G'day from Plini, Ask Me Anything (round 2)!

[u/plini_]

I'm a guitarist/composer from Sydney. Just put out a new EP and currently touring Australia with Mestis (Javier from Animals As Leaders) and David Maxim Micic. Ask away!

Edit: Will try to answer a few more tomorrow, thanks for the questions!

[u/Aure0os]

What are your favourite songs to play on the guitar, your own or otherwise?

Got tickets to see you with Tesseract and BTBAM later this year, looking forward to it man.

[u/plini_ → u/Aure0os]

Runnin' With The Devil - Van Halen. See you soon!

[u/zach_buddie]

Hey Plini! So rad that you're doing this.

So I've seen you live twice now (both in the States), once last year on your headlining run with David and Nick, and again this year with TesseracT and Astronoid. Both times, you and your crew's sound was absolutely massive! Such a huge inspiration.

So I was wondering, if you were given the opportunity to tour with any artist that you haven't already, who would it be?

Thanks so much for reading, ya legend!

[u/plini_ → u/zach_buddie]

Thanks! Dream Theater and Steve Vai are both bucket list ones!

[u/Halen_]

Hi Plini!

First, I just want you to know what an inspiration your music is for me--I can remember listening to The End of Everything to give me the courage to propose to my fiance, and earlier this year I ended up in the hospital and your music was a huge part of my recovery. I look forward to listening to it every day. You also reinvigorated my love of the guitar, and I've progressed more on the instrument and with music in general since I first heard you play Atlas, than I had in the previous decade.

Your music tends to have vibe of hopeful positivity in it that I find lacking in many other pieces--is there a certain place of inspiration that you draw from to get those sounds? Or is it simply the expression of what you hear in your own head? Your songs evoke a lot of emotion from me when I hear them, and I strive to get that from my own music but I find it a challenge--what kind of feeling do you get from your own songs when writing/performing them? Thank you! Hope to see you in the US again soon!

[u/plini_ → u/Halen_]

First - thank you! I don't know for sure, but suspect that the positivity comes from me just generally being a very positive person. Even if I try to write something dark or heavy it usually comes out lighter than expected haha

[u/kiet44]

Hey man,

One question :

Do you legitimately feel really awkward whenever you have to interact with the crowd during live shows? Or do you exaggerate it a bit?

P. S. I think it's absolutely hilarious every time you get behind the mic and have to talk, and I wouldn't change a thing / feel the need to watch every metallica live DVD ;)

[u/plini_ → u/kiet44]

Not particularly, it's fun! There are a lot of things we do in soundcheck that I wish I had the gall to do during the set (current fave: Yngwie kicks), but for now mumbling whatever attempt at a joke comes to mind is my comfort-zone :)

[u/[deleted]]

How did you meet Simon? Y’all seem to be really tight.

Edit: Also, I know you dig the new model of the .strandberg*, would you like to have a signature version of that as well or just playing a stock version is fine?

[u/plini_ → u/[deleted]]

There's nothing about the stock version I'd change, so no real need to make a signature version at this point, but maybe once I get to know it better! As for Simon, I was a fan of his band The Helix Nebula and used to hang around his front door until he accepted me as a friend

[u/xLawling]

Will you come to Portugal?

[u/jvms]

Hey Plini, huge fan here and I've got a few questions for you, if you don't mind:

1 - Would you mind telling us what is you composition and arranging process?

2 - What is your recording and mixing process? I'd really love to know how you are able to get so many guitars under control.

3 - How do you usually set your patches on the Axe Fx. Ever tried using EQs, filters and compressors to make it more like a mixed tone?

4 - Any tips for learning actual chords for us metalheads that are stuck with power chords?

5 - What are you usually using for keyboard sounds?

6 - Come to Brazil/Chile.

[u/plini_ → u/jvms]

1 - it always varies, but something like: noodle until a cool idea appears, record the idea, add other instruments to see what it could sound like as part of a real song, start building sections from there

2 - the shortest answer is: years of trial and error with balancing different tones and different instruments

3 - some very light EQing and compression like I would use a compressor pedal, I don't do anything hugely different between recording and live tones

4 - like someone said below, hopefully my Guitar World video will help with this :-)

5 - Komplete Library stuff or Alchemy

6 - Love to!

[u/dnk_0]

Hi Plini! I absolutely love your music, it's helped me out in so many ways. My question is: how do you go about writing and building solos? I've been learning from your tab book and it blows my mind how creative they are, especially Electric Sunrise.

[u/testgoat]

Whats a non-metal/prog/rock band or artist that you dig

[u/questin]

What steps did you take to get your chops on guitar? You have some licks that are very fast and i wonder if you had a teacher or just learned a bunch of virtuoso songs and started making your own songs after?

[u/srankie]

In instrumental music it's important to develop a unique, distinct style so your solos are distinguishable from other players. For example, your solo on Libra is distinct from the rest of the playing on the song. How did you develop your style and what advice would you give to beginner soloists?

[u/plini_ → u/srankie]

Copy the way all your favourite guitarists articulate and phrase, and then try to develop your own taste from there. Once you've borrowed from enough different places and internalised and personalised them, your 'style' will start to emerge from the blend!

[u/LockLearner]

Do you have any tips for being a more positive person? I know you're not a therapist, but I feel like positivity absolutely radiates from your music.

[u/xLawling]

did you learn scales or harmony? anything about music theory?

[u/plini_ → u/xLawling]

Basic modes and chord extensions, but most of my thinking comes from the ear first

[u/David1792x]

Hey Plini! Greetings from Mexico.

Is there any interest on moving from Axe-Fx and digital modelers to the tube amp and analog kind of rig like Aaron Marshall, Tosin and other prog metal/rock artists did?

Love your music, thanks!

[u/Trondertun]

Hey plini. Your music has been extremely influential to my guitar playing over the past couple years and I wanted to ask. What advice would you give to other Prog artists finding it hard getting music out there? Also how can you afford to live in Sydney?

Ps. Sorry I can't make the brissie show it's 18+

[u/Terperial]

1. Are you playing Every Piece Matters when you come on tour to Europe (Norway) later this year? Saw you in Birmingham last year and was bummed you didn't play it.
   Looking forward to the show no matter what tho!

2. What's your favourite thing about touring?

[u/chaosandcohesion]

Hi Plini,

Thank you for your incredible music. I discovered your music at a time in my life I needed something fresh, and now I’m a hardcore fan of yours for life.

Would you ever upload some sessions from your recording process? Talk about how you track, mix, arrange, plugins, tone, or anything related to your arranging, performing, and composition in your bedroom studio.