Joe Satriani has responded to comments made by Ritchie Blackmore that recently appeared online.
Blackmore left Deep Purple in 1993, with Satriani stepping into the fold for the band’s live commitments following his departure.
In the audio clip which emerged earlier this month, Blackmore said: “Joe Satriani is a brilliant player, but I never really hear him searching for notes. I never hear him playing maybe a wrong note.”
He went on to say: “If you're always playing the correct notes, there's something wrong – you're not searching, you're not reaching for anything.”
And although Blackmore also called Satch “a brilliant player,” Satriani has responded to the comments on Rock Talk with Mitch Lafon and expressed his disappointment.
He says (via Guitar World): “Well, it's unfortunate when somebody that you look up to has something negative to say about you.
“So that part will always hurt. I wouldn't hide my feelings about that."
He adds: "I get criticised on both sides of the fence for the opposite offences. I don't quite understand it other than most of the time, when someone has criticism, it's because they're challenged and they feel that they have to strike out.
“So I get it, I understand why he would have to say something negative. I can kind of laugh at it, because I'm not like that myself. I tend to just look at the positive of another musician and focus on that.”
Steve Morse replaced Satriani in Deep Purple in 1994 and has been with the band ever since. Satch released his 16th studio album What Happens Next in January this year.
