GERMAN GUITARISTS SMASH RECORD

Courtesy of  ITV.com

Guitar fans have gathered in Germany to try and get into the Guinness Book of Records with a mass rendition of a Deep Purple hit.

A good 30 years after hitting the charts, Smoke on the Water is now in the record books after German organisers managed to gather some 1,800 guitarists to take on the attempt.

The previous record was held by 1,683 guitarists in America.

One participant, Olaf Ringe said: “The secret of the song is that you can learn it in 15 minutes, even if you have never had a guitar in your hand until then, that is what is so fantastic about it.”

Gotthilf Fischer, director of the so-called concert, said: “The song singles itself out due to its simplicity.

“It is actually a folk song, a guitar folk melody, where your grandmother recognises it, and the grandchildren celebrate it too. This tune has conquered the world.”