Polyphia’s Tim Henson demonstrates jaw-dropping ‘God Hand’ 8-string slapping riff - and teaches you how to play it

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The trap-shred prodigy teaches you his latest Tosin Abasi-inspired thump lines

Tim Henson has certainly been keeping his YouTube channel busy throughout quarantine, sharing new compositions, jams with Ichika Nito, and now a mind-blowing new ‘God Hand’ riff - and a lesson on how to play it.

Henson goes on to break down each section of the riff slowed down and in detail. As he points out, the thump technique is a trick he learned from fellow 21st-century guitar hero Tosin Abasi, and full tab and backing track are available from Henson's website, w6rst.com.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Henson has wowed us with extended-range instruments - he also used an eight-string to great effect along with Scott LePage on Polyphia’s colossal Look But Don’t Touch. You can watch their Guitar World playthrough of the single below.

Michael Astley-Brown
Michael Astley-Brown
Editor-in-Chief, GuitarWorld.com

Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and 15 years' experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. His writing also appears in the The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.