In this edition of Rock Lick Legends we look at some of the techniques of Ritchie Blackmore, founding member of Deep Purple and Rainbow. Known for his scalloped necks, fast minor scale runs, and guitar hurling, he was a major contributor to the neoclassical guitar movement of the 1980s. In our examples we look at some of his mixolydian ideas and how classical and blues techniques emerge from them.

During his period with Deep Purple and Rainbow, Blackmore played almost exclusively the Fender Strat, for amplification he used Custom Marshall stacks with a 200-watt Major head, wah-wah pedal and a variable control treble-booster for sustain.

Suggested Album: Machine Head

Playing Rating: Intermediate to Advanced