WHAT SONG are you listening to right now?

One of the most recognized, duplicated, and powerful riffs in rock music by Ritchie Blackmore in the song "Smoke on the Water." Most people play it wrong, interestingly enough. When you get a guitar and pluck this tune out, it never sounds quite right, and that's for two important reasons. First, you don't have Jon Lord running a Hammond Organ through a Marshall Amp to back you up note for note, and second the song is played by plucking two strings at a time.

This gives that riff its powerful, deep sound with the growl behind it that works so incredibly well. That sound was Deep Purple's signature and it made them superstars. And the album Machine Head was their biggest - and many say best - work. Smoke on the Water is kind of a typical metal song with a big guitar solo, grinding music, and wailing singing. But behind all that long hair and pyrotechnics is a pretty interesting story.