Zakk Wylde says this about Malmsteen !!!

[DannyBoy]

he pretty much invented neoclassical shred . and neoclassical itself .. Uli Roth kinda did neoclassical first but yngwie put it in chipmunk mode and owned everyone at the time . his style hasn't changed for 20 or 30 years now ... but who cares .. the guy is crazy and one hell of an entertainer haha . i downloaded the concert . took about 15 hours but i got it ... its not as good as i thought it would be , he shredds too much and doesnt stick to the song properly at times . tries too hard to shred on acoustic too ... but overall the tone and performance is outstanding and you gotta respect him for doing it at such a level

[VHF]

Originally Posted by dannyboy

.. its not as good as i thought it would be , he shredds too much

But that's pretty much all he does as far as I know....maybe I need to hear more.

[Kai Yakamashii]

play his stuffs and u will respect him cos its not as easy as it looks!

[Danny Danzi]

Originally Posted by Goport

yngwie is brilliant. He subscribed to Rock Star Behaviour Monthly and he lives it. I respect people that actually enjoy their celebrity. But that aside - I do admire malmsteen. He brought a whole new angle to rock music in a way that no-one had ever done before. His speed, articulation and flair on his first 3 albums alone are enough to justify his talent. Odyssey is a great lp too. He is a product of the 80's - much in the same way Page is a product of the 70's and Hendrix is a product of the 60's.

He gets pigeonholed as a harmonic minor shredder but that is unfair. Malmsteen basically invented shredding. But all the shredders that followed really couldn't hold a candle to him. Don't get me wrong - Gilbert Vai McAlpine Vinnie Moore are all great players but Malmsteen literally exploded on the scene.

The fact that guitarists talk about arps ostinatos etc are all down to his inventiveness. He took paganini's style and sped it up and applied it to guitar, even though the violins tuning makes it (relatively) easier to perform. Even the scalloped fretboard idea is pretty stunning when you think about it - it does make the instrument harder to play and he still manages to play it so gracefully at outrageous speed. People often overlook the sheer aggression of his playing - there is real violence there and he switches from a soft deftness of touch to an all out attack in a millisecond. Yes his songs are terrible but as a guitarist he is still a fucking legend and a very (unintentionally) entertaining one at that.

I love him - we need real rock stars - not Liam Gallaghers.

Mr. Goport, very well said my friend!!! I don't know that he invented shredding, but I can tell you this, he definitely brought neo-classical to the mainstream public and did it like no other. If we listen to early Becker, Vinnie Moore, Tony MacAlpine, Stephen Ross, Richie Kotzen, Greg Howe and just about any other Shrapnel shredder, they all tried to incorporate Yngwie's licks. It doesn't matter who did it first or who did it better, the fact remains he brought it to the publice eye first, so it became his "thing".

Just like everyone gives EVH credit for tapping, we all know it's isn't him that created it...but he DID present it in a language in which the rock community adored. I heard Frank Marino from Mahoghany Rush doing that before Eddie was even signed...but Frank didn't get it quite right to where it made people's jaws drop. The reason being, he did it more as a trick where Ed implemented it into his style.

Same can be said about Yngwie. I never heard anyone sweep pick and run harmonic minor scales and extreme phrygian modes until he came out. Sure it can be heard in Jazz and classical music, but we're talking mainstream rock. I can still remember when I first heard Yngwie. I was on my way home from Six Flags Great Adventure theme park. I crank up the radio as to not fall asleep on the 2 hour ride home, and all of a sudden, 93.3 WMMR plays this Alcatrazz song with guitar that was so incredible, I swear to God I had to pull over to the side of the road because I could not believe what I was hearing!!

No one played guitar like that EVER on the radio. After the initial shock factor of Yngwie was gone, all the clones followed, but they of course wound up achieving their own identity eventually. But if you think about it, they still do it today to an extent. Michael Romeo, Rusty Cooley....sure, it's more refined, a bit cleaner, faster, but who does it sound like at the end of the day? Who do you think of first when you hear that type of playing?

