Yngwie Malmsteen

Other names aren't muttered only by guitarists either. I'll bet Yngwie's fan base is 90% guitarists... because his technique is very impressive, he attracts them; because his music isn't very impressive, he doesn't attract others.

90% guitarists ... of whom what percentage are actually musicians? And how old/experienced? At some point, the truly good guitar player realizes it's more important to be a musician first and instrumentalist second. This is what bugs me about obviously "technical" guitarists. They seem to suffer from musical immaturity, not understanding that being really good at sweep picking and riffing is merely a parlor trick if there is no compelling musical framework in which use these techniques. I will always remember hearing a very accomplished bluegrass player comment on EVH's solo in Jacko's Beat It. He said that was the first time he'd ever heard that technique fit the music and do good things for the song. Isn't that the goal, even for a solo -- not to showcase a player, but let a player showcase some emotional aspect of the music? I've always been amazed at how Steely Dan managed perfectly integrate such fantastic guitar players into their songs in such a way that I think/feel "That sounds so cool and tasty and lyrical, I want to hear it again." But NOT "Wow that was impressive and difficult to play, wonder how he did that?"

YM has this neo-classical framework going, but his playing distracts from the message, instead of enhancing it. Satch, in particular, does strike me as a well integrated musician. I don't get distracted by his technique, but can enjoy many of his tunes for what they are musically.

You don't need to be able to play to form an opinion on someones music but to judge someones talent you should at least have some ability or understanding of how to play. At that, to criticize someones talent you should at least be able to match their ability.

No one is critisizing his physical capabilibites. He's clearly can move his hand really really fast. The issue is the music, which many here think is crap because it looks a lot like him just masturbating, and not very much like him trying to make a connection with an audience.

And no, you don't need to match someone's skill to be worthy of critisizing them, your own talent has nothing to do with your ability to observe. Take gymnastics coaches for example, who are mostly 40 year old men coaching 20 year old women to the olympics, clearly they would not be able to get on the horse and start doing flips, but they can spot technique issues.

Fair questions, Greg. To generalize the guitarists I've heard praising Yngwie, they're:

1. Under 35 (most under 25)
2. Not one has been a pro guitarist
3. The ones I've heard play run about half nearly beginners - I'd say less than 2-3 years playing - and about half folks with good technical ability but narrow musical taste.

As I was typing out #2, I mused for a moment about the musicians I've heard pro musicians rave about... Coletrane, Miles, Hendrix, John Surman (a Belgian sax player), Frank Gambale, Steve Vai and Chick Corea spring to mind from conversations in the past year or so. So...of seven raved about, three are guitarists - pretty darn good, considering it was a sax player who raved about Jimi, and a percussionist who loved both Gambale and Vai. Oh, and a horn player told me he loved DiMeola, but I'm not counting him - he said that after I gave him a CD with his playing on it (before that, he'd only heard of him as Chick's sideman, and wasn't really impressed)

The pros rave about Trane and Miles more than anyone else, with Bird running a fair third. I'm about to head out and return a CD that a guy lent me with some guitar parts he really liked: it's got Vai (6 cuts of Vai, in fact), Billy Sheehan, Dave Weiner, Zakk (4 cuts of him), Black Label Society, Satriaini, Santana, and Johnny A.

That's from one of the more radical jazz drummers I know - so it's not like jazz folks are snooty about their styles. They just like music that has something to say :)

Well Wingy, as we used to call him, has a tendancy to beat the dead horse with a stick. There's only so far that you can go playing imitations of Baroque pieces by Bach. In that same respect, of all the Bachians, he is one of the best. Maybe the best.

Gambale also has his "ruts". He uses sweep picking a lot as well. Mind you he's developed far beyond anyone else I've ever heard. I love his work with Chick Corea on Beneath the Mask.

The thing with jazz though, I think, is that everybody gets their session eight. There's no star of the show because everyone is an accomplished musician and have the opportunity to show it. That interaction in itself results in diversity.

With Yngwie, he is the star and no one else. Because of that, his style quickly becomes stagnant. This is the reason I've never owned a Satriani or Vai album as well. It's too much guitar.

I can't help but feel though that Yngwie is fully capable of doing some more meaninful stuff. If only he would allow the band to play too. Maybe if he gets the opportunity to be humbled a bit, he will learn to play nice.

I totally agree regarding Steely Dan. One thing I've always found is that the solo's always seem so free flowing and easy going until you try to learn them. Not excessively fast. Just well thought out and not bound to a scale in particular.

undercat: what I'm trying to say is, that we can form our opinions all we want. If we can't somehow back it up it's not worth much. A 40year old coach may not be able to use the parallel bars now, but I bet at one time he could and quite well.

