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Rising Force

1 guitar song · Tabs, Lessons & Tone Guide Heavy Metal

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Band Overview

Rising Force is the project name most closely associated with Swedish guitar virtuoso Yngwie J. Malmsteen, launched with the landmark 1984 debut album "Rising Force." Emerging from the neoclassical shred movement of the early-to-mid 1980s, this project put Baroque and Romantic-era classical composition squarely into the electric guitar world, fusing the harmonic minor scale, diminished arpeggios, and sweep picking with Hard Rock energy. For guitarists, Rising Force is essentially ground zero for neoclassical metal technique. If you want to understand how classical music theory translates to the fretboard at blistering speed, this is the place to start. Yngwie Malmsteen is the sole guitar player and the creative engine behind everything Rising Force has ever released. His style is built on a foundation of alternate picking at extreme tempos, sweep-picked arpeggios across all six strings, legato runs using hammer-ons and pull-offs in scalar sequences, and a dramatic vibrato that owes as much to violin technique as it does to blues guitar. He treats the Stratocaster like a classical instrument, exploiting the scalloped fretboard for wider vibrato and more precise bending. His phrasing draws heavily from composers like Bach, Vivaldi, and Paganini, and he frequently uses pedal tones, sequences, and modal interchange that you simply will not encounter in standard rock or blues playing. The overall difficulty of learning Rising Force material is very high. Even intermediate shredders will find Yngwie's compositions demanding because they require not just raw speed but also precise dynamic control, clean string changes during sweeps, and the ability to seamlessly shift between economy picking and strict alternate picking. His rhythm work is also deceptively challenging: heavy palm-muted power chord riffs interlocked with single-note classical passages demand excellent right-hand discipline. If you are a guitarist looking to push your technical ceiling, develop your knowledge of harmonic minor and diminished frameworks, or simply understand what peak neoclassical shred sounds like, Rising Force material is essential study. Start slow, use a metronome religiously, and expect to spend serious time building the muscle memory these songs require.

What Makes Rising Force Essential for Guitar Players

  • Yngwie's alternate picking is relentless and precise, often running through harmonic minor scale patterns at 16th-note triplet speeds above 160 BPM. Practicing his scalar runs will dramatically improve your right-hand synchronization and stamina.
  • Sweep picking is a cornerstone of the Rising Force sound. Yngwie sweeps through diminished seventh, minor, and major arpeggios across five and six strings, often connecting them with legato hammer-on transitions at the top of the shape. Learning these patterns teaches you how to link arpeggios into fluid melodic lines rather than treating them as isolated shapes.
  • The scalloped fretboard is central to Yngwie's touch and vibrato. Because the wood between the frets is scooped out, less finger pressure is needed to fret notes, but overbending becomes a real risk. If you want to replicate his tone accurately, you need to develop a lighter fretting-hand touch with very controlled finger vibrato.
  • Pedal-tone licks are a signature technique where Yngwie rapidly alternates between a static open string (usually the high E) and fretted notes on adjacent strings. This creates a pseudo-Baroque harpsichord effect and is excellent for building right-hand accuracy across string pairs.
  • Rhythm playing in Rising Force tracks relies on tight palm-muted power chords with occasional galloping patterns and classical-flavored single-note riffs. Do not overlook these sections; they demand just as much right-hand control as the solos and are critical for building a complete neoclassical skillset.

Did You Know?

Yngwie Malmsteen's 1984 debut "Rising Force" was largely an instrumental album, which was almost unheard of for a major label release at the time. It reached No. 60 on the Billboard 200, proving that guitar-driven instrumental music could sell.

Yngwie scallops the fretboards of his Stratocasters himself (or has his tech do it), removing wood between every fret from the first to the twenty-first. This modification is inspired by Baroque-era lutes and allows for extreme vibrato with minimal finger pressure.

He famously uses heavier string gauges than most shredders, typically .008 on the high E but .046 or .048 on the low E, and tunes down a half step to Eb. The heavier low strings give his palm-muted riffs a thicker, more aggressive attack.

The iconic "Rising Force" album was recorded largely with a 1971 Fender Stratocaster plugged into a Marshall 50-watt head. Despite the neoclassical complexity, the signal chain was remarkably simple and relied on cranked tube amp distortion rather than high-gain pedals.

Yngwie has cited violinist Nicolo Paganini as his single biggest musical influence, not another guitarist. Many of his signature licks, including his wide vibrato and rapid string-crossing patterns, are direct adaptations of violin technique to the guitar.

