Yngwie Malmsteen
The Swedish virtuoso who fused Paganini's fire with heavy metal
Yngwie Malmsteen was born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck in Stockholm in 1963 and later took his mother's maiden name. He has described seeing television news of Jimi Hendrix's death in 1970 as an early spark, but his real musical north star became classical music, especially the violin writing of Niccolò Paganini and the works of Bach. Practicing obsessively, he played his first show with his band Track on Earth in 1976 and recorded demos in his teens that showed a startlingly developed neoclassical voice.
In early 1983 Guitar Player magazine publicized his demo through Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records, and Malmsteen moved to the United States. He debuted on record with the Los Angeles band Steeler, then joined Graham Bonnet's Alcatrazz, recording No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll and a live album before leaving in 1984; Steve Vai took his place. His solo debut, Rising Force, followed in 1984, won Guitar Player's best rock album award and earned a Grammy nomination for rock instrumental performance.
Marching Out and Trilogy consolidated his reputation, and in 1986 Fender made him one of its first signature Stratocaster artists. In 1987 he crashed his Jaguar into a tree and spent about a week in a coma, suffering nerve damage to his right hand, and his mother died the same year. He returned with Odyssey in 1988, his biggest commercial success, and in 1989 toured the Soviet Union, recording the live album Trial by Fire in Leningrad.
Through the 1990s and beyond Malmsteen kept up a prolific release schedule. In 1998 he recorded the Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra with the Czech Philharmonic, which he considers his masterpiece. He toured with G3 in 2003 alongside Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, published an autobiography, Relentless, in 2013, and joined the Generation Axe tour in 2016. Now based in Florida, he continues to record and tour, still playing with unrelenting intensity.
The 10 greatest Yngwie Malmsteen solos
- 1Yngwie J. Malmsteen · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1984
- 2Yngwie J. Malmsteen · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1984
- 3Yngwie J. Malmsteen · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1984
- 4Yngwie J. Malmsteen · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1986
- 5Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1988
- 6Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1985
- 7Yngwie J. Malmsteen · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1986
- 8Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1988
- 9Alcatrazz · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1983
- 10Yngwie J. Malmsteen · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1984
The sound
Malmsteen essentially defined neoclassical metal. He draws on harmonic minor and diminished sounds, pedal-point sequences and arpeggio figures borrowed from Baroque and Romantic violin music, delivered with lightning alternate picking and fast sweep-picked arpeggios. His scalloped fretboards and light strings let him apply a wide, violinistic vibrato and very fluid legato. Tonally he pairs single-coil Stratocasters with loud, cranked Marshalls, giving a bright but singing sound. Beyond speed, his playing is marked by dramatic, theatrical phrasing and a flair for grand, operatic melodies that sound unmistakably his.
- 1972 Fender Stratocaster 'The Duck' (guitar) His famous yellowed Strat with Donald Duck stickers, also called Play Loud, used heavily in his early career.
- Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Signature Stratocaster (guitar) His signature model since 1986, with a scalloped fretboard and, from 2010, Seymour Duncan YJM Fury pickups.
- Ovation YM68 nylon-string (guitar) His signature acoustic for classical passages.
- Marshall YJM100 (amp) A signature head based on the classic Marshall 1959 design, reflecting his lifelong loyalty to loud Marshalls.
- DiMarzio HS-3 pickups (effect) Stacked single-coils he used for years before his Seymour Duncan signature set.
- Dunlop Delrin 500 picks (effect) The heavy picks that help his precise alternate picking.
Covers
- Carry On Wayward Son, originally by Kansas He treats the prog-rock classic's lead lines with extra neoclassical flourish.
- Gates of Babylon, originally by Rainbow An exotic, harmonic minor epic that fits his style naturally.
- Manic Depression, originally by The Jimi Hendrix Experience A rare venture into Hendrix territory, played with his own precision and speed.
- Mistreated, originally by Deep Purple A slow blues-rock epic that gives his vibrato and phrasing room to breathe.
- In the Dead of Night, originally by U.K. A progressive-rock cover that highlights his affection for complex 1970s music.
- The Star-Spangled Banner, originally by Traditional (US national anthem) He delivered a flamboyant solo-guitar version before a Major League Baseball game.
Timeline
- 1963 Born in Stockholm on June 30
- 1976 Plays his first show with Track on Earth
- 1983 Moves to the US; records with Steeler, then joins Alcatrazz
- 1984 Releases Rising Force, earning a Grammy nomination
- 1986 Receives one of Fender's first signature Stratocasters
- 1987 Survives a serious car crash and a week-long coma
- 1988 Odyssey becomes his biggest commercial success
- 1989 Tours the Soviet Union and records Trial by Fire
- 1998 Records the Concerto Suite with the Czech Philharmonic
- 2013 Publishes his autobiography, Relentless
Facts
- His birth name was Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck.
- He says his style was inspired by classical violin rather than classical guitar.
- His demo was brought to wide attention by Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records in 1983.
- Steve Vai replaced him in Alcatrazz after he left in 1984.
- Fender gave him a signature Stratocaster in 1986, making him one of the company's first signature artists alongside Eric Clapton.
- He named his son Antonio after the composer Antonio Vivaldi.
- His most famous Strat is nicknamed The Duck because of its Donald Duck stickers.
- He once recorded under the alias Lars Y. Loudamp for a Deep Purple tribute.
- A Guitar Hero II achievement for playing 1,000 notes in a row was named after him.
- He is a devoted Ferrari enthusiast and has owned several classic models.