Speaking with Ultimate Guitar's Justin Beckner, DragonForce guitarist Herman Li talked about leaving Ibanez Guitars after many years of playing the company's instruments. He also talked about all the guitars he has in his collection, what he looks for in an instrument and more. Following is an excerpt from the in-depth interview.

UG: I've heard you say, in your streams, that you weren't a very quick learner. I think everyone has encountered struggles on their journey learning to play guitar. What helped you push through those challenges?

Li: "I think even in school, there are people you'll see who are really good at stuff and they don't need to practice or study, they just always pass the exam. Some people are half asleep in class and they don't really care. I'm not that guy. I'm the guy who has to work to get it. The only way to get it is to practice and practice. While the super talented guys, they can do it while they're getting drunk. I'm not that guy. I think most of us aren't that guy and we don't need to hate those guys, we just need to practice and focus our energy on that. That's really how I did it."

UG:What does your practice routine look like these days?

Li: "These days, I practice on stream and it challenges you on a different level. Can you talk and play at the same time? Can you read your chat at the same time? Can you belly-rub your dog with your foot while you play a guitar solo while on a stream? So I do silly stuff like that. I'll rub my dog's belly with my foot while he's laying on his back while I'm trying to do the guitar solo to a DragonForce song. It challenges your mind so you can play with all the distractions so that when you play on stage, you're able to perform.

I think there are so many great guitar players that you see on YouTube and on social media and their technique is awesome but they have never really played outside that perfect environment at home with a camera. Some are specialists in making really good videos, and that's really cool but playing on stage is a different skill that you have to learn. It requires you to think differently. So, I'm just spreading the word that this is another way to practice and this will help you when you play on stage one day. But you still need to play on stage to really know the feeling of what it's like when you're playing outside your perfect environment."

Read the complete interview here.