Born into a musical family in Stockholm on June 30, 1963, Malmsteen was exposed to classical music from an early age, and began playing guitar at the age of nine. Malmsteen was in his teens when he first encountered the music of the 19th-century violin virtuoso Niccolo Paganini, whom he cites as his biggest classical influence. Through his emulation of these pieces on guitar, Malmsteen developed a prodigious technical fluency, defining a darker, more disciplined approach to the instrument than other virtuoso rock guitarists of the period such as Edward Van Halen. Malmsteen also cites Jimi Hendrix, Genesis and Deep Purple as influences.
In 1983 he was brought to the USA by Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records who had heard a demo tape of Malmsteen's playing. After brief engagements with the bands Steeler and Alcatrazz, Malmsteen released two solo albums, "Rising Force" (winner of Guitar Player Magazine's Best Rock Album and nominated for a 1984 Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental) which achieved the impressive position of #60 on the Billboard album chart, and the follow up, "Marching Out" (1985).
Malmsteen's style was dubbed "Neoclassical" and it became very popular during the mid 1980s, with notable contemporaries such as Paul Gilbert, Tony Macalpine and Vinnie Moore appearing in Malmsteen's wake.
Yngwie's contributions to the evolution of modern rock guitar remain unique - his understanding of Paganini, Bach, et. al. is unparalleled in the rock world. Although initially regarded with respect by the musical fraternity, his technical proficiency led to a both jealousy and bitterness from less-talented performers in the musical world. His technical ability is remarkable. However, what set him apart from his imitators was his breathtaking emotive ability and incendiary live performances.
Aside from technical prowess, distinctions of Malmsteen's guitar style include a wide, violin-like vibrato (inspired by classical violinists), exclusive use of Fender Stratocaster guitars, and use of minor scales and minor modes such as Phyrgian, Aeolian and Harmonic Minor. Malmsteen cites the Fender Stratocaster and the single coil pickups (of which he uses his own personal custom design by Dimarzio) as a large part of his sound. Additionaly there is a signature model bearing Malmsteens name in the Stratocaster range.
Despite his early success and continued success in Europe and Asia, by the early 1990s, the gratuitous, over-the-top stylings of 1980s heavy metal had become unfashionable in the USA,perhaps unfortunately (for guitar fans) displaced by the Seattle grunge movement, where technical ability was replaced by catchy songs and basic chord progressions. It is believed that the grunge rock movement arose out of a backlash to the overly technical hard rock inspired by Malmsteen and his contemporaries, in an attempt to return rock to a form more widely available to average musicians, who could not play their instruments with such technical ability.
In the 1990s, he continued to record and release albums under a Japanese record label : Pony Canyon, and maintained a devoted following in Europe and Japan, and to a lesser extent in the USA. In 2000, he once again acquired a contract with a US record label, Spitfire, and released his 90s catalog into the US market for the first time - including what he regards as his masterpiece, Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra, recorded with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague.
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