--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'd play whenever I could get my hands on…" description: "\"I'd play whenever I could get my hands on an electric guitar; I was trying to pick up rock'n'roll riffs and electric blues - the latest Muddy Waters. I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/keith-richards-1996_back-again_i-d-play-whenever-i-could-get-my-hands-o_1515909.png" --- # I'd play whenever I could get my hands on an electric… ![“I'd play whenever I could get my hands on an electric guitar; I was trying to pick up rock'n'roll riffs and electric blues - the latest Muddy Waters. I'd spend hours and hours on the same track, back again, and back again.” quote by Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/keith-richards-1996_back-again_i-d-play-whenever-i-could-get-my-hands-o_1515909.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/keith-richards-1996_back-again_i-d-play-whenever-i-could-get-my-hands-o_1515909.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/keith-richards-1996_back-again_i-d-play-whenever-i-could-get-my-hands-o_1515909.png) > “I'd play whenever I could get my hands on an electric guitar; I was trying to pick up rock'n'roll riffs and electric blues - the latest Muddy Waters. I'd spend hours and hours on the same track, back again, and back again.” [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dedicated practice on a single riff builds mastery in music. **In simple terms:** Repetition sharpens skill. Key Takeaway Practice deliberately and repeat. Themes music practice dedication rock 'n' roll learning Mood inspirational determined Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - learning a new instrument - songwriting - jam sessions - studio recording Key Concepts muscle memory skill acquisition creative persistence Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance repetition with innovation? - When does practice become counterproductive? A Different Perspective Repetition without variation can become stagnant. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Back again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back-again/) [Electric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electric/) [Electric Blues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electric-blues-495143/) [Electric guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electric-guitar/) [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [Guitar Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar-trying-532009/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Muddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muddy/) [Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muddy-waters/) [Picks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picks/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Riffs Electric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riffs-electric-5591499/) [Rock n roll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-n-roll/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) [Track](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/track/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [And a lot of the technique and the little T-Bone phrases that define his style, Chuck Berry, when he rearranged the beat, they became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duke-robillard/and-a-lot-of-the-technique-and-the-little-t-bone-phrases-that-define/) [Duke Robillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duke-robillard/) > [It’s one thing to play a Muddy Waters song. It’s another thing to play with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/it-s-one-thing-to-play-a-muddy-waters-song-it-s-another-thing-to-play/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [What Muddy Waters did for us is what we should do for others. It's the old thing, what you want written on your tombstone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/what-muddy-waters-did-for-us-is-what-we-should-do-for-others-it-s-the/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [Everybody starts by imitating their heroes. For me it was Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/everybody-starts-by-imitating-their-heroes-for-me-it-was-chuck-berry/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [“We were in Mississippi. We’d been playing this music, and it had all been very respectful, but then we were actually there sniffing it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/we-were-in-mississippi-we-d-been-playing-this-music-and-it-had-all/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [I'd say 99 per cent of the time I write on my own, just with my guitar, and then it's trying to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/passenger/i-d-say-99-per-cent-of-the-time-i-write-on-my-own-just-with-my-guitar/) [Passenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/passenger/) > [I’m not trying to play the guitar. I’m trying to play music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hedges/i-m-not-trying-to-play-the-guitar-i-m-trying-to-play-music/) [Michael Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hedges/) > [Sometimes you've got to draw a line between having all the options and being a slave to the things, using them every time you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-homme/sometimes-you-ve-got-to-draw-a-line-between-having-all-the-options/) [Joshua Homme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-homme/) > [I play guitar and I'm always trying to find out the latest kinds of riffs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sixto-rodriguez/i-play-guitar-and-i-m-always-trying-to-find-out-the-latest-kinds-of/) [Sixto Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sixto-rodriguez/) > [Well, you know it was so different from when you rehearsed. You're out there with your guitar and trying to get a sound, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-richman/well-you-know-it-was-so-different-from-when-you-rehearsed-you-re-out/) [Jonathan Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-richman/) > [I