Just like Yngwie, Ronni has his own vocabulary of signature licks and riffs that he uses over and over repeatedly, because every guitarist builds a vocabulary that contains only so many words. Some guitarists have a larger vocabulary than others, but how often do many of us use the bigger, fancy words in our daily casual conversation? We use a lot of common, simpler words that accurately convey what we need to say, and we usually don't run out of things to say, because there are so many different ways we can use them. So a lot of guitarists learn to form a great many sentences using only a few select words, varying them with dynamics like volume, tone, mood, etc. Every now and then we learn a new word or phrase (or drop some), but generally we stick with what works.
I agree that Yngwie doesn't experiment with tonality and effects to the same extent that Ronni does. After all, you don't exactly hear Malmsteen pick up a slide, use a Whammy pedal, an octave fuzz, or anything else besides some wah. Ronni's experimentation with a variety of clean and effected tones lends to more variety...But he uses most of the same licks repeatedly with the various tones. They're always creeping in there if you listen closely. He's sneaky, by changing how you're hearing something, but not always what you're hearing, oddly enough.
Secondly, Malmsteen tends to play at two speeds: fast and faster. He plays a fast, aggressive song, and it has a fast solo. A medium-tempo tune usually gets treated to a fast solo. And, when he plays ballads, he tends to go for a fast solo. A huge difference with Ronni is that he's not afraid to play an overly simple solo——eschewing a lot of his clichés——that you could hum or whistle (Easy Street, Satellite, Sometimes). And sometimes there is no solo. Can you picture Yngwie playing a song without a solo? Ronni changes gears more often, and you're hearing that.
The last point is that Ronni writes in more styles, not limiting himself to a classically-influenced style. The songs range from Beatles-esque, to Queen, to modern, retro, bluesy, funky, folksy, and everywhere in-between. Although Ronni uses so many of the same licks and techniques over and over again, he tends to place them into interestingly different settings all the time, disc to disc, project to project. One Malmsteen release to the next shows little variation in that department. You know what to expect from Yngwie song-wise, while you're never quite sure what's going to come from Ronni, even though the licks and leads have recurring themes.
Ronni favors diversity, exploring different textures, sounds, styles, and concepts. While his themes overlap in so many places, he has a very effective talent for recycling his vocabulary while keeping things interesting. Yngwie is a neo-classical guitarist. It's a sub-genre where he is viewed by many——if only reluctantly——as king of the hill. He also recycles his licks and techniques, but sticks to a more predictable format, of which he has become a primary exponent. It's what he does, and he has a worldwide fanbase that's very extensive and supports him enthusiastically, even after all these years.
Getting back to apples and oranges; they're both excellent at what they do, and they both excel at what they do. Part of what gives every player their recognizable style is that very vocabulary of licks that they use over and over and over. Their careers largely become defined by how effectively they write variations on a theme. Look at how Eddie Van Halen has recycled his tapping licks from release to release, supplementing them with his dive-bombs, pinch harmonics, and other devices. But people love him for it. Blues players live on recycling licks. It's all about making the connection. Music is communication, and not everyone speaks the same language. These guys speak the language of rock, but with markedly different accents and articulations.
In the commentary before one of the songs in a transcription scorebook, jazz guitar legend John Scofield relates: "It's also interesting in analyzing somebody's style, how many times the same phrase will come up and be used in different harmonic and rhythmic situations on different tunes. Everybody's got a limited vocabulary, and I think it's just how you use what you know, more than how much you know."
It all comes down to personal taste at the end of the day. |
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 3:51 am
