According to Yngwie Malmsteen, music peaked 200 years ago.
“The thing is, I think that music in itself has peaked 200 years ago,” the guitarist said in an interview from this year’s Hellfest in France. “So, to me, that’s when it peaked. And I think that the blues-based rock and roll is a completely different form of music than, let’s say, classical music and jazz and so on.”
“My classical influence comes from originally hearing Genesis, wondering why these tonalities happen that are not standard rock n’ roll. I realised it was all Bach-influenced stuff what I like,” Malmsteen previously discussed his classical music roots.
The musician continued, “My classical influence is 100 percent from Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Nicolai Paganini, Tchaikovsky, Mozart and so on. My classical influence does not come from other guitar players; let’s make that perfectly clear.”
He also talked about his other influences, explaining, “Having said that, I love Uli [Jon Roth], I love Ritchie Blackmore, I love Billy Gibbons, I love Angus Young, I love Brian May… I think they’re all amazing guitar players. I have a lot of respect for them.”
Yngwie added, “I’m not knocking them one way or the other, I’m saying my style is originating from classical violin; Vivaldi, Paganini. And the structuring of my music is very influenced by Johann Sebastian Bach. Not my somebody who is influenced by Johann Sebastian Bach, no, but Johann Sebastian Bach. And it’s a very, very big difference.”
He then spoke about blues, “…The tonality of blues is beautiful, I love it, but it’s five notes. In the chromatic octave you have 12 but you can’t play that because [plays it on guitar] which is cool sometimes… maybe. But you can choose majors and minors and so on. The tonality of rock n’ roll I felt was extremely limited to the five notes.”
The guitarist’s North American tour starts on September 26 in Fort Myers, Florida. He has scheduled shows until the end of November.