Deep Purple

Ritchie Blackmore famously used a Fender Stratocaster (not a Les Paul or SG) as his primary guitar during Deep Purple's classic era, running it through a Marshall amplifier. This combination of a single-coil equipped guitar and extreme gain was virtually unheard of for hard rock at the time, and it required careful gain staging and technique to prevent the setup from becoming too noisy. Blackmore's success with this seemingly incompatible pairing influenced countless players to stop obsessing over gear purity and instead focus on playing ability.

The iconic 'Smoke on the Water' riff was partially inspired by a classical guitar melody and was conceived almost accidentally during rehearsals. Rather than being a calculated, systematic riff construction, it emerged from Blackmore's tendency to reference classical music within hard rock contexts. This hybrid approach between classical technique and rock attitude became a defining characteristic of his playing and influenced everyone from Eddie Van Halen to Yngwie Malmsteen.

Deep Purple's tuning approach varied significantly across their catalog: while many songs use standard or drop-D, some tracks employ open tunings or non-standard downtunings. Recording engineer Phil Manzanera has noted that the band's willingness to retune and experiment rather than transpose was somewhat unusual for the era, showing a genuine commitment to getting the exact tonal character each song demanded.

Ritchie Blackmore's use of a wah-wah pedal in the studio was far more extensive than his live approach suggested. Many solo passages that sound like purely organic tube amp tone actually benefited from careful wah-pedal work during recording sessions, demonstrating the difference between how albums were crafted versus how the material was eventually performed on stage.

The band recorded many takes and often stacked multiple guitar passes for layering and doubling effects that are nearly impossible to replicate live. 'Perfect Strangers' in particular features intricate lead guitar voicings that required Blackmore to record multiple passes at slightly different positions and with varied attack dynamics, something worth understanding before you assume a recorded performance is a single take.

Jon Lord's keyboard parts were often recorded after Blackmore's guitar parts and were intentionally arranged to complement rather than compete with the guitar lines. This collaborative approach meant that Blackmore could play with more freedom, knowing the keys would fill harmonic or textural gaps, creating a dynamic that modern rock bands often miss when guitars and keys fight for frequency space.

Deep Purple's live tone was significantly different from their studio tone during different eras. The 'Machine Head' sessions captured a tighter, more compressed tone from Blackmore's rig, while later tours featured more natural amp breakup and less studio compression, meaning that learning from both studio recordings and live bootlegs is essential for understanding the full range of his approach.