
So how exactly does the undisputed king of neo-classical shred do his thing? It’s mostly a combination of magic, dragons, and some hellacious picking.
Advanced
Intermediate
• Create neo-classical licks using pedal points.
• Decode Yngwie's signature picking style.
• Learn how to use the harmonic minor and Phrygian dominant scales.
A household name in the guitar and metal community, Yngwie Malmsteen is known for his stunning technique, incredible vibrato, stage presence, love of Ferraris, and of course, popularizing the neo-classical shred side of hard rock and metal. I'm a big fan of Yngwie and am honored to bring you this lesson on his highly influential 1986 album, Trilogy. This was Yngwie's third solo album and featured some truly epic artwork of Yngwie fighting a three-headed dragon on a mountaintop with his Strat.
Trilogy features some of Yngwie's finest work and showcases many different sides and moods. For this lesson, I've prepared a piece of music to illustrate a few of the ideas and approaches Yngwie uses on the album. I'll break down the example into two main parts. Heads up: Yngwie often tunes his guitars down a half-step. For these examples, I kept everything in standard tuning. Let's unleash the fury.
A note on gear: For these tracks, I used my Eternal S-Type guitar that features single-coil pickups, 21 frets, and a rosewood neck—the closest in my collection to what Yngwie played on the record. The rhythm and lead tones are basically the same, except with more gain and ambience for the lead tone. I used Positive Grid's BIAS FX plug-in to create my tones, which are based on what I've researched about Yngwie's gear over the years.
Yngwie Malmsteen - Trilogy Suite Op: 5 Demo
Specifically, I used an emulation of a plexi head going into a 4x12 T-75 cabinet with the gain fully cranked. This virtual cab is miked up with an SM57-style mic placed halfway between the speaker's edge and cone. I also moved the mic back a little to let the tone bloom out of the speaker. In front of the amp I used a Boss DS-1-sytle distortion going into an emulation of an MXR Dyna Comp. For the added gain, I used a treble booster in front of the DS-1—this adds more percussiveness and bite to the single-coils. After the amp I used a subtle room reverb to recreate the classic woody tone from Yngwie's early recordings. For the lead part, I added a fairly substantial hall reverb and tape echo to impart serious ambience. I used the same setup for the rhythm part but removed the treble booster and echo. I kept the reverb but dialed it back for a little more definition.
One of the most important aspects of Yngwie's sound comes from his technique and hands. Though many guitarists associate Yngwie with strict alternate picking, this is not the case! To execute his seemingly effortless lines, he'll often combine legato technique with some other economy-based picking movements. In the lead guitar transcription for this lesson (Ex. 1), I've indicated how I mingled alternate picking with fretting-hand legato to produce the companion audio track. As Yngwie has shown us, this mix of techniques lets you create smooth runs that cascade, twist, and turn with virtuosic intensity.
Ex. 1
Most of this solo is loosely based around E Aeolian (E–F#–G–A–B–C–D). However, we change the key center slightly when the rhythm section implies a B7 tonality. (Simply changing the D to a D# gives us both a B7 arpeggio and an E harmonic minor scale.) This fits our dominant tonality like a glove and doesn't stray too far away from our original key. Now this all sounds very technical, but because these scales create the signature sound of Yngwie's neo-classical stylings, it's important to focus on such details.
This solo opens up with some classic three-string sweep-picking shapes that outline various inversions of an E minor (E–G–B) triad. I'm using some light palm-muting throughout and concentrating on making sure the notes sound as smooth as possible without losing attack and rhythmic clarity.
The previous sweep-picking flurry ends with a sustained note on the 5 (B) of our underlying E minor key center. The note is held, then attacked again with as wide and controlled a vibrato as possible before launching into one of our first pedal-point picking lines. This short phrase pedals off of E and starts by descending from the 6 of our scale (C) and finally landing on a D# on the 3rd string. This implies our harmonic minor tonality that's about to become B Phrygian dominant (B–C–D#–E–F#–G–A) in the next measure. I have deliberately chosen to use the 3rd string as I can get wider vibrato on that note with my third finger. It also sets me up for the next descending picking line.
