seemed like an arrogant prick in some of the interviews I've watched. I respect his talent and he's doing some crazy things with the guitar, but he has a "I'm better than you and know it" vibe.
> 
> I like Polyphia, but had to get used to their new Chon-esque sound since New Levels New Devils - much prefer Muse and Renaissance where it didn't seem like they were pegged into one particular sound. Now can they even write a song without using natural harmonics? I get they wanted to shed the djent/shred vibes from Inspire but now they're just as locked into another sound but on the other end of the spectrum.


I don't actually have an issue with Tim, but I 100% agree that Scott writes some sick stuff. He's criminally underrated compared to Tim.


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## ItWillDo (May 16, 2022)

Playthrough dropped, always fascinated by how tight & articulate they are off-record as well.


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## Ikaruga (May 16, 2022)

soul_lip_mike said:


> Getting a neck tattoo sure is an interesting choice.
> 
> Any time I see shit like that all I can think of is what that person will look like when they're in their 70's with saggy skin.


lol ok


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## mastapimp (May 16, 2022)

ItWillDo said:


> Playthrough dropped, always fascinated by how tight & articulate they are off-record as well.



My favorite part was the fake whistling at the end.


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## RevDrucifer (May 16, 2022)

This _isn’t_ GOAT on classical guitars?


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## c7spheres (May 16, 2022)

This is probably my favorite overall song I've heard from them so far because of the gutiar vibe. It's like they combined classical/Spanish, elevator music, trap beats etc super tight.

- I Imagine a scenario lIke he's wasted after a show and just walking in and out of mini marts at night and all the people and obstacles he encounters along the way. It ends as he gets in the elevator and goes back up to his hotel. He just went out for some more boxed wine cause it's all he could get in that city on tour. - Hey, it's what I saw in my head when I heard it. no offense meant. 

- And the whistling.. - after about 5 times I truly felt like I was in a waiting room at a gynocoogist office my girlfirend would force me to go to with her. I don't even have a girfiend atm. No, it's wating in line at 3am at the mini mart to pay the guy and your half asleep and wasted. That's the vibe. Awesome! : )

I don't know a lot about these guys, and even though the guitars are obviously masterful, I really enjoy the bass most. Not sure if it's an electronic combination or not with real bass but it's nice to vibe with. I just vibe it and don't think about it. I think the bass is the best written part of the song because of it's gelling abilities. 
- New respect for these guys on this one for using the technical in a more tasteful/less flashiy way and getting on with song structures and overall vibes. I read a thing Tim talking about that and it seems he delivered on that area. I notice he uses the hybrid picking techinique, which I do to, but he's 100x better at it and half my age. I can watch his hands now and see if I can get better. Pretty cool they (people like Tim and Steph from Deftones etc) do play throughs now. You can learn a lot by watching their technique. It used to be so hard to find a good shot of anyone good at playing a guitar to study them. This is great. HIs action must be really low.


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## Lan (May 16, 2022)

That's probably my fav Polyphia track right now. I picked that one because it comes with tabs at the bottom of the video.


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## davemeistro (May 16, 2022)

ItWillDo said:


> Playthrough dropped, always fascinated by how tight & articulate they are off-record as well.


Idk man, at 1:53 - 1:54 you can hear that what the guitar is playing does not line up with what his hands are doing. At least I'm hearing a hammer-on/pull-off thing that I'm not seeing.

I have no doubt that the guy can play it well, but I'm assuming the take has been edited, and is probably not as inhumanly tight and articulate as what we're hearing. Bummer, I was looking forward to hearing what it sounds like without any editing at all.


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## c7spheres (May 16, 2022)

I wonder if Tim does the tabs himself since it links to their official tab page from his personal page on that video. If he does them himself for that song and with that video of him playing it'd be worth the $5 they want to study it. Lots going on in this one. Looks like the hardest part is that harp guitar technique (if that's what it is) and just fingering the chord shapes that fly by. Excuse to by nylon string guitar brewing.



DEUCE SLUICE said:


> So….what are the odds that those guitars come out at NAMM?


 There not for sale? Did Ibanez do it again?


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## MemphisHawk (May 17, 2022)

davemeistro said:


> Idk man, at 1:53 - 1:54 you can hear that what the guitar is playing does not line up with what his hands are doing. At least I'm hearing a hammer-on/pull-off thing that I'm not seeing.
> 
> I have no doubt that the guy can play it well, but I'm assuming the take has been edited, and is probably not as inhumanly tight and articulate as what we're hearing. Bummer, I was looking forward to hearing what it sounds like without any editing at all.



