Five Yngwie Malmsteen Licks You Need to Know

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(Image credit: Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)

Swedish-born guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen is the premier neoclassical shredder, known for his love of scalloped-fretboard Strats and walls of Marshall stacks. He's also known for coming up with extra-tasty, lightning-fast "blink and you'll miss them" licks.

In the new video below, which was posted to YouTube awhile back, U.K. shredder extraordinaire Andy James presents five Yngwie Malmsteen licks you need to know. Please note that these are "Yngwie style" licks, but they certainly get the style, feel and point across.

James has actually compiled a complete Malmsteen course; for more information, head here.

Damian Fanelli
Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.