# The limitations of playing rock guitar make it more challenging than jazz...



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

From an interview with Ritchie Blackmore...

"But in jazz you have a very broad construction. You can hit ninths, fifths, flattened ninths; thing like that. *In rock you're limited, and that's the challenge.* This might sound silly, but I feel jazz is too free. You can be playing with a jazzer and be up, and down that fingerboard and you can hit any note you want, it's going to work out a flattened ninth, a tenth, a thirteenth - it's going to be something. Even in a different key it'll fit somewhere; I've done it. Take a progression like A, F sharp, D, and E, and they're experimenting and hitting diminisheds and augmenteds, so when they hit that A, you can play any note you like and it'll either be a flattened third, a flattened fifth, an added sixth or a suspended ninth. They can get away with murder, some of those guys. Great runs and things but because there's so much going on in the background it's bound to be related somewhere along the line, so it always fits. This is probably what they get off on. Whereas in rock, you can't. If somebody's hitting an A, you've got to stick around that A somehow."


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## CathodeRay (Jan 12, 2018)

Goes triple for the blues.
In my experience it takes a lot of insight into phrasing to get past the warmup riffing kinda blues we all know too well from basement jams, and into something intensely emotive inside its limitations. 

Sent from my A3_Pro using Tapatalk


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## fogdart (Mar 22, 2017)

Yeah that’s not in the least bit true. What a totally ridiculous thing to say.


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## David Graves (Apr 5, 2017)

I guess it depends on the player. Guys like Vito Bratta, Alex Skolnick and Reb Beach certainly bring some complexity to very simple music.


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

That’s an easy way out of saying that “what I do is more challenging than that other stuff”.

Jazz is clearly more complex and his notion that any old note will just “work out” is rubbish. I’d say that staying within a 5 note confinement will likely make things easier thanks trying to develop a melody over a complex set of chord changes from even the easiest standard.


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## Mikev7305 (Jan 6, 2020)

I partly agree, but anybody playing guitar for a year can play rock "sticking around the A". How is that harder than decades of knowledge and practice to be able to do those insane outside the box jazz runs. I've never thought jazz musicians play without emotion. It's coming from somewhere. I guess I can't say I agree with richie after all...


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

Well, what can one say, it's Blackmore! As much as I love the Dio-fronted records with Rainbow, I never cared for Blackmore as a person. If you find an interview where he's _not_ condesending and/or borderline nasty (even when talking about the Smoke on the Water riff!), please do let me know.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

As someone who enjoys TRYING to play some jazz chords, progressions and and simple lines, I am very pleased and relieved to know that my potential of choosing more notes that might be suitable is been dramatically expanded. I feel "free" ...well at least until I actually try it.


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## David Graves (Apr 5, 2017)

This is very true. Blackmore's playing is above and beyond. His personality, on the other hand, is below and within.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

I can only assume but (I believe) Blackmore says stuff just to get people riled up. I would be surprised that he actually believes that...he is or was known to have a pretty dark sense of humor and prankster.


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## jazzereh (Oct 25, 2016)

Ritchie who?


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

I didn't expect this thread to develop so much traction. 
Thanks for the funny (and serious) responses.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)




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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

For a dude that seems to know a ton of theory Ritchie is spewing nonsense here. Not "any note will do". That being said, giving yourself strict parameters to work within can be a huge challenge and super rewarding. I used to marvel at Chris Layton's drumming with SRV because 90% seemed to be the same Texas shuffle pattern but it always felt a little different and sounded like a million bucks.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

It would be interesting to know the context of the interview. Either he is being an arrogant windbag, or he is brilliantly taking the piss out of the jazz community. Or possibly both.