was pillaging a lot of music that had nothing to do with guitar playing, using a lot of strange tunings and voicings and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-rossen/i-was-pillaging-a-lot-of-music-that-had-nothing-to-do-with-guitar/) [Daniel Rossen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-rossen/) > [There are early videos of me at three years old with a tiny guitar trying to sing 'Friends in Low Places' by Garth Brooks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-plemons/there-are-early-videos-of-me-at-three-years-old-with-a-tiny-guitar/) [Jesse Plemons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-plemons/) > [I was just an idiot with a guitar trying to play in pubs and clubs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-ryder/i-was-just-an-idiot-with-a-guitar-trying-to-play-in-pubs-and-clubs/) [Sam Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-ryder/) > [The electric guitar was vital in helping what I've achieved where would I be without it? Playing awfully quietly, for a start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/the-electric-guitar-was-vital-in-helping-what-i-ve-achieved-where/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [The electric guitar meant that you could have a band with a drummer and a couple of guitars. And that put a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/the-electric-guitar-meant-that-you-could-have-a-band-with-a-drummer/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) ## More by Keith Richards > [“When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/when-you-are-growing-up-there-are-two-institutional-places-that/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [“Wild Horses" started in a B-minor chord, and Stu didn't play minor chords, "fucking Chinese music.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/wild-horses-started-in-a-b-minor-chord-and-stu-didn-t-play-minor/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [“And you listen to some of that meticulous Mozart stuff and Vivaldi and you realize that they knew that too. They knew when to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/and-you-listen-to-some-of-that-meticulous-mozart-stuff-and-vivaldi/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [Everybody's got a different way of telling a story - and has different stories to tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/everybody-s-got-a-different-way-of-telling-a-story-and-has-different/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [Let me be clear about this. I don't have a drug problem. I have a police problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/let-me-be-clear-about-this-i-don-t-have-a-drug-problem-i-have-a/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [It's called the mysterious rhythm of life, ... I can't quite account for it. It's probably an addiction, quite honestly. I need that shot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/it-s-called-the-mysterious-rhythm-of-life-i-can-t-quite-account-for/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [I never thought I was wasted, but I probably was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-never-thought-i-was-wasted-but-i-probably-was/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [I don't encourage anybody to do what I do, you know? Why should you? More for me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-don-t-encourage-anybody-to-do-what-i-do-you-know-why-should-you/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [The idea of retiring is like killing yourself. It's almost like Hari Kari. I intend to live to a 100 and go down in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/the-idea-of-retiring-is-like-killing-yourself-it-s-almost-like-hari/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [“La gente me pregunta "por qué no lo dejas?". El hecho es que no me puedo retirar hasta que no estire la pata. Creo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/la-gente-me-pregunta-por-qu-no-lo-dejas-el-hecho-es-que-no-me-puedo/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [Before Elvis, everything was in black and white. Then came Elvis. Zoom, glorious Technicolor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/before-elvis-everything-was-in-black-and-white-then-came-elvis-zoom/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [There's no substitute for live work to keep a band together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/there-s-no-substitute-for-live-work-to-keep-a-band-together/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [But I've always felt very comfortable on stage, even if I screw up. It always felt like a dog, this is my turf, piss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/but-i-ve-always-felt-very-comfortable-on-stage-even-if-i-screw-up-it/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [I'm not getting old I'm evolving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-m-not-getting-old-i-m-evolving/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [I'm an unpure purist, something like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-m-an-unpure-purist-something-like-that/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) [Explore all 190 Keith Richards quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) ## More Back again quotes > [Too long have the workers of the world waited for some Moses to lead them out of bondage. I would not lead you out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/too-long-have-the-workers-of-the-world-waited-for-some-moses-to-lead/) [Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/) > [Don´t be unnecessarily burdened by the past. Go on closing the chapters that you have read; there is no need to go back again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/don-t-be-unnecessarily-burdened-by-the-past-go-on-closing-the/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I