The guitarist Ritchie Blackmore said was absolutely perfect: “How incredible he was”
Oh, to be a guitarist in the 1960s. This isn’t me looking back and saying that there aren’t any good guitarists in the modern age, but there is something about the way that rock developed in the ‘60s, which meant being a guitar player would have been incredibly exciting.
These days, when you learn the guitar, it feels as though the rule book has somewhat been written. You can still go out there and make something new and innovative, sure, but when you’re initially learning, you have heroes to turn to and inspirations to learn from. That wasn’t the case as much in the ‘60s, as the way that you could play the guitar, and how you acted while you played, were still being worked out.
The reason why so many of the guitarists from that decade are recognised as the greatest to pick up the instrument isn’t just because they were good guitar players, but also because they were inventing new styles of playing which have since become timeless. You can look at different musicians from that period and pick out how their work resonates in the modern world.
One of these guitarists was Ritchie Blackmore. When we think of the six-string shredder from Deep Purple, we often think of the legendary riffs he penned and his exploration of heavy rock; however, there was a lot more to Blackmore than that. Throughout his career, he worked out how the electric guitar could be used on both sides of the spectrum of rock, which meant heavy music but also intertwining it with more classical and softer-sounding compositions.
We consider Blackmore one of the best guitarists to ever pick up the instrument because of this constant exploration. Every record was a surprise, there was no slowing down once he got going, as he was constantly pushing for different sounds and new ways that he could revel in the instrument that he loved playing. He was also surrounding himself with equally good guitar players so that he was constantly learning and getting excited by guitar playing.
There is something beautiful about a good jam session. Getting in the room with other like-minded musicians with nothing planned, allowing that improvisation to drive the session and just seeing what everyone else can do, is there a truer form of music? In the ‘60s, Blackmore had a jam session with two of the greatest guitarists in the world, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. Page was producing sessions, so it was mainly Beck that was playing, and he completely blew Blackmore’s mind.
“First met Jeff Beck around 64-65 and it was a session where we were both playing guitars and Jimmy Page was producing,” recalled Page, “I couldn’t believe how incredible he was, not only with his technique but his sound too. I became a fan of his ever since. He could reach up into the stars and make magic with his playing. His choice of notes were always absolutely perfect.”
Beck has always been considered a revolutionary guitarist, not only in the way that he played, but the way he acted on stage as well. When he played with The Yardbirds, he wasn’t content just playing guitar at the back, he came to the front of the stage, acted flamboyantly, and made it so that the guitar player was one of the most exciting members in the band. It set a new precedent which is still followed by six-string proteges to this day.
Oh, to be a guitarist in the ‘60s. You weren’t reading from a rule book, you were holding the pen, helping to write it.
