I don't play by those rules; I'm my own worst enemy sometimes. There's something in me that has to go against the grain. You know, I don't like to be a dead fish, swimming with all the other dead fish, I like to go upstream sometimes, against the flow.

Ritchie Blackmore

Categorized in : Enemy Sometimes Swimming

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 idols thinking

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 volume giving

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

rock-and-roll loud rocks

One of the reasons I took up the guitar was I didn't want to speak to anybody. I really felt uncomfortable speaking to people, so I took the guitar up so I could hide behind it. I'm not comfortable explaining things, because my brain doesn't work that way.

Ritchie Blackmore

speak brain people

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

Ritchie Blackmore

stealing genius way

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

Ritchie Blackmore

standards raised

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 rocks play

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

Ritchie Blackmore

wells stage play

I have never met one person who likes Grand Funk.

Ritchie Blackmore

funk mets likes

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

car guitar levels

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

Ritchie Blackmore

periods

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

Ritchie Blackmore

going-out tunes art

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

renaissance play-hard rocks

Most guitar players get a name because the band that they're in has become popular. That doesn't mean that they're particularly good, whereas conversely, you've got people like Albert Lee, an incredible player, one of my favourites who's not in a famous band, so he doesn't get into the popularity polls. I have to laugh at some of the people that do get into the popularity polls - some of them are so bad, but they're in a band that's at the top of the hit parade. I think people mix that up.

Ritchie Blackmore

player mean thinking

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

Ritchie Blackmore

crash guitar used

I see someone like John Williams, the classical player, and the amount of discipline and the natural ability that man has is so frightening. That requires so much natural talent. And I think my talent came from just practising, and I feel a bit intimidated when I see players that good.

Ritchie Blackmore

player men thinking

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

Ritchie Blackmore

musician hair

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

rolling guitar journey

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

jumping air class

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

Ritchie Blackmore

guitarist guitar important