During the recording of early Rising Force material, Yngwie would often track solos in one or two takes, preferring the energy of a live performance over meticulous studio editing. This spontaneous approach gives the solos a raw, aggressive quality that is difficult to replicate by piecing together multiple takes.

Yngwie's right-hand picking technique uses a slightly anchored wrist position on the bridge, allowing him to switch between palm-muted chugging and open picking almost instantaneously. This hybrid anchoring technique is worth studying if you struggle with right-hand stability at high speeds.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

Rising Force 1984

The debut album is the essential starting point. Tracks like "Black Star" and "Far Beyond the Sun" are masterclasses in harmonic minor soloing, sweep-picked arpeggios, and pedal-tone licks. The instrumental focus means nearly every track is a guitar lesson in neoclassical technique and phrasing.

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Marching Out 1985

This album adds more vocal-driven song structures while keeping the guitar pyrotechnics front and center. "I'll See the Light, Tonight" and "Overture 1383" offer a mix of accessible riff-based playing and demanding solo work, making it ideal for guitarists who want to balance rhythm chops with lead technique.

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Trilogy 1986

Often considered the peak of Yngwie's songwriting and technical playing in balance. "You Don't Remember, I'll Never Forget" features one of his most melodic and emotionally expressive solos, while "Liar" showcases aggressive alternate-picked riffs. Great for learning how to integrate speed with musicality.

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Odyssey 1988

With Joe Lynn Turner on vocals, this album has a slightly more commercial hard rock edge, but the guitar work is as ferocious as ever. "Rising Force" (the track) and "Dreaming (Tell Me)" contain some of Yngwie's most well-structured solos, ideal for studying how to build a solo from melodic themes to full-speed shredding.

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Tone & Gear

Guitar

Fender Stratocaster, specifically his signature model (the Yngwie Malmsteen Signature Stratocaster), featuring a scalloped rosewood or maple fretboard, brass nut, and a vintage-style tremolo bridge. His original workhorse was a 1971 Fender Strat nicknamed "The Duck" (for a Donald Duck sticker on it). The scalloped fretboard is the single most important modification: it allows wider vibrato, easier bending, and a unique attack that defines the Rising Force tone.

Amp

Marshall amplifiers have been Yngwie's primary choice throughout his career. In the early Rising Force era, he used a 50-watt Marshall head (similar to a JMP or early Plexi circuit) cranked to get natural tube overdrive. He later moved to modified Marshall JCM800s and eventually his own signature Marshall YJM100 head, which delivers high-gain saturation while retaining the midrange punch and harmonic richness needed for neoclassical lines to cut through a mix. He typically runs multiple heads into 4x12 cabinets for massive stage volume.

Pickups

Yngwie uses DiMarzio HS-3 and HS-4 single-coil-sized pickups in his Stratocasters. These are stacked humbuckers designed to eliminate 60-cycle hum while retaining single-coil clarity. The output is moderate (around 7-8k ohms), which preserves pick dynamics and note articulation even under heavy gain. This is crucial for his style because high-output pickups would compress the fast scalar runs and lose the note separation that defines his tone.

Effects & Chain

Yngwie's effects chain is famously minimal. His primary effect is a DOD YJM308 Overdrive (his signature version of the DOD 250 preamp/overdrive), used as a boost to push the front end of his Marshalls harder rather than as a standalone distortion. He also uses a Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor to tame high-gain hiss. For ambient effects, he occasionally uses a Roland DC-30 Chorus Echo or a simple delay unit, and a Dunlop wah for expressive solo passages. The core philosophy is simple: the tone comes from the fingers, the pickups, and the cranked Marshall. Pedals are seasoning, not the main course.

Recommended Gear

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Yngwie's scalloped fretboard Strat enables the wide vibrato and effortless bending that define Rising Force's neoclassical tone. The instrument's single-coil clarity combined with DiMarzio stacked humbuckers preserves note articulation through his lightning-fast scalar runs.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The JCM800's midrange punch and harmonic richness allow Yngwie's intricate melodic lines to cut through massive stage volume without losing definition. Its natural tube saturation, when cranked, delivers the singing high-gain tone essential to his neoclassical attack.

How to Practice Rising Force on GuitarZone

Every Rising Force song page on GuitarZone includes a built-in Practice Toolbar. No app to download, no account needed. Open any song, then use the toolbar to slow the video to 0.5× speed, set an A/B loop around the exact riff you're working on, and jump between song sections instantly.

The toolbar appears automatically on every guitar tab, lesson, and cover page. Pick a song below, hit play, and start practicing at your own pace.

Practice Yngwie J.Malmsteen - Guitar Tab