Li draws influences from rock, all subgenres of metal as well as video game music and often mimics sounds from popular retro games from the late 80s, early 90s arcade, and PC games. For example, Li has been known for making several Pac-Man-like noises in the song "Through the Fire and Flames" on Inhuman Rampage. His playing style consists of fast descending and ascending legato and staccato licks, exotic scale runs, making extensive use of the harmonic minor and Phrygian dominant scale, extreme use of his whammy bar, quick full ascending and descendingsweep picking arpeggios, alternate picking and two-handed tapping on the higher frets as well as incorporating many other shred guitar style techniques. Recently, he has started to use a device called the Hot Hand that sits on his right hand like a ring, which causes extreme vibrato when shaken, giving him a greater capacity to emulate certain video game sounds. Li has stated Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Tony MacAlpine guitar playing heavily inspired his own style. Li is left-handed, but plays guitar right-handed.
Equipment
Guitars
Li uses Ibanez E-Gen guitars, his signature Ibanez models based on his old Ibanez S Series, which was retired from stage at the end of the Inhuman Rampage tour. The EGEN18 has a "Transparent Violet Flat" finish, and the EGEN8 has a "Platinum Blonde" finish. Both have a rosewood fingerboard and gold hardware. The E-Gen model has many unique features and improvements over a standard S, including its versatile tone selection with coil tap switching for both the bridge and neck pickups, Edge Zero bridge, custom DiMarzio HLM pickups and an extended scoop on the lower horn of the body, as well as a "Kung-Fu grip" on the upper horn shaped by Li's hand. It is currently Ibanez's flagship model for S body style guitars. On 9 May 2010 Li announced via Facebook that he had received a custom-made Ibanez 7-string guitar. No details are known yet about this guitar, other than it has seven strings, and it is unknown whether it will be mass-produced for his E-Gen signature line. Before the E-Gen, he had been known to play Ibanez S Prestige guitars. An Ibanez S470SOL, a seven string Ibanez 540S7 , and an Ibanez S540FMTTS. He has also been seen playing an Ibanez S2170FB and an Ibanez S2170FW. He also owns an Ibanez Jem7BSB, which has been used on every DragonForce album for recording rhythm guitar parts, an Ibanez J Custom RG, an Ibanez RG2228, and a PRS Modern Eagle, which he received as a gift from Paul Reed Smith and can be seen in the studio.
Amplifiers and effects
Li is currently building a brand new rig, as stated on his official website:
