Well actually i started listenin to malmsteen's music at 12 but i didnt have any idea what he's doin at that time, all i knew then was that he plays very good music. My first record of him was Fire and Ice and when i first heard the song I'm my own enemy, I was awed by its arrangement. And at that time I was a beginner learning how to play some Metallica riffs with an acoustic nylon string guitar. I never cared about the solos back then. All i care about was the riffs and shreds.And since i only had an acoustic guitar i cant play solos coz my guitar only had 19 frets.. i cant do any bends so i said why bother, who needs solos anyway.but time went by and i started to wonder how the hell he plays those solos so fast., i was 15 when i got my first strat and started learning how to play solos from tabs i got from guitar magazines.but mamlsteens solos gave me a hard time. It wasnt until i was in my second year in college that i finally realized malmsteens way of playing with the help of some professor's explanation about the wonders of classical music.