Ritchie Blackmore the Musician, biography, facts and quotes

"Simplicity is the key"

"Learning to play with a big amplifier is like trying to control an elephant"

"Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and I wanted to be a hard rock band - we wanted to play rock and roll only"

"I don't use the twang bar anymore. It's become too popular"

"I can imagine that Rod Stewart likes giving autographs because he's pure showbusiness"

"I can do the old hand vibrato just fine, but I like attacking the strings"

"When something is not good, it's bad. Period"

"Pete Townshend used to crash chords and let the guitar feed back. He's overrated"

"I'm very moved by Renaissance music, but I still love to play hard rock - though only if it's sophisticated and has some thought behind it"

"I was impressed by Hendrix. Not so much by his playing, as his attitude - he wasn't a great player, but everything else about him was brilliant"

"I however don't go to clubs to show off and to be seen, and certainly not to make statements. I just want to be able to quietly watch a band"

"Session work makes you more strict. You can't hit notes all over the place. You've got to make each one really count"

"I've always played every amp I've ever had full up, because rock and roll is supposed to be played loud. Also, that's how you get your sustain"

"I'm not into that Keith Richard trip of having all those guitars in different tunings. I never liked the Rolling Stones much anyway"

"I was impressed by Hendrix. His attitude was brilliant. Even the way he walked was amazing"

"I have never met one person who likes Grand Funk"

"I can turn on some jazz guitarist, and he won't do a thing for me, if he's not playing electrically. But Jeff Beck's great to listen to"

"I can never remember what I do even in the studio"

"Johnny Winter is one of the best blues players in the world. He's very underrated"

"Jimi... He was the gov'nor and that's it. He was brilliant, wasn't he?"

"If a ballet dancer falls over, it's knowing how to get out looking clumsy that counts"

"I had given up the guitar between '75 and '78. I completely lost interest. I was sick of hearing other guitar players and I was tired of my tunes"

"I don't put myself on Jeff Beck's level, but I can relate to him when he says he'd rather be working on his car collection than playing the guitar"

"But you have to give your whole life to a cello. When I realized that, I went back to the guitar and just turned the volume up a bit louder"

"Everything I do is usually totally spontaneous"

"When you've toured for about 10 years like me, you end up feeling like you're always waiting for somebody or something. The whole day is a drag"

"When you're around someone good, your own standards are raised"

"Stevie Ray Vaughan was very intense. Maybe that's what caught everybody's attention. As a player, he didn't do anything amazing"

"Playing a Fender is an art itself. They're always going out of tune"

"I like leaping around on stage as long as it's done with class. None of this jumping up in the air and doing the splits"

"I'm not good enough, technically, to be a classic musician. I lack discipline"

"I feel like I own the stage"

"I don't see myself as such an important guitarist"

"I criticize my own work pretty harshly"

"When I was 20, I didn't give a damn about song construction. I just wanted to make as much noise and play as fast and as loud as possible"

"If you can play well in the studio, you can play well on stage"

Facts about Ritchie Blackmore