By measure nine of the actual solo, we're starting to move back toward a Phrygian dominant sound through a series of descending triplets. The pattern shifts on the 1st and 3rd beat of each measure. When practicing this, be sure to use alternate picking and focus on the first downstroke of each group of six notes. This will help you nail the pattern and move smoothly through the position shifts at higher speeds.
The descending flurry of notes after the triplets is a fine example of Yngwie's signature picking technique. The mix of legato slurs and selectively picked notes gives the line a nice flow. The first quintuplet is based around a three-note-per-string pattern starting on the 11th fret. Pay close attention to the fingering and picking throughout this passage. Don't forget the wide vibrato!
Things slow down—somewhat—during this next section that's based around an eighth-note line. I added some palm muting here and created a sequence based around B Phrygian dominant. Be sure to "open up" on the palm muting to create that rising dynamic feel.
Another pedal-point lick pops up in measure 17 of the solo. This phrase is similar to the phrase in measures 7 and 8, except this time we move around a little more. To ensure the position shifts remain clean and precise at higher speeds, be sure to focus on the first note of each phrase. The solo starts to climax around measure 20 with some fast trills that move into a harmonized bending phrase that ascends on the 3rd string before hitting a bend on the 2nd string.
The ending phrase is similar to the one we tackled in measure 11. Here, we descend through an E harmonic minor scale before ripping out a two-octave E minor arpeggio.
The underlying rhythm guitar parts (Ex. 2) mostly consist of root notes of each chord (E5, B5) played as eighth-notes. Yngwie would sometimes insert scale-based flurries into his rhythm parts using diatonic notes. (Listen to Paul Gilbert's work in Racer X to appreciate how Yngwie has influenced this kind of riff writing.) Play these flurries of notes in the rhythm part with alternate picking to keep their articulation super-clear and tight with the bass guitar. As always, start slow and then build up speed once you're familiar with where your fingers have to go.
Ex. 2
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Nile Rodgers brings the rhythm at Bonnaroo 2018.
How the rhythm-playing hitmaker behind Chic—and our columnist—learned to love pop music, and why maybe you should, too.
When Nile Rodgers speaks, we should listen. His seminal work with his own band, Chic, as well as Sister Sledge, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Peter Gabriel, Madonna, David Bowie, and Daft Punk, has made him a legend. He also filmed an entertaining Rig Rundown with PG just last year.
I recently listened to his 2017 South by Southwest address, where he told a story about a formative moment in his life. Nile was complaining to his guitar teacher, Ted Dunbar, about having to sing the Archies’ “Sugar, Sugar”at an upcoming cover band gig. Dunbar replied, “Let me tell you something. Any song that sells and gets to the Top 40 ... is a great composition.” Rodgers was skeptical. Then Dunbar added, “Especially ‘Sugar, Sugar.’ That has been No. 1 for four or five weeks.” Next, Dunbar said something that changed Rodger’s life. “‘Sugar, Sugar’ was successful,” he said, “because it speaks to the souls of a million strangers.” Rodgers noted: “Two weeks later, I wrote a song called ‘Everybody Dance.’” Released in 1977, it was a Top 40 single on Chic's first album.
In a BBC This Cultural Life interview, Rodgers said that Dunbar “described an artist to me. I wasn’t an artist until he defined that. I wanted to speak to the souls of a million strangers, but I thought what I wanted to do was speak to some real cool people hanging out in jazz clubs.”
“Everybody Dance” and “Sugar, Sugar”both have hypnotizingly simple lyrics you inevitably replay in your head. Humans like chants, cheers, slogans, and catchy choruses. Rodgers' success came, at least in part, from opening himself up to simplicity that appeals to the masses instead of the complexity that appeals to jazzers. That’s the irony. Jazz, which ostensibly is all about freedom, is often restrictive. Like the old joke goes, jazzers play millions of chords for four people. Pop, rock, and country artists play four chords for millions of people.
