Ritchie Blackmore famous quotes

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.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Guitar #Giving #Volume

... Jeff Beck is my idol .. sometimes he finds notes that I just do not have on my guitar. Frank Zappa's another one .. I loved Frank Zappa ... I do think Van Halen reinvented the guitar ... he's an excellent musician, a shrewd guitarist and as a person he's wonderful...
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Music #Thinking #Guitar

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.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Rocks #Rock And Roll #Loud

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

#Rock And Roll #Play #Rocks

I have never met one person who likes Grand Funk.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Likes #Mets #Funk

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.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Song #Umpires #Play

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
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Air #Class #Jumping

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

#Art #Tunes #Going Out

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.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Watches #Band #Clubs

The cello is such a melancholy instrument, such an isolated, miserable instrument.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Miserable #Melancholy #Instruments

I don't use the twang bar anymore. It's become too popular.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Bars #Use

Learning to play with a big amplifier is like trying to control an elephant.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Play #Elephants #Trying

Listening to as many guitar solos as possible is the best method for someone in the early stages. But saxophone solos can be helpful. They're interesting because they are all single notes, and therefore can be repeated on the guitar. If you can copy a sax solo you're playing very well, because the average saxophonist can play much better than the average guitarist.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Guitar #Average #Play

I can never remember what I do even in the studio.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Remember

Those record companies don't know what's happening at all.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Records #Company

I can do the old hand vibrato just fine, but I like attacking the strings.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Hands #Strings #Attacking

When something is not good, it's bad. Period
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Periods

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

#Guitar #Crash #Chords

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
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Years #Waiting #Feelings

When you're recording, if you're not really clean in your playing, it sounds like a mess.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Sound #Cleanliness #Mess

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

#Brilliant #Brilliant Ideas

If you can play well in the studio, you can play well on stage.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Play #Stage #Wells

Simplicity is the key.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Keys #Simplicity

Combing my hair doesn't make me a better musician.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Hair #Musician

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

#Notes #Strict

In my early days, I never used finger vibrato at all. I originally carved my reputation as one of the 'fast' guitar players.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Player #Guitar #Reputation

The only way you can get good, unless you're a genius, is to copy. That's the best thing. Just steal.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Genius #Way #Stealing

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.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Attitude #Player #Brilliant

I was impressed by Hendrix. His attitude was brilliant. Even the way he walked was amazing.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Attitude #Way #Brilliant

If a ballet dancer falls over, it's knowing how to get out looking clumsy that counts.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Fall #Knowing #Dancer

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.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Rocks #Play #Renaissance

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.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Tired #Player #Guitar

I found the blues too limiting, and classical was too disciplined.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Found

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

#Journey #Guitar #Rolling

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

#Player #Rays #Attention

When you're around someone good, your own standards are raised.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Standards #Raised

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.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Guitar #Car #Levels

I don't see myself as such an important guitarist.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Guitar #Important #Guitarist

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

#Winter #Player #World

Hendrix inspired me, but I was still more into Wes Montgomery. I was also into the Allman Brothers around the time of those albums.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Brother #Albums #Inspired

I can imagine that Rod Stewart likes giving autographs because he's pure showbusiness.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Giving #Likes #Imagine

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.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Guitar #Jazz #Turns

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

#Discipline #Not Good Enough #Musician

Everything I do is usually totally spontaneous.
-- Ritchie Blackmore

#Spontaneity #Spontaneous