Ritchie Blackmore Quotes & Sayings

What's the point of re-releasing an album? The original sounded good, why change something about it? — Ritchie Blackmore

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

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

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

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

Simplicity is the key. — Ritchie Blackmore

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I never work out my leads. Everything I do is usually totally spontaneous. If someone says, 'That was good; play that again,' I'm not able to do it. — Ritchie Blackmore

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

They used to complain at school that I looked out of the window for long periods of time - that sums up my life. I like to look out the window, do nothing, daydream. — Ritchie Blackmore

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A lot of blues guitarists play with only three fingers, and they can't figure out certain runs that require the use of their little fingers. Classical training is good for that. — Ritchie Blackmore

I think a lot about death more than life, because we're going towards death. — Ritchie Blackmore

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I was always stuck in a musical no man's land. — Ritchie Blackmore

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

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

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

Everything I do is usually totally spontaneous. — Ritchie Blackmore

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

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

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

I feel like I own the stage. — Ritchie Blackmore

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

I criticize my own work pretty harshly. — Ritchie Blackmore