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
Caught, Everybody, Very, Stevie
I'm not good enough, technically, to be a classic musician. I lack discipline.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Not Good Enough, Classic, Musician
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, Roll, Hard Rock
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
Love, Play, Very, Hard Rock
Johnny Winter is one of the best blues players in the world. He's very underrated.
- Ritchie Blackmore
World, Players, Very, Johnny
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
Other, Given, Tunes, Guitar Players
Pete Townshend used to crash chords and let the guitar feed back. He's overrated.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Back, Feed, Chords, Overrated
The cello is such a melancholy instrument, such an isolated, miserable instrument.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Miserable, Cello, Isolated, Melancholy
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
Give, Louder, Turned, Cello
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
Waiting, Always, Like, Toured
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
Over, Notes, Each One, Strict
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
Brilliant, About, Impressed, Everything Else
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
Work, Play, Again, Spontaneous
Everything I do is usually totally spontaneous.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Everything, Totally, Spontaneous
Playing a Fender is an art itself. They're always going out of tune.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Art, Always, Itself, Fender
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
Richard, Having, Liked, Guitars
I was impressed by Hendrix. His attitude was brilliant. Even the way he walked was amazing.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Amazing, Brilliant, Walked, Hendrix
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
Brothers, Still, Albums, Hendrix
I found the blues too limiting, and classical was too disciplined.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Found, Disciplined, Too, Limiting
If a ballet dancer falls over, it's knowing how to get out looking clumsy that counts.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Over, Counts, Ballet Dancer, Clumsy
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
Finger, Players, Early Days, Guitar Players
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, Always, Loud, Sustain
Simplicity is the key.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Simplicity, Key
I was always stuck in a musical no man's land.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Land, Always, Musical, Stuck
I have never met one person who likes Grand Funk.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Never, Person, Grand, Funk
I can do the old hand vibrato just fine, but I like attacking the strings.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Strings, Like, Fine, Attacking
I don't use the twang bar anymore. It's become too popular.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Bar, Use, Too, Popular
Learning to play with a big amplifier is like trying to control an elephant.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Play, Big, Like, Elephant
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
Jazz, Some, Beck, Guitarist
I don't see myself as such an important guitarist.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Myself, Important, See, Guitarist
I can imagine that Rod Stewart likes giving autographs because he's pure showbusiness.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Because, Imagine, Rod, Autographs
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
Doing, Like, Jumping, Splits
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, Play, Loud, Noise
I criticize my own work pretty harshly.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Criticize, Pretty, My Own, Harshly
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
Level, Rather, Beck, Jeff
Those record companies don't know what's happening at all.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Know, Record, Companies, Happening
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
My Life, Like, Long Periods, Complain
Combing my hair doesn't make me a better musician.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Hair, Me, Better, Musician
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
Want, However, Certainly, Statements
The only way you can get good, unless you're a genius, is to copy. That's the best thing. Just steal.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Good, Best, Steal, Copy
When you're recording, if you're not really clean in your playing, it sounds like a mess.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Like, Playing, Sounds, Recording
I think a lot about death more than life, because we're going towards death.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Death, Think, I Think, Towards
Jimi... He was the gov'nor and that's it. He was brilliant, wasn't he?
- Ritchie Blackmore
He, Brilliant
When you're around someone good, your own standards are raised.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Standards, Own, Someone, Raised
When something is not good, it's bad. Period.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Good, Bad, Something, Period
What's the point of re-releasing an album? The original sounded good, why change something about it?
- Ritchie Blackmore
Change, Original, About, Album
If you can play well in the studio, you can play well on stage.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Play, Stage, Well, Studio
I can never remember what I do even in the studio.
- Ritchie Blackmore
Remember, Never, Even, Studio
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