I've haven't played any Yngwie stuff since the 80's but, and not that I could play it that well, but I have a
number of things to give you some direction.
The Harmonic Minor Scale:
Let's take an A Harmonic Minor scale.
E--------------------------------------------------4--5-
B-------------------------------------------5--6--------
G--------------------------------4--5--7---------------
D------------------------6--7---------------------------
A-------------5--7--8-----------------------------------
E--5--7--8----------------------------------------------
This scale contains a R 2 b3 4 5 b6 M7 R
Looks like a regular A Natural Minor scale except with the b7 moved up a half step to the M7.
This allows for a "leading tone" moving up to the Root. This is one characteristic of the scale. The other is the Interval gap between the b6 and the M7, it's 1 and a 1/2 steps...so between the b6 and the M7 we have a Minor Third Interval.
The secrets to ANY scale is to try and flesh out the chords with in it...find as many R 3 5's (and 1 3 5 7's) as you can that are usable...for A Harmonic
Minor triads you have:
Am Bmb5 Caug Dm E F G#mb5 Am
a few four note chords:
Am/maj7 Bdim7 Cmaj7#5 Dm7 E7 Fmaj7 G#dim7 Am/maj7
Well HELLO diminished chords!
But before we get there...
There's a little thing called a cadence...a perfect cadence moves from the V7 chord of a Key to the I chord of the key. The V7-I chord change is a perfect cadence.
If you understanding building chords in a Key and you build the chords of an A Natural Minor chord (just like the Diatonic chords) you find you end up with a IIm7-Im cadence...it's not the strongest cadence in some cases.
The most important part of the cadence is the leading-tone moving to the Root (M7 to the Root)...the Natural Minor doesn't provide it, BUT...the Harmonic
Minor does...the Leading-tone of the M7 to the Root is in the Harmonic Minor scale.
So, if you look at those chords built from the A Harmonic Minor scale...the fifth chord is...E7..or V7!
So, the Harmonic Minor gives us a V7-Im cadence. Sure, the I chord is a minor (Im) chord, but the cadence is complete due to the V7 chord being there to provide the M7->I Interval movement.
Hope that makes sense.
So, what does this have to do with anything?
There's a reason you use the A Natural Minor scale over and Am chord, cause it sounds good, and sounds "natural". But, you can use the A Harmonic Minor
(and it's Modes) to create some COOL stuff beyond the "natural" sound.
Let's just take a little progression in A Minor...
||: Am | Am | Am | Am | E | E | E | E :||
But, for the Yngwie effect...get some gain going and chug those chords with:
||: A5 | A5 | A5 | A5 | E5 | E5 | E5 | E5 :||
Now to play over this:
1. play A Natural Minor for the A5 chord
2. play A Harmonic Minor for the E5 chord
You'll start to hear a change take place when that E5 and A Harmonic Minor scale hit. But, when it finishes, the E5 to the A5 (the V to the I) is classic Yngwie sounds.
When you are on the E5 and playing the A Harmonic Minor scale, you're really playing a Mode of the Harmonic Minor scale starting on the 5th note of
it...the E note. This Modes is commonly called a Dominant Phrygian scale.
You can get a full course on this scale using my Dominant Phrygian Tutorial at my site.
But, now we can also go back and check out those diminished chords.
If you are familiar with diminished 7 chords you can see that Bdim7 and G#dim7 are the SAME chord, enharmonically. So that also means that Fdim7 and Ddim7 are available for use! If you're not familiar with Diminished 7 chords visit my Chord Construction Series to get the understanding, but also look through
the Dominant Phrygian Tutorial too as you'll find some applications for them. Both are at my lesson site: http://lessons.mikedodge.com
Yngwie uses these Diminished 7 chords a lot as arpeggios, I don't think he's a sweeppicker, but TONS of players sweep these because they lay so nicely on the fretboard...try something similar to these ideas when the E5 hits:
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Fdim7 G#dim7 Bdim7 Ddim7 Fdim7
E-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|----------------------|---------------------|
B-----------3--6--|--9--6-----------|-------------9--12--|--15--12--------------|--------------15--18-|
G--------4--------|--------7--------|---------10---------|----------13----------|----------16---------|
D--3--6-----------|-----------9--6--|--9--12-------------|--------------15--12--|--15--18-------------|
A-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|----------------------|---------------------|
E-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|----------------------|---------------------|
Specifically LISTEN to these notes as you play them...and sweep them too with Hammer-ons, Pull-offs, slides...But LISTEN...
