Yngwie Malmsteens defining licks

[Allen Garrow]

Short and simple,,,what lick would you say best defines Yngwie. Regardless of how you feel about him or his music. As rock guitarist we can all hear a Yngwie lick from 100 yards away. What is it that is so defining to you?

Feel free to tab out what you feel is the most defining lick if it makes it easier.

The same could done for Vai, Satch and many others. Personally I feel that Yngwies style ( again love or hate it ) is very pronounced,, much like Stevie Ray Vaughn.

~A

[anuj]

really fast ascending and descending harmonic minor runs?

(A harmonic minor)

~A

[chlamy]

diminished 7th sweeps ?

[davester1234]

there just geniunely mind blowing to me

[bpd111]

Weedly weedly weedly weedly weedly WEEEEEEDDDLLLLLYYYYYYY *guitar spin* weedly weedly weedly weedly *kick & pick toss* WEEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

[AndersPGM]

I´d say it´s his touch.
That´s what makes him so easily identifyable.
the guy has got a unique tone, you instantly know it´s YJM when it´s YJM.
his playing is spontaneous, effortless and completely natural and his identity just bursts out through everything he plays, be that a fast desc. minor run or a couple of really slow notes.

[Allen Garrow]

Great insights. I was reading a thing from his website and someone had asked him about his technique. The person had stated that he had been practicing Melodic minor, harmonic minor and just scales in general. This person had been playing these notes for hours a day and knows each note intimately. Yet speed and voice seemed to elude him. Yngwie simply stated that there is a point in which it matters not what scales you know or how well you know the notes, there will come a point when with hours of practice that you will just play, you will know your instrument so damn well,,, that you will just grab notes and not even think about them. That point I found very interesting, we can all learn the same scales yet each one of us would choose to use the same notes in "our own way".
I don't know whether it's confidence, individuality, spirit or god voice but something really cool happens when all of a sudden it's just second nature to make mistake free music that is identifiable to you and you alone.

~A

[Carlo]

his vibrato

and that Am arpeggio he always does...hehe

[Tubarão Guitars]

IMVHO, the most COOOOOOOOL song is definately
I DON'T KNOW from The Seventh Sign
This is the most ""BLUESY"" song i've ever heard from Yngwie...
Tubarão

[Allen Garrow]

"I don't know" is probably one of my Favorite songs. Hair trigger is good as well. I love Yngwie's bluesy stuff. Actually that CD is in my car right now! That is some of his best stuff! Yet you can still here his signature licks. IMO I think that Yngwie at his best when he mixes the blues into his music.

~A

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by Allen Garrow

"I don't know" is probably one of my Favorite songs. Hair trigger is good as well. I love Yngwie's bluesy stuff. Actually that CD is in my car right now! That is some of his best stuff! Yet you can still here his signature licks. IMO I think that Yngwie at his best when he mixes the blues into his music.

~A

I wholeheartedly agree. It's not really because he's good at playing the blues (although I would say he is), it's because it's a very nice new (if you will) sound coming from a guy who is only known for neo-classical.

[EnigmaUV7]

And unlike many players that have side-tracked into "shred-blues" YJM actually has great tone while doing it instead of mega distortion humbuckers.

There was an album that came out in the early '90s called "LA Blues Authority". LOL Guitar Player gave it a scathing review I'm sure it deserved, a bunch of LA studio and shred metal hacks with shred guitars just weedling away through rack processors. Yngwie actually nails the bluesy tones, but with a more hot rodded approach of course.

[ShredOrDead]

His 2 and 3-string sweeps on the higher strings are EVERYWHERE in his playing.