yngwie malmsteen

[rockhound86]

hey people.. I've been listening to alot of malmsteen lately... and I have just 2 questions... 1) how soes he play so fast? it seems ungodly... and 2) why does he have a 21 fretted guitar as his signature series.????

[KingB]

a) practise
b) couldn't tell you about the fret thing, who knows

[Nicolas]

He plays that fast basically because he has been practising since he was 10 years old a lot of hours a day. But Yngwie's main attraction (at least to me) is not his speed, actually, they're hundreds of fast guitarist around there, but his style. The long arpeggios, his vibrato. If you wanna know where did he learned all that, listen to any of the Nicolo Paganini's Caprices.

[Johan]

I read somewhere(In an album label) that Mr. Malmsteen recorded songs in the rehersal place, and when he got home to listen to the tape, his tapedec at home played the tape alittle faster than it was recorded. He thought "God damn I sound fast" and then he learned to play that fast. And then he went to record again, come home, listen, "Damn I sound fast"...etc etc.
He practised so his speed never should be anything that should hold back his playing.

[Luke]

Your absolutely correct.

That was in his greatest hits album.

[Cavefish X]

Yes, Yngwie is ungodly fast and was/is a great influence for me (and many other guitarists whether they acknowledge it or not)when I was just starting to play. But remember, anyone can play fast with practice (its more of a mechanical than a musical process after all). Has anyone noticed that Yngwies articulation isnt what it used to be? I dont know, maybe its just me.
The Yngwie signature strat is modeled after the vintage Fenders (21 frets) which is what he started playing after seeing Jimmi Hendrix on TV in Sweden...it also has a scalloped fingerboard. Something to consider if you are thinking of getting one.
You might want to check out Vinnie Moores Time Oddessy and Tony Macalpines Maximum Security for other guitarists in the same Yngwie type "Neo-classical fusion" style.



------------------
Erik
cavefishX@aol.com

[ezshuffle]

yngwie uses a 21 fret guitar becasue the pick-up is harmonically in the right position...add the extra fret and your pick-up is displaced ever so slight...some people can't tell the diffence...give it a shot and let us know the results

[LuigiCabrini]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Times, Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Cavefish X:
But remember, anyone can play fast with practice (its more of a mechanical than a musical process after all). <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Good point, more people should remember this. Also, if you want to hear speed, why would you listen to guitar anyway? Sax, Piano, Violin, they all get a good deal faster than guitar. Even the fastest guitar players can't compete with the best players of the instruments I just mentioned.
My point is, speed is not the point. It's useful only for adding variety to music. Also, theres a lot more to knowing the instrument in terms of skill than playing fast. Most of your heavy metal "virtuosos" don't know their chord voicings at all, and this is just as substantial an aspect of guitar playing as playing melodies. Why ignore the harmony aspect of guitar playing.
It's not that I dislike the music of people liek satriani, i just hate it when people think of people like him, petrucci, and malmsteen, as the epitome of skill on guitar, which is very far from the truth.

[Luke]

I agree with Luigi about guitarists not being the fastest musicians on earth, but I would like to point out why.

ON the Sax, you play with both hands so it is only logical that one would play faster on it, same for the piano.

THe reason some are faster on the violin than some guitarists is because on the violin 90% of the time, the speed you speak of is legato.

But fast guitarists normally use alternate/flat picking, and legato is much easier than learning to pick every note you play as fast as your left hand can move.

But I do agree that guitarists aren't the fastest musicians.

[LuigiCabrini]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Times, Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Luke:


THe reason some are faster on the violin than some guitarists is because on the violin 90% of the time, the speed you speak of is legato.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Usually, but not always. If you can download a violinist playing paganini's 5th caprice on napster (I think the only one out there is perlman) you'll hear what I mean. It's ugly fast, we're talking way, way, faster than malmsteen, and every note is bowed. It's not pretty to listen to by any stanrdad, its way too fast. It's a technique called bouncing bow, where you vibrate your wrist ever so slightly and let the bow bounce off the strings. It's very hard to control, but very fast, and ultra stacatto.

[LuigiCabrini]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Times, Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Luke:


THe reason some are faster on the violin than some guitarists is because on the violin 90% of the time, the speed you speak of is legato.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Usually, but not always. If you can download a violinist playing paganini's 5th caprice on napster (I think the only one out there is perlman) you'll hear what I mean. It's ugly fast, we're talking way, way, faster than malmsteen, and every note is bowed. It's not pretty to listen to by any stanrdad, its way too fast. It's a technique called bouncing bow, where you vibrate your wrist ever so slightly and let the bow bounce off the strings. It's very hard to control, but very fast, and ultra stacatto.
As for stacatto vs. legato, sax is all legato, you can't get stacatto sounds really, except with double and tripple tounging, and that's really hard fast, usually you play one note repeated liek that, not a fast melodic passage. Whatever, I'm not a speed freak though, just pointing out. We're on the same page.

[Luke]

Yeah I agree.

BUt I would like to point out that, while playing extremly fast is somewhat mechanical, it does take skill and determination to use it.

Anyone that practices their *** off every day will play fast sooner or later.

BUt what some of us forget is , it takes long hours of practice and a good deal of willpower to get there.

NOt a lot of people like to sit for 8-10 hours a day and do the same thing over and over.

SO, while it is something people can accomplish, only certain people have the dedication to follow through with their goals.

BUt I do agree with you.

[LuigiCabrini]

Totally true luke. I agree. Also, some people tend to respond negatively to guitarrists who can play really fast. I think that's foolish. I don't respond negatively to the ability, I think it shows they were dedicated, I just don't like it when their music is more an exhibition of that than anything else. I see that a lot in Heavy Metal/Shred, not always, but frequently. That's where we move from the world of music, to the world of athletics. Athletics can be entertaining, but its not art.
We agree, I'm not making any comment about your opinions.

[Luke]

I totally agree with you about this subject.

I just get kind'a mad when someone (and I'm not talking about you L.) says that 80's hairband guitarists were bad or something.

When someone says that, I'll ask'em if they can play that fast or not, and they normally don't post back.

THey might not have been the most musically gifted guitar generation, but not many can play as fast as them today.

[LuigiCabrini]

Well I'll come out and say that I dont like many 80s hairband guitarrists and I can't play as fast as them. My problem with them is that once they can play fast, they tend to want to remind us, all the time, in all of their solos. Of course its not a rule, no rule is always true, and there are guys who dont do that who i've got no problem with. Just the ones that I dont like, that's why. There are also guys who can play way faster than me who I like, and I could list lots if you'd like.

[Luke]

Go ahead......Name 30 of them....

j/k L. http://www.guitarforums.com/gtubb/wink.gif