Is Ritchie practicing his cello on the solo in “Fools”?
No. The special sound on this solo is created by the volume knob on his Fender. Basically, he picks the string while his right hand’s pinky is on the volume knob, with the volume turned off, and then turns the volume up while the string is still vibrating. This use of the volume control is a commonly used technique – Steve Morse uses it frequently, mostly in quieter songs. This particular solo was created before they made “Fools” for the 1971 album “Fireball” – it can, for instance, be heard on the recordings from Stockholm in November 1970 on “Scandinavian Nights” (aka “Live and Rare”), during “Mandrake Root”, and was later played during “Space Truckin'” (check out “Made in Japan” or the 1972 disc on “Deep Purple in Concert”, and the Copenhagen 1972 video.) It’s also featured on the studio jamming called “Guitar Job” on Ritchie Blackmore: “Rock Profile Vol. 1”. This was recorded during rehearsals for “Fireball”. Other examples of Ritchie using volume control feature the live endings t
