Li's turning points

Guitarist Li Yanliang (right) and rocker Xu Wei have developed a 20-year friendship in their pursuit of rock music.[Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

Guitarist Li Yanliang has had a long career playing alongside singer-songwriter Xu Wei. The musician has now released a book documenting his journey and giving tips to other aspiring rock stars. Chen Nan reports.

Guitarist Li Yanliang, 46, says there are two moments that were turning points in his life.

The first was when he was 14 years old and walking down the street in his hometown of Luoyang, in Henan province. He saw a man playing guitar and, intrigued by the sound, asked the man to teach him the song. A week later, he could play it as well as the man did.

"Before that, I had never seen the instrument, let alone played it. At that moment I told myself 'I am a guitar genius'," Li says.

The second critical moment came in 1995, two years after Li arrived in Beijing to pursue his music dream. The self-taught guitarist was playing in a studio for an album recording when a skinny, long-haired man approached him, complimented his guitar skills and invited him to play on his album.

He listened to the man's music and was impressed. He immediately agreed to play on the album. That man was Xu Wei. And it was his debut album Elsewhere.

Some 20 years on, Li is one of the most in-demand guitarists in China and Xu is a rock star. The two have collaborated on all of Xu's albums.

Their latest collaboration is a guitar book for learners, launched by Li. The book features 10 songs from Xu's latest album At the Moment, which Li produced and played all the guitar parts on.

Xu says the book records their 20-year friendship and their musical memories.

"I really appreciate everything he has done all these years," Xu says. "He would pick up the phone in the middle of the night to patiently answer my guitar questions.

"We share similar values and attitude toward life, as well as a passion for music. The biggest difference is that he is much more talkative than me."