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## David Graves (Apr 5, 2017)

I understand that the jazz guys are well schooled and use those teachings well. But if he's talking about the challenges of showing off your skills within the parameters of a rock song. He may have a point. Simple rock songs get air play. Complicated ones, generally do not. Dream Theater and Nirvana both hit the scene at the same time. Just sayin!! lol


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

David Graves said:


> Dream Theater and Nirvana both hit the scene at the same time. Just sayin!! lol


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

The job of a musician is to add to the song to make the song better. That is hard to do and often lost in an attempt to show off. The genre doesn’t matter. What matters is the song and how your playing fits into and improves the song.


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

A controversial quote by a controversial character. You're learning the best media practices my friend 



greco said:


> I didn't expect this thread to develop so much traction.
> Thanks for the funny (and serious) responses.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

Yes, it's pretty easy to be really bad at playing Jazz.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Hammerhands said:


> Yes, it's pretty easy to be really bad at playing Jazz.


I am living proof of that!


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

On topic: has anyone checked out H. John Benjamin's jazz album, and the reviews of it?


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

David Graves said:


> I understand that the jazz guys are well schooled and use those teachings well. But if he's talking about the challenges of showing off your skills within the parameters of a rock song. He may have a point. Simple rock songs get air play. Complicated ones, generally do not. Dream Theater and Nirvana both hit the scene at the same time. Just sayin!! lol


I guess its true. Rock\Country plays 3 chords to and audience of thousands and Jazz plays thousands of chords to an audience of 3. Maybe its not true that "any old note will do", but sometimes it sure sounds like it. In rock or country you can get away with some of those "outside the box" jazzy phrasing but you've really got to be careful about where and when it goes. In a pure jazz situation it happens so much that you get desensitize to it and it gives the impression that the player is using "any old note" In a rock\country setting when used sparingly and in the right place it can really give a solo the "WOW" factor.


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## Jim Soloway (Sep 27, 2013)

Kind of a silly concept. It takes a lot of work and talent to become a good musician regardless of the genre or the instrument. Really great players are rare treasures no matter what sort of music they play.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

If you can get past the first 2:08 mins, then it starts to sound like music. lol


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

This all adds weight to to my theory that a Marshall Major stack will rearange your neurons...


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## Waldo97 (Jul 4, 2020)

I have a one-stringed guitar. It takes _'way_ more skill to play than a six-string. But not quite as much skill as my no-string guitar.


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## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

Budda said:


> On topic: has anyone checked out H. John Benjamin's jazz album, and the reviews of it?


Ha, ha! Yes. I'm also a huge Archer fan.

The trailer for the album is hilarious. Almost had me convinced until he started playing.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)




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## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

No jamming? No having fun?

Poor Ritchie

Life's too short for that. To each his own.


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

Grab n Go said:


> Ha, ha! Yes. I'm also a huge Archer fan.
> 
> The trailer for the album is hilarious. Almost had me convinced until he started playing.


Is there a record? Based on the trailer I'd listen to it  . I love Jon and jazz (some of his note choices and his phrasing suggest he might actually like it too). They got Odean Pope for the viedo! I've gotta give the Bill Frisell album a few more spins but Jon may have my record of the year here.
Sidenote: does anyone else.have a "definitive" Jon character? After seeing Bob's Burgers I only hear him as Bob now. It makes Archer (including the Bob episode) even more surreal.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)




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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

Oh Ritchie....


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

Grab n Go said:


> Ha, ha! Yes. I'm also a huge Archer fan.


There are new Archer episodes today.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Funny. His replacement in DP doesn't seem to suffer the same malady. Jazz solos in rock, sure. Rock solos in jazz, why not? 

Lots of guys break the rules, that's why they're there.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I love Blackmore's playing, but sometimes I wonder if he thinks before he speaks.

Limitations in guitar playing are usually self imposed


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

Grab n Go said:


> Ha, ha! Yes. I'm also a huge Archer fan.


I’ve been watching a series called Short Treks that you can find on the Crave app, short 15-minute stand-alone stories set in the Star Trek universe.

H. Jon Benjamin shows up in the titular role in Season 2, Episode 2, The Trouble With Edward. It’s pretty good.


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