Simon McBride (Deep Purple): "The simplest riffs are the hardest to play"

🎸 Simon McBride, Deep Purple's guitarist, dispelled one of the biggest misconceptions in rock music – that a classic riff is easy just because it sounds simple. In a new interview with Rob Cass from the podcast "dopeYEAH talk", McBride shared that songs like "Smoke On The Water" are often the hardest to play correctly because their impact depends on restraint, feel and precision, not flashy technique.

🤘 McBride, who officially joined Deep Purple in 2022 as Steve Morse's replacement, debunked the rumor that he learned the band's setlist only 40 minutes before his first concert. "Deep Purple's catalog isn't overly complex – and that's exactly why it works so well," he explained. "Smoke On The Water' is essentially three chords, and even 'Perfect Strangers' is only two or three. I learned the material quickly because I train my ear to pick things up, although some parts still require careful work."

🎹 McBride also revealed an interesting detail from his preparation – that he had tracked down the original recordings where the guitar is panned to the left and keyboards to the right. When he isolated Ritchie Blackmore's guitar, he realized how clearly he could hear it. But the band quickly corrected him – the arrangements had changed over time and the songs had evolved. "Don't try to play it exactly like Blackmore once did – that's the past," they told him.

🌟 The real challenge, according to McBride, is not to become a copy of the person before you. Deep Purple's guitar chair has been occupied by an impressive list of names – Ritchie Blackmore, Tommy Bolin, Joe Satriani and Steve Morse. The pressure to mimic legends is great, but the band didn't hire him to be a clone. "They want me for what I do naturally," McBride shared. Don Airey has told him repeatedly: "Stop overthinking and just be yourself."

🔥 McBride admitted that the nerves before his first Deep Purple concert in Tel Aviv (May 2022) were strong. "I don't usually get nervous because nerves come from being unprepared – and I'm meticulous. But after two or three years without concerts, going out in front of a huge crowd… my stomach sank."

🎸 When asked which song was the hardest from the set, McBride repeated his thesis: the simplest ones are the most brutal. "Smoke On The Water' is technically easy, but it's not easy to perform well. The difference is in the execution – the power, the timing, the discipline. Many guitarists want to embellish the riff with vibrato or extra ornaments, but the magic of that song is in its raw simplicity. The riff only works when you play it exactly as intended – without ego, without overthinking. That's when the song explodes."

💡 McBride develops the idea further: "Technical complexity is often easier than simplicity. A lot of 'hard' music is actually easier to fake than supposedly simple classics. Truly iconic material depends on feel, looseness and human imperfection." He cites Rage Against The Machine, Roger Taylor's drums (Queen) and Charlie Watts (Rolling Stones) as examples – whose slightly imperfect style became their trademark sound. "Perfect playing doesn't always mean better playing."

📀 The interview comes as Deep Purple prepare a new studio album titled "Splat!", which is released on July 3, 2026 via earMUSIC. The album is again produced by legendary Bob Ezrin (who worked with the band on classics like "Machine Head") and is described as "Deep Purple's heaviest album in years". In support of the release, the band embarks on a massive world tour with a total of 86 concerts in 28 countries across three continents.

🏆 Deep Purple's legacy remains enormous – over 120 million albums sold worldwide, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2016) and a reputation as one of the most influential bands in rock history. And Simon McBride, with the wisdom of a musician who has been through the fire of a legendary legacy, reminds us of something important: sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to master. And that's where true greatness lies.

🎟️ Deep Purple are coming to Bulgaria! The concert is on September 29, 2026 at Arena Armeec – Sofia. All the biggest hits are expected, including "Smoke On The Water", "Perfect Strangers", "Highway Star" and many more. Tickets are still available via Eventim. Buy tickets →

📺 Watch the video related to this news: Simon McBride – Deep Purple Interview (dopeYEAH talk)

✍️ Source: Michael Thomas (music historian) • Translation and adaptation: RockLive