That's literally the easiest part of the whole song. It looks like it's all there to me but there's all kinds of tricks out there. If you listen to the fast run that takes you to the end of the song on headphones, there is some definite "slop" in there. I use the term slop only as a way to point out that it sounds like some unintended notes are being played and he left it. More specifically he misses two notes that are in the recorded song at 2:43 - 2:45 and it sounds like he biffs another one shortly there after. If he was going to edit it, he would have fixed that up I imagine.


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## Lorcan Ward (May 17, 2022)

Looks and sounds legit. Set the video to 50% and it all lines up with slides and string noise, it doesn't have chords ringing out when fingers are lifted or midi sampled runs which is the give away. This kind of guitar style is mostly mimed/faked on IG but Tim is the real deal. He has to play these songs live so it is no surprise seeing him nail a play through. 

2.2 million views on their new video in a week. I didn't realise they were that popular.


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## Emperor Guillotine (May 17, 2022)

Bloody_Inferno said:


> They're LACS variants based on the old Talman Intermax TMX nylon string.
> 
> It'd be cool to see them come back, even as Polyphia sigs after this song blows them up.


You sure that they are not just custom thinline solidbody nylon-strings (like what so, so, so many big-box brand offers nowadays) but just with a FR body shape? Nothing about the guitars looks particularly interesting or noteworthy.


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## ItWillDo (May 17, 2022)

Emperor Guillotine said:


> You sure that they are not just custom thinline solidbody nylon-strings (like what so, so, so many big-box brand offers nowadays) but just with a FR body shape? Nothing about the guitars looks particularly interesting or noteworthy.


The fretboard has the typical Tim-LACS vine inlay:


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## NoodleFace (May 17, 2022)

c7spheres said:


> I wonder if Tim does the tabs himself since it links to their official tab page from his personal page on that video. If he does them himself for that song and with that video of him playing it'd be worth the $5 they want to study it. Lots going on in this one. Looks like the hardest part is that harp guitar technique (if that's what it is) and just fingering the chord shapes that fly by. Excuse to by nylon string guitar brewing.
> 
> 
> There not for sale? Did Ibanez do it again?


I read or heard that Tim often writes all the guitars on his PC first then learns them. Can't say if that's the case for every song, but if so it'd make sense he tabbed it.


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## SCJR (May 17, 2022)

c7spheres said:


> Excuse to by nylon string guitar brewing.



Just a heads up you'll probably have to file the bridge a bit to get the action to where these kinds of lead runs are doable. Even though it was slightly lower action than a conventional classical guitar out of the box, my Godin Multiac needed some filing to get it to where I wanted it. Somewhere between kinda low/standard electric action and really low acoustic action is where it now sits.

Also I'll assume you'd be looking at something you can plug in and you probably already know this - but if you bring the action way down on a nylon you're going to reduce the volume and overall quality of the unplugged/acoustic tone. Doesn't matter if you'll mostly be plugging and the Godin still sounds pretty good unplugged but just a thought.


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## neurosis (May 17, 2022)

I agree with pretty much all you guys are saying. They have a vibe that can come across as "bratty".

But it's all intentional and they don't care to alienate who doesn't "get it". I appreciate the commitment to a vision these guys have. The musicianship is off the charts and they are actually doing something of their own which not much music getting attention out there can claim. I also do not care much for hip hop but think it's really cool how they are adopting some of that workflow and using programming to push what you can do with the guitar. They are in a class of their own and will go only go further. I'll take three Polyphia songs I don't like for every one I do. Any day.

I hate the new video but I love the song. Then again what Polyphia video hasn't been a fancy backdrop to the music.


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## c7spheres (May 17, 2022)

NoodleFace said:


> I read or heard that Tim often writes all the guitars on his PC first then learns them. Can't say if that's the case for every song, but if so it'd make sense he tabbed it.



Thanks. That sounds like the hard way to write a song to me, but he's like a music genuis and can probably read/write well. Probably hears it in his head or something.
- I gotta look into his history more. I'm more interested in the HOW they look at things/guitar/writing and learned stuff and do techniques than learning the song but this one looks like it'd be fun to try. - Sometimes you get those 'lightbulb' moments and it makes you better. - I remember a long time ago some Guitar World lessons that were supposedly passed down from Hendrix to a freind of his of something like that and it was a huge evolution in my own way of looking at everything on guitar. I imagine theres a bunch of stuff like that in this song, especially for nimbly stuff. 
- I always warm up by playing Bouree in E min by Bach (one of the few things I still remember) and it has similar hand stuff going on. If I play it really light and nimbly it's like this songs type of hand movements going on. This song is way harder than that though. Probably a level 10 on the classical rating system (it only goes to 8) and I think Bouree is rated a 6 or 7 or something. I only have my 7 string though and I think with this one I'd need the real deal nylon to pull it off. I don't think I could play this song clean or up to speed at all, but at least I'd have a nylon string! : )



