Video of Yngwie playing close up.

axisus · July 2023

OK, I realise that the ego Swede is not that admired a guitarist around here, and that is fair enough, but I personally like some of his stuff, and I can certainly appreciate his ability.

I just found a video showing a close up of him playing Far beyond the sun, and I found it interesting. His left hand floats around in an incredibly effortless way. Lovely vibrato and bends. It's a cool video as it shows three views simultaneously. His picking hand also looks incredibly economical.

The sort of playing I like generally is very 'physical', eg like Philip Sayce, it's good to see other stuff though.

I've always fancied having a really good try on a scalloped neck at some point. I picked one up in Coda many years ago for an unplugged noodle, but that's my only experience. Maybe I will make one for my strat as a new project ...

And just by the way, I thought he would have skinnier fingers, more Vai-ish. He doesn't have sausages, but they are quite thick.

viz · July 2023

Also the amount of volume knob control and pickup selector switch work he does is impressive. Always listening to his own tone and adjusting it. Ugly music though.

Danny1969 · July 2023

What I do like about it is he plays it like he means it. There's a voice there and it's one that's come from finding his own way forward rather than the voice of someone who's got good copying other people note for note .. and sadly using the same Helix \ Kemper etc patches like so many guitarist these days.
Not my kind of music either though and not something I would listen to generally. It is something to admire technique wise though.

DrCornelius · July 2023

I need to see clips like that to remind me of why I liked him so much back then .

sweepy · July 2023

Mental but bloody brilliant

Stevepage · July 2023

Going by the video, his action looks a lot lower than I thought he had. I always thought he played with very high action but 8-48 gauge strings. Doesn't seem that high at all.

He's certainly a machine of a player. At a Birmingham guitar show around 10 years ago, he turned up to play a set after Jennifer Batten. He was late (due to a delayed flight), came on stage, blew everyone away then buggered off. He didn't miss a note and played with fire. That performance made me realise how he still gets to drive around in Ferraris and wear leather trousers

dindude · July 2023

Not my cup of tea but there is a visceral energy to his playing that is missing from many of technical guys

octatonic · July 2023

axisus said:

And just by the way, I thought he would have skinnier fingers, more Vai-ish. He doesn't have sausages, but they are quite thick.

Why?

Having thin fingers has nothing to do with your ability to wiggle them quickly.
Have you ever seen Danny Gatton play?

fastonebaz · July 2023

Chris Brooks on Instagram has the same efficient picking technique mastered.

axisus · July 2023

octatonic said:

axisus said:

And just by the way, I thought he would have skinnier fingers, more Vai-ish. He doesn't have sausages, but they are quite thick.

Why?

Having thin fingers has nothing to do with your ability to wiggle them quickly.
Have you ever seen Danny Gatton play?

No reason other than I thought he would have. I've seen before that finger shape makes no difference to ability.

Lewy · July 2023

One of my favourite guitar instrumentals. I'm surprised by how much improvisations he did in that video.

Obviously he's a complete loon and he's capable of producing some of the most embarrassing music you could ever hear (see his blues album for evidence of that) but in this mode he's untouchable. That tone and vibrato!

Lewy · July 2023

axisus said:

I've always fancied having a really good try on a scalloped neck at some point. I picked one up in Coda many years ago for an unplugged noodle, but that's my only experience. Maybe I will make one for my strat as a new project ...

I’ve had a Malmsteen strat for a few months now, primarily because arthritis in my fretting hand is starting to make its presence felt and I wanted to see if it would be easier to bend strings and do big vibrato etc.

It is easier, and to boot it’s a really really good strat. It takes virtually no adjustment to get used to the scalloping and despite everyone talking about pressing too hard going out of tune etc I’d say you’d have to be pretty ham fisted for that to happen for lead playing. Energetic barre chords… maybe need to be a bit less physical.

hollywoodrox · July 2023

Love yngwie , have had 2 scalloped a Japanese yngwie and a regular Japanese strat
I think the Japanese are shallower scallops . I’ve got a gf air bit of yngwie stuff .I like Joe stump too who is a clone and a teacher at Berklee (the Boston one not the California one )

welshboyo · July 2023

My 1st ever Starlicks Video was the Malmsteen one so I've got bit of a soft spot for good ol' Yng.

Never tried a scalloped neck, must try 1 day and if I could get a Strat to sound like that I'd be a happy man..

EDIT - and thinking about it, he is the reason for my love of large headstock Strats too...

Zapple · July 2023

He might have gone completely off the rails musically (for me anyway) after Eclipse, and of course he's completely out there but you got to respect Yngwie. Unbelievable talent, followed his own path and never backed down. Complete legend. Trilogy is the reason I picked up a guitar (still trying to figure out how he does it). Hadn't listened to him in a longtime but I heard Icarus Dream Suite the other day....wonderful.

Jota · July 2023

Zapple said:

He might have gone completely off the rails musically (for me anyway) after Eclipse, and of course he's completely out there but you got to respect Yngwie. Unbelievable talent, followed his own path and never backed down. Complete legend. Trilogy is the reason I picked up a guitar (still trying to figure out how he does it). Hadn't listened to him in a longtime but I heard Icarus Dream Suite the other day....wonderful.

Facing the Animal is a great, great record.

Zapple · July 2023

Jota said:

Zapple said:

He might have gone completely off the rails musically (for me anyway) after Eclipse, and of course he's completely out there but you got to respect Yngwie. Unbelievable talent, followed his own path and never backed down. Complete legend. Trilogy is the reason I picked up a guitar (still trying to figure out how he does it). Hadn't listened to him in a longtime but I heard Icarus Dream Suite the other day....wonderful.

