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SPIN Asks the Experts: How to Shred With Guitar God Yngwie Malmsteen

In his rollicking new memoir, Relentless (Wiley), guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen recounts his maniacal drive to play faster, more precisely, better than any of his axe-wielding metal brethren. The young Swede put in insane hours of practice, playing his fingers raw, and training with the drive of an Olympic athlete. You may or may not like Malmsteen’s flashy style, but you can’t deny his dedication.

I, on the other lazy hand, am a guitar slob. I’ve been playing for 18 years, and still can’t get through one song from beginning to end. But what would happen if I took a lesson with Yngwie? After all, Malmsteen recently launched an instructional website, Relentless Shred. Could this world-renowned guitar master teach a concrete-handed klutz like me to melt faces and singe ear drums?

If he could do that, what else could he do? I wanted style! I wanted showmanship! I wanted Yngwie Fucking Malmsteen to teach me how to rock!

See for yourself how we did.