To me, anyone that downs Yngwie either doesn't understand or can't comprehend his brilliance, or possibly they're just jealous. The man is a genius and has been playing this way since he was 16 yrs old. Remember a band called Steeler? I think it's his perogative to play that way repetitively if he see's fit. Not to mention, he is one of the best movers on stage that I have ever seen. Anyone ever try to move like that and not miss a note? I can't do it, I can tell you that much.

Ok, we can agree that maybe he's not for everyone, and that's ok too....can't please everyone. But what he does, I think he does better than anyone else and is definitely a true guitar god in every way, shape and form. Like him or hate him, I think it's pointless for anyone to say he sucks. It's ok to not be down with how someone plays, but it's not good for a musician to not appreciate something, even if it isn't your bag. Especially if you are a guitarist. I mean hell, the man plays blues, classical, shred, you name it...he can do it. How many of us can really say the same, and are we as proficient as he is?

I'd like to hear the reasons people think he sucks, then I'd like to hear them play. He's got phenominal vibrato, Steve Vai mentioned in an article that he has the most perfect finger intonation he's ever heard, he's got a good tone, plays fast, plays slow, plays with emotion, shreds his ass off, has written some incredible tunes, plays classical like a maniac, writes orchestra scores...what can we say sucks about that? His ego may suck, and the way he's treated fans and band members has always been something we've been told "sucks", and ok, some of the lyrics are cheesy. (Some of my lyrics are pretty cheesy too, but that doesn't stop chicks from loving them) Other than that, can we really down the guy?

I just like to give credit where credit is due. I often tell people that don't appreciate something, to try and learn it to see if the challenge is enough to make them change their minds. Sometimes when you try your hand at something, it forces you to live in another realm. One you may not be used to. This can make you appreciate something more when you attempt the mechanics behind it.

Ah who knows, maybe I'm just biased, but I can tell you, the shock factor I got the first time I heard Yngwie far surpassed the feeling I got when I heard "Eruption". And that's pretty scarey for me to admit to as EVH will always be my favorite guitar hero.

[Stiglar]

I was quite into Yngwie at one point , he definately doesnt' suck , his tone and playing is great , if you've ever watched one of his instructional videos you can see just how absolutely precise his fingers are with vibrato and picking etc .. it's amazing ,

having said that i kinda just got a bit sick of him after a while , but that's more me than him , i really respect artists that keep their own style for a long time , people rag players like yngwie and bands like acdc for apparently making the same album over and over and over but that's their style ! if they deviated from that you can imagine the kinda uproar that would encur !

I never really liked yngwies blues playing either , it just seem so fake to me and never really fit the blues covers that he did , for what he does though he is unbeatable and i'll always havea few of his cd's at home to listen to on ocassion

[Kai Yakamashii]

Originally Posted by Danny Danzi

Mr. Goport, very well said my friend!!! I don't know that he invented shredding, but I can tell you this, he definitely brought neo-classical to the mainstream public and did it like no other. If we listen to early Becker, Vinnie Moore, Tony MacAlpine, Stephen Ross, Richie Kotzen, Greg Howe and just about any other Shrapnel shredder, they all tried to incorporate Yngwie's licks. It doesn't matter who did it first or who did it better, the fact remains he brought it to the publice eye first, so it became his "thing".

Just like everyone gives EVH credit for tapping, we all know it's isn't him that created it...but he DID present it in a language in which the rock community adored. I heard Frank Marino from Mahoghany Rush doing that before Eddie was even signed...but Frank didn't get it quite right to where it made people's jaws drop. The reason being, he did it more as a trick where Ed implemented it into his style.

Same can be said about Yngwie. I never heard anyone sweep pick and run harmonic minor scales and extreme phrygian modes until he came out. Sure it can be heard in Jazz and classical music, but we're talking mainstream rock. I can still remember when I first heard Yngwie. I was on my way home from Six Flags Great Adventure theme park. I crank up the radio as to not fall asleep on the 2 hour ride home, and all of a sudden, 93.3 WMMR plays this Alcatrazz song with guitar that was so incredible, I swear to God I had to pull over to the side of the road because I could not believe what I was hearing!!