Rodgers said, “That's what my teacher taught me, that anti-snobbery. Be open. Love all the music you are around, or at least try and appreciate what that artist is trying to say. Try and have, what we call in the music business, big ears.”
My friends and I have all, at times, been music snobs. I went through a blues binge in my youth where I was prejudiced against shredders. This was not uncommon at the time. After Nirvana hit with Nevermind in 1991, suddenly musicians were openly mocked for playing complex, difficult parts. It was almost like if you cared enough to really learn to play guitar, you were uncool. That was a big relief for me, as I could play neither complex nor difficult parts at the time.
“Taylor Swift is the Beatles of my daughter’s generation.”
Later, when I moved to Nashville, I was all about clean Telecasters and thought ill of music with lots of dirt or effects. Younger me would have plenty of condescending quips about my current love of overdriven humbuckers and delay. Most of my snobbery was driven by my deep insecurities, but part of it was tribalism. The heart wants what it wants; when you find your musical tribe, most of the young zealots trade all others for their one true religion. It might be the only way to get good at something.
On the other hand, my friends and I listen to a variety of music, but the common factor is it usually involves good guitar playing. We love what we love because it speaks to our souls. But most guitar players are drawn to those who are doing what we wish we could do. My uncle Fred used to say, “There’s nothing wrong with being a snob. It just means that you have good taste.”
Between club dates, sessions, and the occasional TV gig, I play with tons of people. I have no say in the set list, so “Sugar, Sugar” moments are unavoidable. I used to feel deep shame playing those types of songs, like it reflects poorly on my personal taste or abilities. In short, I was prejudiced until I saw all of the true pros who could find something beautiful, challenging in the seemingly mundane. It’s like the old actor’s adage: There are no small parts, just small players.
According to Forbes, Taylor Swift was “The Biggest Artist in the World in 2023.” That being the case, her songs inevitably come up on cover gigs. When this happens, some musicians might groan, like it makes them cool to hate on pop culture. But that’s probably because they don't really know her work. Taylor Swift is my 8-year-old daughter’s Alexa go-to, so I know Taylor’s catalog really well. Turns out, it’s amazing, full of truly catchy, engaging, touching songs. Taylor Swift is the Beatles of my daughter’s generation. Snobs will think that statement is heresy, but snobs often don’t know what they are talking about, and they never have as much fun as the people who are dancing violently to “Shake It Off,” or singing with eyes closed to “All Too Well.”The Milwaukee-based “guitarist’s guitarist” doles out decades of midwest wisdom on this episode of Wong Notes.
You might not know Greg Koch, but we’ll bet your favorite guitarist does. In 2012, Fender called the Wisconsin blues-guitar phenom one of the top 10 best unsung guitarists, and in 2020, Guitar World listed Koch among the 15 best guitar teachers. He’s been inducted into the Wisconsin Area Music Industry Hall of Fame. Koch is a bonafide midwest guitar god.
He joins Cory Wong on this round of Wong Notes for this meeting of the Middle-America minds, where the duo open with analysis of music culture in Wisconsin and Minnesota—Koch taught at Saint Paul’s now-shuttered McNally Smith College of Music, which Wong attended. Koch and Wong zero in on the blues roots of most modern music and talk through soloing theories: It can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be, but Koch shares that he likes to “paint himself into a corner,” then get out of it.
Koch and Wong swap notes on the pressures of studio performance versus the live realm, and how to move on from mistakes made onstage in front of audiences. Plus, Koch has created scores of guitar education materials, including for Hal Leonard. Tune in to find out what makes a good guitar course, how to write a guitar book, Koch’s audio tips for crystalline live-stream sessions, and why he still prefers tube amps: “I like to crank that sh*t up!”
John Petrucci, St. Vincent, James Valentine, Steve Lukather, Tosin Abasi, Cory Wong, Jason Richardson, Fluff, and more are donating instruments for contributors, and contributions are being accepted via this LINK.