SCJR said:


> Just a heads up you'll probably have to file the bridge a bit to get the action to where these kinds of lead runs are doable. Even though it was slightly lower action than a conventional classical guitar out of the box, my Godin Multiac needed some filing to get it to where I wanted it. Somewhere between kinda low/standard electric action and really low acoustic action is where it now sits.
> 
> Also I'll assume you'd be looking at something you can plug in and you probably already know this - but if you bring the action way down on a nylon you're going to reduce the volume and overall quality of the unplugged/acoustic tone. Doesn't matter if you'll mostly be plugging and the Godin still sounds pretty good unplugged but just a thought.



Thanks for the info on that. Always been interested in the Multac, the Keisel one's and pretty much any 7 string versions. I like the thin body stuff too. I want a 7 string but this one has that high access and thin body, plus for this work the low string may not be missed. What I really really want for an acoustic/ nylon someday is an Emerald though.


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## Emperor Guillotine (May 17, 2022)

ItWillDo said:


> The fretboard has the typical Tim-LACS vine inlay:


Oh, I was solely talking about the nylon-string things.


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## Vres (May 17, 2022)

No memorable riffs but their technicality almost overcomes it. It's just a different sound.


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## OmegaSlayer (May 18, 2022)

Tried to study GOAT a little bit
The dude is the master of the subdivisions
If you learn to solfeggio/count the song before learning to play it (or you can use Konnakol) the study the of the song is way easier
Saying that, I watched an interview with Tyler from Music Is Win, the dude gave me that vibe of kid drinking, doing acid, etc...I'm not to condemn the behaviour, but I don't like people that make a character out of being eccessive, as I think we had left the 80s from a while


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## SCJR (May 18, 2022)

I don't think anyone here is overly-condemning this kid for his personal aesthetic or the general attitude of the band. But if we can be honest with ourselves we can admit that the majority of those who find Tim or Polyphia as a whole to be compelling - not on their instruments but as personalities - are probably not that far north of 18 years old, if at all.


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## Jonathan20022 (May 18, 2022)

SCJR said:


> I don't think anyone here is overly-condemning this kid for his personal aesthetic or the general attitude of the band. But if we can be honest with ourselves we can admit that the majority of those who find Tim or Polyphia as a whole to be compelling - not on their instruments but as personalities - are probably not that far north of 18 years old, if at all.


There's not much downside to that, one of my best friend's little brothers has an interest in drumming because they thought it was "cool" that the other Tim was combining trap beats into his playing, even if just in writing.

Kids these days think this kind of aesthetic is cool nowadays, so whatever the individuals do is also considered "cool" to them. As far as I'm concerned, there's been more musicians resulting from musical families but it's typically your dad with classic rock roots. It's almost predictable the kind of journey the kid will take learning guitar and shifting interests musically before ending up where they want to be sound wise. (AC/DC -> VH -> Ozzy -> Metallica -> etc).

I'd think it's almost way more interesting hearing a slightly older musicians jump from Hip Hop/Rap/R'n'b into the prog-sphere just by virtue of a band like this and where their journey takes them.

At the end of the day, there's probably more net-positive effects to this kind of mish mash than the opposite. You don't have to like Tim or his music to really admit that.


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## SCJR (May 18, 2022)

Jonathan20022 said:


> There's not much downside to that, one of my best friend's little brothers has an interest in drumming because they thought it was "cool" that the other Tim was combining trap beats into his playing, even if just in writing.
> 
> Kids these days think this kind of aesthetic is cool nowadays, so whatever the individuals do is also considered "cool" to them. As far as I'm concerned, there's been more musicians resulting from musical families but it's typically your dad with classic rock roots. It's almost predictable the kind of journey the kid will take learning guitar and shifting interests musically before ending up where they want to be sound wise. (AC/DC -> VH -> Ozzy -> Metallica -> etc).
> 
> ...



I agree with all of this. I'm not proud of my mid-2000s swoop haircut (think Alesana, early Blessthefall, etc) and way-too-skinny jeans but I certainly had a great time in high school and don't regret them either. Every age group has its version of this.

I was speaking more to the extremes of the spectrum, one side being something like blindly bashing his choice of tattoos and hairstyle with the get-off-my-lawn mentality and the other being the present day paradigm of feeling the need to be apologetic for your opinions, especially if they lean traditional.

Am I reading too much into it? Maybe. But I can't exactly deep dive on Polyphia and the like with the average citizen so I do it here 

Edit: Well upon retrospect, maybe one or two guys here were being overly critical lol.