No one played guitar like that EVER on the radio. After the initial shock factor of Yngwie was gone, all the clones followed, but they of course wound up achieving their own identity eventually. But if you think about it, they still do it today to an extent. Michael Romeo, Rusty Cooley....sure, it's more refined, a bit cleaner, faster, but who does it sound like at the end of the day? Who do you think of first when you hear that type of playing?

To me, anyone that downs Yngwie either doesn't understand or can't comprehend his brilliance, or possibly they're just jealous. The man is a genius and has been playing this way since he was 16 yrs old. Remember a band called Steeler? I think it's his perogative to play that way repetitively if he see's fit. Not to mention, he is one of the best movers on stage that I have ever seen. Anyone ever try to move like that and not miss a note? I can't do it, I can tell you that much.

Ok, we can agree that maybe he's not for everyone, and that's ok too....can't please everyone. But what he does, I think he does better than anyone else and is definitely a true guitar god in every way, shape and form. Like him or hate him, I think it's pointless for anyone to say he sucks. It's ok to not be down with how someone plays, but it's not good for a musician to not appreciate something, even if it isn't your bag. Especially if you are a guitarist. I mean hell, the man plays blues, classical, shred, you name it...he can do it. How many of us can really say the same, and are we as proficient as he is?

I'd like to hear the reasons people think he sucks, then I'd like to hear them play. He's got phenominal vibrato, Steve Vai mentioned in an article that he has the most perfect finger intonation he's ever heard, he's got a good tone, plays fast, plays slow, plays with emotion, shreds his ass off, has written some incredible tunes, plays classical like a maniac, writes orchestra scores...what can we say sucks about that? His ego may suck, and the way he's treated fans and band members has always been something we've been told "sucks", and ok, some of the lyrics are cheesy. (Some of my lyrics are pretty cheesy too, but that doesn't stop chicks from loving them) Other than that, can we really down the guy?

I just like to give credit where credit is due. I often tell people that don't appreciate something, to try and learn it to see if the challenge is enough to make them change their minds. Sometimes when you try your hand at something, it forces you to live in another realm. One you may not be used to. This can make you appreciate something more when you attempt the mechanics behind it.

Ah who knows, maybe I'm just biased, but I can tell you, the shock factor I got the first time I heard Yngwie far surpassed the feeling I got when I heard "Eruption". And that's pretty scarey for me to admit to as EVH will always be my favorite guitar hero.

this is very well said!! i loved it

[somethingwild]

Yngwie has talent no doubt about it. but theres a couple of facts being over looked:
Scalloped neck: Ritchie Blackmore ( guitarist from Deep Purple) used one before Yngwie did, where do you think Malmsteen got it from?
and while we are on the subject, if you listen to the guitar work on alot of Deep Purple stuff, it sounds alot like Yngwies playing, cept maybe Yngwie's is faster. even Malmsteen admits that he was heavily influenced by deep purple.
Also, the real version of the 5th Caprice is played alot faster on violin then the version I hear yngwie do. I could be wrong about this last one tho.
dont get me wrong tho hes an excellent player, he did alot of the shred movement and everything but some of his so called "clones" have far surpassed him. Becker barely sounded anything like yngwie on his later stuff and he was a far mre accomplished player IMO.

[Danny Danzi]

Originally Posted by somethingwild

Yngwie has talent no doubt about it. but theres a couple of facts being over looked:
Scalloped neck: Ritchie Blackmore ( guitarist from Deep Purple) used one before Yngwie did, where do you think Malmsteen got it from?
and while we are on the subject, if you listen to the guitar work on alot of Deep Purple stuff, it sounds alot like Yngwies playing, cept maybe Yngwie's is faster. even Malmsteen admits that he was heavily influenced by deep purple.
Also, the real version of the 5th Caprice is played alot faster on violin then the version I hear yngwie do. I could be wrong about this last one tho.
dont get me wrong tho hes an excellent player, he did alot of the shred movement and everything but some of his so called "clones" have far surpassed him. Becker barely sounded anything like yngwie on his later stuff and he was a far mre accomplished player IMO.