The L.A. wildfires have been absolutely devastating, consuming more than 16,200 structures, and tens of thousands of people–including many members of the LA music community–have been displaced, as well as 29 persons killed. Historic gear company Ernie Ball has stepped up with a large-scale fundraiser, for MusicCares and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, to assist those impacted by the fire and responders on the front line. The company kicked off the initiative with a $50,000 donation.
“We are absolutely crushed by the devastation Los Angeles has endured over the past few weeks,” CEO Brian Ball said in a statement. “As a California-based company with origins as a small retailer in LA County, seeing the impact of these fires in our community is heartbreaking.
Message from Tim Henson
Tim Henson is donating one of his own Ibanez TOD10N guitars for the cause.
“That’s why we’re partnering with our family of artists to give back in a unique way. In addition to our donation, Ernie Ball artists are stepping up to donate personal guitars and gear—truly one-of-a-kind pieces that money can’t buy. Here’s how you can help: Donate any amount and we will randomly give these items away. Every dollar goes directly toward helping those affected by these devastating fires. If you can’t donate, sharing this message can still make a huge impact,” Ball declared.
The fundraiser will continue until February 14.
Message from Steve Vai
Guest Picker - Ariel Posen
The past year was full of new sounds and discoveries. Ariel Posen and Jeremy Jacobs join the PGteam to highlight what popped out to them over the last 12 months.
Q: What was your biggest guitar discovery of 2024?
Guest Picker - Ariel Posen
A: Twenty-twenty-four was a year of discovery and re-discovery for me. I tend to come back to records and artists that I haven't listened to in a long time and get back into them with a new-found excitement. In regards to guitar discovery, at the end of 2023 I got into Paramore for the first time, specifically their last album, This is Why. I don't really listen to guitar music these days, but I'm always infatuated by the extreme detail of finely crafted guitar parts that help serve the song, and that album is full of that stuff. In terms of rediscovery, I spent a lot of time digging back into early George Harrison, Christopher Cross, and some specific Steely Dan records. Seems to be a theme there. I love all that stuff but haven't really given it time in a while; that changed this past year.
Obsession: Doechii. Watch her Tiny Desk video. She's incredible and the band is too. I get goosebumps every time I watch it, and I watch it once a day.
Reader of the Month - Jeremy Jacobs
A: I was turned on to Mk.Gee after seeing his performance on SNL and immediately fell in love with the vibe. I’m always trying to keep an ear to the ground for new, innovative guitar sounds, and his unique approach to creating guitar tones was really refreshing and inspiring. I love the blend of retro ’80s synth sounds and modern digital guitar production.
Obsession: Jim Lill’s video series on YouTube experimenting with guitar tone. He’s like the Mythbusters of the guitar community and it’s really shaking things up! He’s taking a very scientific deep dive into commonly held beliefs about what makes certain equipment “sound good” and has returned some truly shocking results. I’m thinking about guitar gear in a totally different way thanks to his work.
Managing Editor - Jason Shadrick
A: Big delays and reverbs finally got to me in 2024. Typically, I would favor a modest spring or room setting, but a few gigs this year pushed me into more ambient territory. It’s incredible how the sound of space affects your touch on the instrument. My playing has become more melodic and intentional—but I’m still not digging the shimmer vibe.
Obsession: Noel Johnston’s YouTube videos from his Creative Fundamentals class have been warping my brain. Fair warning: They do require a bit of theoretical knowledge to get the most out of them. However, his triad workouts are a great way to start to visualize different shapes all over the neck—no matter what key.
Assistant Editor - Luke Ottenhof
A: Last year, I discovered germanium. This isn’t strictly true; I’ve used germ pedals in the past, but I never connected with the transistors until I picked up the Death by Audio Germanium Filter. Now, all I want is sweet, gnarly, splatty germanium grossness on whatever I play. The problem is it doesn’t really fit with my band’s sound. I predict many arguments in 2025.
Obsession: Figuring out ways to make, share, and celebrate music outside of the too-powerful platforms that have monopolized our arts and culture. Thankfully, there are loads of people way smarter than me working with each other to build new networks and meanings for music, including some that would be musician-owned. The future is bright—if we want it!