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## Protestheriphery (May 18, 2022)

narad said:


> Full of those zoomer harmonics I keep hearing about


I hear a lot of this stuff all over Veil of Maya's tracks, too. All these robotic buzzes and beeps, and just a glitchy, choppy vibe. I dig it, but I'm noticing a pattern, specifically with the fanbase.


Edika said:


> Nice composition and insane playing but it really sounds quite similar to their other stuff, just with semi acoustic nylon string guitars. I'll listen to it more of course as I like their tunes!
> 
> Since they make so much effort for the drums to sound like trip hop drums, why not have the dude play an electronic kit? Because acoustic drums certainly don't sound like that lol.
> 
> On another note, I think Tim's style is now transitioning to a Japanese metal band/starring in an Anime kind of thing lol.


The first thought I had was "D00d is a whole Korean boy band member, it's all good tho".


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## neurosis (May 18, 2022)

c7spheres said:


> Thanks. That sounds like the hard way to write a song to me, but he's like a music genuis and can probably read/write well. Probably hears it in his head or something.
> - I gotta look into his history more. I'm more interested in the HOW they look at things/guitar/writing and learned stuff and do techniques than learning the song but this one looks like it'd be fun to try. - Sometimes you get those 'lightbulb' moments and it makes you better. - I remember a long time ago some Guitar World lessons that were supposedly passed down from Hendrix to a freind of his of something like that and it was a huge evolution in my own way of looking at everything on guitar. I imagine theres a bunch of stuff like that in this song, especially for nimbly stuff.
> - I always warm up by playing Bouree in E min by Bach (one of the few things I still remember) and it has similar hand stuff going on. If I play it really light and nimbly it's like this songs type of hand movements going on. This song is way harder than that though. Probably a level 10 on the classical rating system (it only goes to 8) and I think Bouree is rated a 6 or 7 or something. I only have my 7 string though and I think with this one I'd need the real deal nylon to pull it off. I don't think I could play this song clean or up to speed at all, but at least I'd have a nylon string! : )
> 
> ...


I can't find the video where he breaks down some of his flow in Ableton but here's a sample.



Much of it is writing on the computer, then trying to emulate the midi for whatever parts are relevant on the guitar. He combines synth, keys, pads, drums... whatever feels right and incorporates some of that into his approach on the instrument. 
I like the flexibility of Ableton and do similar stuff for bears and noise with my projects. Most of my guitars are looped. I have done processing back and forth of sounds because I am interested in how sound degrades and what artifact come from it but the way he does it, where he will take what's in the computer and transpose it for guitar is definitely new. Intuitively he's found a workflow that is partly informed by what the machine can do and then he takes the challenge of forcing the guitar to do the same. I think that's really cool and quite frankly shows the potential of what computers can do int he right hands. He's definitely really creative with his approach.


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## DiezelMonster (May 18, 2022)

jaxadam said:


> I guess I just don't like music anymore.


This is the funniest thing I've read today, and the most relatable.


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## DiezelMonster (May 18, 2022)

it might be that I'm old but this is incredibly boring to me. I also haven't heard a lot of Polyphia because I'm just not interested, but after watching this I watched a few other videos and I'm just bored......


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## ItWillDo (May 18, 2022)

SCJR said:


> I don't think anyone here is overly-condemning this kid for his personal aesthetic or the general attitude of the band. But if we can be honest with ourselves we can admit that the majority of those who find Tim or Polyphia as a whole to be compelling - not on their instruments but as personalities - are probably not that far north of 18 years old, if at all.


I think that probably applies across all generations. Kids around 16-24 are quite impressionable and still searching for a way to express their identity and (non-)conformity: 



















I think for every one of these pictures, you can probably make a fairly educated guess on the what the associated music style is they listen to, purely derived on aesthetic.


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## Dayn (May 18, 2022)

I didn't bother looking it up, but I accidentally came across it on Youtube.

I liked it. It was neat.


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## sylcfh (May 19, 2022)

Polyphia fans are the kind of people who think Chris D'Elia is funny.


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## Protestheriphery (May 19, 2022)

sylcfh said:


> Polyphia fans are the kind of people who think Chris D'Elia is funny.


Ive checked out his pod, here and there, but I usually turn it off after 5 minutes. Sooner or later, he starts talking about “working on his issues in therapy”. Miss me with that shit.


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## sylcfh (May 20, 2022)

Protestheriphery said:


> Ive checked out his pod, here and there, but I usually turn it off after 5 minutes. Sooner or later, he starts talking about “working on his issues in therapy”. Miss me with that shit.




Considering his fanbase is the same age, Polyphia should hire security for their female fans.


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