Facing the Animal is a great, great record.

I’ll give it a listen!

Lewy · August 2023

For anyone with Truefire All Access this course is up now. I've had a quick look through - it's standard Yngwie tutorial fare - i.e. he doesn't really explain anything in detail he just plays it but at least you have tabs and can loop/slow down.

Reverend · August 2023

I much prefer early Yngwie to any of the other shredders. I also like the other bands of the scene he came out of.

Bezzer · August 2023

Lewy said:

For anyone with Truefire All Access this course is up now. I've had a quick look through - it's standard Yngwie tutorial fare - i.e. he doesn't really explain anything in detail he just plays it but at least you have tabs and can loop/slow down.

I had a look too ... tabs that are (sadly and unusally for Truefire) wrong. The trilogy one is tabbing notes that make it impossible to play and don't match the video immediately above it.

Not a problem if you're paying attention but if you're going JUST from the tab it's going to be a struggle.

But either way, Yngwie is a bloody legend, that's amazing and yes the blues album should be avoided at all costs!

FelineGuitars · August 2023

I was fond of his playing from the Alcatraz days up till the early or mid '90s but his ego did seem to be/get out of control.
I think his playing was very cleanly executed back then - still has it going on now but not quite as cleanly executed as it used to be. Always laughed that he denied the Blackmore influence so much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvGQ9jzTbB0

musteatbrain · August 2023

Having a look at this video, he picks much lighter than I thought. He's very efficient with it all

DLM · August 2023

He has to: the top strings are eights, down to Eb – pick too hard and you'll be way out of tune.

CaseOfAce · August 2023

AS Setzer is to rockabilly guitar, Malmsteen is to (neo-classical) shred. Top of the heap. Stunning player.

He really did set the guitar world on fire when he came to prominence back in '88 and the Odyssey album. We'd just had Satriani and the Surfing album and then ... this came along. Jaws dropped.

Wannabe's around the world barricaded themselves in their bedrooms practicing phrygian dominants and diminished sweeps...

The usual criticism is it's flash over substance etc... but .. listen to that intro he plays on Crystal Ball. Wow....and that solo.
There's nothing artificial in the way he uses sweeps as well.. you don't even realise he's doing them - it's just such a natural part of his style.

hollywoodrox · August 2023

Economy of movement his right hand only seems to appear fast when he hits a fast tremolo picked run , wonderful to see & hear

prowla · August 2023

To me he's like Ritchie Blackmore sped up to 45 rpm.

I do like some of the humour in his interviews & videos, though I'm not sure it's all intentional.

Reverend · August 2023

CaseOfAce said:

AS Setzer is to rockabilly guitar, Malmsteen is to (neo-classical) shred. Top of the heap. Stunning player.

He really did set the guitar world on fire when he came to prominence back in '88 and the Odyssey album. We'd just had Satriani and the Surfing album and then ... this came along. Jaws dropped.

Wannabe's around the world barricaded themselves in their bedrooms practicing phrygian dominants and diminished sweeps...

The usual criticism is it's flash over substance etc... but .. listen to that intro he plays on Crystal Ball. Wow....and that solo.
There's nothing artificial in the way he uses sweeps as well.. you don't even realise he's doing them - it's just such a natural part of his style.

Malmsteen made his name long before Satch. He was being lauded on the metal underground by the start of the 80s. Even before Alcatraz,

DLM · August 2023

Yes, when he claims to have influenced Metallica, he's probably right, I'd take the bet that Lars got his music on the tape-trading scene well before Yngwie flew to the US with The Duck and a spare pair of jeans.

relic245 · August 2023

Can't get that tune out of my head now it's so catchy. I'll likely be whistling that all bloody day now

Having said that (in a tongue in cheek way) I am in awe of his technical ability. I don't care for his music but as a guitarist I can appreciate what he does and the amount of effort that it must have taken to get to that level.

CaseOfAce · August 2023

Reverend said:

CaseOfAce said:

AS Setzer is to rockabilly guitar, Malmsteen is to (neo-classical) shred. Top of the heap. Stunning player.

He really did set the guitar world on fire when he came to prominence back in '88 and the Odyssey album. We'd just had Satriani and the Surfing album and then ... this came along. Jaws dropped.

Wannabe's around the world barricaded themselves in their bedrooms practicing phrygian dominants and diminished sweeps...

The usual criticism is it's flash over substance etc... but .. listen to that intro he plays on Crystal Ball. Wow....and that solo.
There's nothing artificial in the way he uses sweeps as well.. you don't even realise he's doing them - it's just such a natural part of his style.

Malmsteen made his name long before Satch. He was being lauded on the metal underground by the start of the 80s. Even before Alcatraz,

That might well be true Reverend - but in terms of becoming known by most rock guitarists it was well into the mid-80s. I'd certainly never heard of Alcatraz until after then (and I've never heard a single record by them either even now).
There was a whole roster of shredders on Shrapnel Records back in the 80s - Malmsteen amongst them - who people would only have known about from reading the occasional Guitar World magazine column,

It wasn't until he teamed up with Joe Lynn Turner and got songs together that guitarists started tracking back and hearing the likes of Black Star and Far Beyond the Sun.

axisus · August 2023

I have to admit that I've come back and watched bits of the video a few times now, I'm completely entranced by the effortless way he is playing. And the way he skips a few strings and frets to do that tiny trill occasionally - amazing! happens in a fraction of a second. I honestly think I have a newfound appreciation of him now.

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Video of Yngwie playing close up.

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