I would just like to see some criticism along with respect. Respect for the musicians ability. Saying something like "So and so sucks at blowing up hot water bottles" in my mind, gets the answer "lets see you do it better.". Saying "I don't like how so and so blows up hot water bottles" though is a valid opinion and no one can argue against that.

One day you might meet so and so and he will say let's blow up hot water bottles together. Being an amatuer hot water bottle blow upper, would you refuse?

So i went back and saw that maybe I jumped to a conclusion that people are just ragging on YM again. Well that'a what usually happens. I guess i wasted a lot of energy here for nothin'. :oops:

I won't appologize for anything I said though. It's all just my opinion.

The thing with jazz though, I think, is that everybody gets their session eight. There's no star of the show because everyone is an accomplished musician and have the opportunity to show it.

Yes, everybody gets their chorus... but it's not so much dividing up the tune as it is collaborating on its creation. A bass player will introduce a phrase, and the sax will mimic it, then twist it, and hand it off the the piano - everybody doesn't just solo, they communicate.

Listen to something like DiMeola/DeLucia/McLaughlin, and you hear a conversation of three guitars. Listen to Satriani/Vai/Malmsteen, and you hear two guitars talking, and then you hear a third guitar shout "yeah, yeah, but look at what I can do!". Then the two guitars talk some more, and the third guitar says "yeah, yeah, but look at what I can do!".

For me, that gets old fast :)

Well in so many words I'm pointing at the same idea. No need to argue anymore. I never said I was a fan of YM. I think he has skill and potential. The ego is the only thing hindering him. Not an uncommon thing.

I dunno... The dude IS a great Guitar player.... but
just not really to my liking. His speed and technique is impressive,
then again so's a suspension bridge. But I don't really want to sit
around looking at one.

I noticed mr. Noteboat posted a "demographic" of Yngve's(?)
fan base.... I think it's a pretty accurate one BTW :)

I think he appeals to the student more than any other type of person in
that group.

When I first heard him, I was waay under 35 and just making a serious
commitment to learning the guitar. I really didn't like his stuff then either.
but it was the ability he had to play what he did that kind of helped me
realize the importance of taking lessons committing myself to actually learning them.

IMO it takes an incredible amount of self discipline to be able play like
that.

Well, back to the salt mines...............

Does yingy have chops?- Of course. Ying has chops that could put most people on this forum, nay in the world, to shame, including me of course.

Does Ying put emotion into his playing?- I am willing to bet good money that he does, and that he feels something when he writes a piece of music.

Can most people feel and relate to the emotion he does include in his playing?- The answer is definetly no. I certainly don't feel it, but that does not mean he doesn't put any in. Just becuase something is technically challenging doesn't mean it is not emotional.

Is ying a sandy little butthole? Yes, most definetly.

Does he deserve to be respected?- In my opinion yes. Not many people can measure up in terms of technical profeciency. I don't care if I can feel the emotion there or not. It's enough for me to know that there was emotion put into it and that he is there for the sake of the music. The guy loves what he does, and I respect that. Hot or not is not the right question. The right question would be, Does he have chops, to which most people would reply yes. And, can many people relate to his songs, to which most would reply no. End of story.

That was gret kyle and I totally agree with you. Unfortunately, this is an opinions forum and people are allowed to express whatever they feel.

untill you are even close to Malmsteen i dont think you can bash him, hes very advanced and becasue of that he has the right to have a big ego. He might have a lot of natural talent, but to develop it that much is really somthing. And if you say he sucks, well you might just be jelous

untill you are even close to Malmsteen i dont think you can bash him, hes very advanced and becasue of that he has the right to have a big ego. He might have a lot of natural talent, but to develop it that much is really somthing. And if you say he sucks, well you might just be jelous

Print this out and put it someplace where you can read it again in 10 or 20 years.

hmmmm, you mean because I can't rap I have no right to say I don't like it?

and BTW, nobody has a right to a big ego.

screamguy, this would be under the assumption that Malmsteen is considerd "advanced" as you said. Advanced how? Because he can play super duper fast? I'm not sure I consider that advanced, nor most people actually. They might go "wow look at that" but as someone already said, you do the same thing with the brooklyn bridge, but you ain't going to sit there staring at it all day.

Anyways, I'm not sure what the point of this thread is anymore. Some people are going to find his playing good, some won't. I guess it's just annoying that when people hear him they go "wow! thats amazing, he's a guitar God!"