Somethingwild, I'm not trying to give you a hard time or start a debate, but the facts you've listed don't really hit home to me, no offense. Scalloped fretboard or not, Yngwie will always sound like Yngwie. The issue isn't about gear, or who did what better, know what I mean? Ever hear anyone else cover the 5th caprice in the rock realm before Yngwie did? You mention his work sounding a lot like Purple.....though he was heavily inspired by Blackmore, I've never really heard this in his playing to be honest, though others have said this. I own quite a few Purple albums, but for the life of me, I can't hear the similarities. Could you give a few "for instances" so I can look into this please? I'd really like to hear what others are hearing if you could be kind enough to help me out...thanks.

You mention Becker barely sounding like him in later compositions...it's safe to say all the clones I mentioned eventually came into their own as I stated in my initial post, it's the early stuff I'm talking about. There's no denying the obvious and blatant similarities. Regardless if the clones did it first, there's really no proof of that in the eyes of the mainstream public and the guitar audience.

Stig: I can completely respect that, and believe it or not, as I sit here speaking about how influential he has been, I too admit to just having enough. I've had enough of just about all instrumental guitar to be honest. After imprisoning myself with it for over 15 years, I needed another outlet. It's true that many players have raised the bar since EVH and Randy Rhoads started (in my humble opinion at least for me) the guitar wars of the 80's. From there the playing got more technical, more precise and pretty much a bit more stale in certain aspects. Guitar players sounded more like machines than weapons of emotion.

This is why I needed something more, so I got into songwriting. When my weapon of choice becomes a competition, there comes a time when we have to ask ourselves "why do we play"? So I feel ya bro...it all got old to me too and it took me some time to really find myself. But I think we all go through that phase of wanting to be the fastest gun, have the mind-blowing technique etc. Not everyone, but most players. That competitive edge is a good thing, but too much of it can really change your path and it can sometimes effect why you started playing in the first place. I'm just glad that I woke up one day.

[somethingwild]

haha its cool man im a human being and its a discussion thats the point of the message baord is it not?
well I was mentioning the scalloped neck becuz someone else said smoething about it its too early in the morning and I hav an exam so I'll look for it later.
off the top of my head I cant realy think of an y instances where purple and yngwie sound the same. all be it im not the biggest purple or malmsteen fan.
as Is aid this post isnt doing much for discussion haha its tooe aryl and I have an exam today. after I get home ill try to back up my post a litttle better.

[Danny Danzi]

Originally Posted by somethingwild

haha its cool man im a human being and its a discussion thats the point of the message baord is it not?
well I was mentioning the scalloped neck becuz someone else said smoething about it its too early in the morning and I hav an exam so I'll look for it later.
off the top of my head I cant realy think of an y instances where purple and yngwie sound the same. all be it im not the biggest purple or malmsteen fan.
as Is aid this post isnt doing much for discussion haha its tooe aryl and I have an exam today. after I get home ill try to back up my post a litttle better.

For sure, and I wasn't trying to be argumentive or upset you in any way. Some things get lost in text, hopefully you didn't take me the wrong way. If you can give me a few songs to check out, I'd really appreciate that. I wasn't asking you to do that as a dare...lol...I'd really like to hear these, as I've heard others mention this also. I just never bothered to ask anyone until now. Thanks in advance.

[Bulldog]

Its simple Malmsteen is a real guitar hero!

Most guitar heros came from the 70's & 80's for me, who in the 90's & from there on can you name to be a guitar hero, 1 maybe.

Infact since the 80's guitarists have got worse not better, coming up with the no solo bullshit, & its all about the song & the Vocals.

Well for me its all about the Music, the ability aswell as the feel & sound.
I listen to the music first and the song second, sure a quality vocalist is fantastic, but its not the be all and end all for me.
I get a buzz out of the music behind it, Malmsteen gave use a different style,
disapline to aim for, a new benchmark.
Just like those b4 him, VH, Hendrix, Paige, Clapton etc.