was acquainted once with a gallant soldier who assured me that his only measure of courage was this: upon the first fire, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/i-was-acquainted-once-with-a-gallant-soldier-who-assured-me-that-his/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [You look out into the audience and you see so much joy on people's faces. You make eye contact with people who are almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-mcvie/you-look-out-into-the-audience-and-you-see-so-much-joy-on-people-s/) [Christine McVie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-mcvie/) > [Sometimes people hurt us unintentionally. We may view that they've hurt us intentionally and want revenge. But sometimes when we really look back again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-wright/sometimes-people-hurt-us-unintentionally-we-may-view-that-they-ve/) [Cindy Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-wright/) > [If we with earnest effort could succeed To make our life one long, connected prayer, As lives of some, perhaps, have been and are;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-chenevix-trench/if-we-with-earnest-effort-could-succeed-to-make-our-life-one-long/) [Richard Chenevix Trench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-chenevix-trench/) > [In a sermon entitled “God's Providence,” C. H. Spurgeon said, “Napoleon once heard it said, that man proposes and God disposes. 'Ah,' said Napoleon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bridges/in-a-sermon-entitled-god-s-providence-c-h-spurgeon-said-napoleon-once/) [Jerry Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bridges/) > [You can take my factories, burn up my buildings, but give me my people and I'll build the business right back again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/you-can-take-my-factories-burn-up-my-buildings-but-give-me-my-people/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [How long were the stretches of toilsome tacking back and forth, of being blocked, of being thrown back again and again. But all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathe-kollwitz/how-long-were-the-stretches-of-toilsome-tacking-back-and-forth-of/) [Kathe Kollwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathe-kollwitz/) > [I watched them from the window, thy children at their play, And I thought of all my own dear friends, who were far, oh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hugh-clough/i-watched-them-from-the-window-thy-children-at-their-play-and-i/) [Arthur Hugh Clough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hugh-clough/) > [ \[My advice\] will one day be found With other relics of 'a former world,' When this world shall be former, underground, Thrown topsy-turvy, twisted,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/my-advice-will-one-day-be-found-with-other-relics-of-a-former-world/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [I laugh, that there's a certain kind of cyclical nature to life and that I don't have to worry because whatever isn't there right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/i-laugh-that-there-s-a-certain-kind-of-cyclical-nature-to-life-and/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [Home, I learned, can be anywhere you make it. Home is also the place to which you come back again and again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/home-i-learned-can-be-anywhere-you-make-it-home-is-also-the-place-to/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [To ask for power is forcing uphill a stone which after all rolls back again from the summit and seeks in headlong haste the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/to-ask-for-power-is-forcing-uphill-a-stone-which-after-all-rolls-back/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [It's undeserved success that people are so terribly afraid of losing; they know they haven't any way, themselves, of ever getting it back again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-deasy/it-s-undeserved-success-that-people-are-so-terribly-afraid-of-losing/) [Mary Deasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-deasy/) [Browse all 160 Back again quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back-again/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'd play whenever I could get my hands on an electric guitar; I was trying to pick up rock'n'roll riffs and electric blues - the latest Muddy Waters. I'd spend hours and hours on the same track, back again, and back again.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Keith Richards" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-d-play-whenever-i-could-get-my-hands-on-an-electric-guitar-i-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Back again" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-d-play-whenever-i-could-get-my-hands-on-an-electric-guitar-i-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/keith-richards-1996_back-again_i-d-play-whenever-i-could-get-my-hands-o_1515909.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/keith-richards-1996_back-again_i-d-play-whenever-i-could-get-my-hands-o_1515909.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/keith-richards-1996_back-again_i-d-play-whenever-i-could-get-my-hands-o_1515909.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'd play whenever I could get my hands on an electric guitar; I was trying to pick up rock'n'roll riffs and…” — Keith Richards", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Keith Richards", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'd play whenever I could get...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-d-play-whenever-i-could-get-my-hands-on-an-electric-guitar-i-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-d-play-whenever-i-could-get-my-hands-on-an-electric-guitar-i-was/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```