Ritchie Blackmore quotes:

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

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.

... 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...

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.

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

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

I have never met one person who likes Grand Funk.

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.

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 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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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 criticize my own work pretty harshly.

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

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.

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

Everything I do is usually totally spontaneous.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Simplicity is the key.

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

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

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

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