Rising force & Trilogy were my fave albums, they wowed me when they hit the street, and they still do today, even after the boom of guitarists who tried to copy his style, they still sound fresh.

look at Rock music over the last 30 years, they are no more advanced today as they were back then, playing wise, infact the majority are worse.
Look from the 50's to the 80's theres a massive advance in guitar techniques & abilities.

We have witnessed the birth and expansion of the guitarist, and Malmsteen
wether you like him or not was a big part of that.

The thing is, the way the UK is going, we aint gonna be contributing to Rock music, or guitarists, as all we put out these days are childrens Nursary Rhymes.

We still rely on the old Rockers from the 70's / 80's.
Which says it all.

Anyway Rock on Malmsteen.

stay cool
Bully

[Roy Bratbakken]

¨
I just saw Malmsteen play Sweden Rock Festival 2 days ago!
He kicked some serious butt up there!!!!

As did Black Label Society and Sammy Hagar!

Rock'n'Roll!!
Roy.

¨

'

[Kai Yakamashii]

Originally Posted by Danny Danzi

Somethingwild, I'm not trying to give you a hard time or start a debate, but the facts you've listed don't really hit home to me, no offense. Scalloped fretboard or not, Yngwie will always sound like Yngwie. The issue isn't about gear, or who did what better, know what I mean? Ever hear anyone else cover the 5th caprice in the rock realm before Yngwie did? You mention his work sounding a lot like Purple.....though he was heavily inspired by Blackmore, I've never really heard this in his playing to be honest, though others have said this. I own quite a few Purple albums, but for the life of me, I can't hear the similarities. Could you give a few "for instances" so I can look into this please? I'd really like to hear what others are hearing if you could be kind enough to help me out...thanks.

You mention Becker barely sounding like him in later compositions...it's safe to say all the clones I mentioned eventually came into their own as I stated in my initial post, it's the early stuff I'm talking about. There's no denying the obvious and blatant similarities. Regardless if the clones did it first, there's really no proof of that in the eyes of the mainstream public and the guitar audience.

Stig: I can completely respect that, and believe it or not, as I sit here speaking about how influential he has been, I too admit to just having enough. I've had enough of just about all instrumental guitar to be honest. After imprisoning myself with it for over 15 years, I needed another outlet. It's true that many players have raised the bar since EVH and Randy Rhoads started (in my humble opinion at least for me) the guitar wars of the 80's. From there the playing got more technical, more precise and pretty much a bit more stale in certain aspects. Guitar players sounded more like machines than weapons of emotion.

This is why I needed something more, so I got into songwriting. When my weapon of choice becomes a competition, there comes a time when we have to ask ourselves "why do we play"? So I feel ya bro...it all got old to me too and it took me some time to really find myself. But I think we all go through that phase of wanting to be the fastest gun, have the mind-blowing technique etc. Not everyone, but most players. That competitive edge is a good thing, but too much of it can really change your path and it can sometimes effect why you started playing in the first place. I'm just glad that I woke up one day.

well said at last somebody who shares the same opinion like me

[Jeffery Bravo]

yngwie made alot of ppl pick up the guitar. And sorry to say, but he came b-4 alot of the later shredders (who need to pay him royalties for steling his chops and music). I mean all ppl have influences, but yngwie's was Blackmore, and a malmsteen tune doesn't sound like a blackmore tune. if there were no yngwie, there would be no Beckers, Joe stump, marty freidman, racer x-yes paul gilbert admitted that he wanted to have yngwie's chops. nuff said.

[Stiglar]

I just wanted to add also that al di meola has a very similar style to yngwie in some respects and shredded like buggery as early '73-74 , i have some acoustic solo spots he has done that just scream yngwie almost 10 years before he came on the scene !

not saying yngwie nicked his style off him , but my point is you'll always find someone that predates whoever it's all influences and how they make them their own and yngwie definately brought the style to the public and made it his own