In a new interview with Rob Cass of the dopeYEAH talk podcast, DEEP PURPLE guitarist Simon McBride shared insights into his experience joining the iconic band.

Asked about the rumor that it took him only 40 minutes to learn the PURPLE set before he first played with the group, McBride laughed and replied, "The thing is with the PURPLE stuff, it's not overly complicated, but that's the beauty of it, and that's why it was so successful.

'Smoke On The Water' is three chords, really.

And all the great songs, even 'Perfect Strangers', it's two or three chords.

So it is quite simple.

When discussing his approach to playing in the band, McBride emphasized, "The greatest challenge is basically just being yourself and not worrying or trying to be what was before." He acknowledged that he has no airs or graces about himself or his playing, stating, "I'm just a guitarist.

I'm not a rocket scientist or something special." Regarding the most challenging song to play in the DEEP PURPLE set, McBride noted, "The most challenging ones are...

Generally, the most challenging ones are the simple ones, like 'Smoke On The Water'.

People always say, 'Ah, it's easy.' It is easy technically, but it's not easy to play." DEEP PURPLE will release a new studio album, "Splat!", on July 3 via earMUSIC.

The band once again teamed up with renowned producer Bob Ezrin to create what has been described as "the heaviest DEEP PURPLE album in many years." To celebrate the release, DEEP PURPLE will continue their extensive 2026 touring schedule with no fewer than 86 shows across 28 countries on three continents." Image credit: MusicJunkie422 Link