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E----------------------------------
B-----------6h9s12p9------------10-
G--------7------------10-----------
D--6h9--------------------12p9-----
A----------------------------------
E----------------------------------
Now think of all of the lick being played over the the last measure of E5 chord, except for the last note which you use when you land back on the A5 chord. Those Dim7 arps build tension which is released back to the A5 chord. Landing on that last A note resolves the whole thing.
Ok, let's take it one step further...
These Diminished chords play two roles really, and this works in almost all music too...
1. They are definitely all built with notes in the A Harmonic Minor scale, but . And, they add tension waiting to be released or resolved back to the Im
chord.
2. Diminished 7 chords are "symmetrical" chords...they can be moved around in Minor 3rds (every 3 frets). And, these chords can be built with a symmetrical scale...the W-H Tone scale OR the H-W Tone scale. These just sequence WHole-steps and Half-steps starting the way the scale is named. And, these scales can ALSO be used.
And, all of that stuff is happening over a basic E5 chord!!!
Here's a sample of how the W-H Tone scale fits the Dim7 chords above:
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E-----------------------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------------|--------------------------------------
B--------------------3--5--6--|--9--8--6--------------------|------------------------9--11--12--|--15--14--12--------------------------
G-----------3--4--6-----------|-----------9--7--6-----------|-------------9--10--12-------------|--------------15--13--12--------------
D--3--5--6--------------------|--------------------9--8--6--|--9--11--12------------------------|--------------------------15--14--12--
A-----------------------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------------|--------------------------------------
E-----------------------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------------|--------------------------------------
But, where all of this cool diminished stuff sounds good is right before you move things back to the A5 chord. Other wise just play in E Dominant Phrygian over the E5 chord, then hit a few of these diminished runs/arps before landing back at A5.
Ok, here's a couple more Yngwie moves (in A Harmonic Minor):
If I recall right this is a pivot-tone. The high A note is played between every other note. But, you'll recognize it.
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E--17--16--17--13--17--12--17------17------17------17------
B------------------------------15------13------12----------
G------------------------------------------------------14--
D----------------------------------------------------------
A----------------------------------------------------------
E----------------------------------------------------------
Here's another where he uses each half-step group in the scale. To gain some speed, do this with Hammer-ons and Pull-offs, or even better...Trill them:
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E--------------------------------------------------------------4-5-4-5---7-8-7-8---12-13-12-13---16-17-16-17---17-
B----------------------------------------------------5-6-5-6------------------------------------------------------
G------------------------------------------4-5-4-5----------------------------------------------------------------
D--------------------------------6-7-6-7--------------------------------------------------------------------------
A----------------------7-8-7-8------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E--4-5-4-5---7-8-7-8----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And, these groups of six-note sequences in the A NATURAL Minor scale :
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E--------------------|---------------------|--------------------|--------------------|------------7--8------|
B--------------------|---------------------|--------------------|-----------6--8-----|--6--8--10--------10--|
G--------------------|---------------------|-----------5--7-----|--5--7--9--------9--|----------------------|
D--------------------|------------5--7-----|--5--7--9--------9--|--------------------|----------------------|
A-----------5--7-----|---5--7--8--------8--|--------------------|--------------------|----------------------|
E--5--7--8--------8--|---------------------|--------------------|--------------------|----------------------|
That same idea can also be done with A Harmonic Minor, E Phrygian, or just about any scale. And, also build a similar sequence going downward.
That ought to keep you busy awhile. I hope it was helpful! (I'll be back with something on the other questions)
