Thanks Marc - I don’t know what I said it was, but thanks for that info. I know about playing blues on the harmonica, but I’m sure it’s apparent I‘m not that knowledgeable in the music theory department.

Yeah, I’d check out Cotton behind Muddy, behind Spann, behind Johnny Young - In a simpler way than LW, he was always able to add cool sounding stuff that wasn’t obtrusive, yet didn’t sound timid.

Good question. To me, Little Walter was the ultimate as an accompanist, in addition to being the greatest soloist in harmonica history. The setting he was normally working in, however - 1950s Chicago blues, lent itself to somewhat of an ensemble approach. He was also able to accompany a vocalist, playing in back of the singer, not only in the holes, and create a beautiful, non-distracting, non-obtrusive counterpoint that that only enhanced and lifted the overall effect of the whole performance. There’s a lot of excellent players around today, but I’ve never heard anyone but Walter consistently do that successfully. I’ve been the front person so long that I never really developed that aspect of my playing as much as I otherwise probably would have. In my early 20s, I worked playing behind Sam Lay, Johnny Littlejohn, and Johnny Young and my general accompaniment approach was simpler, probably more like Cotton than LW. Personally, lacking the imagination, and natural sensitivity to play a lot and simultaneously lift it up, I’d probably opt for keeping it simple, staying mostly out of the way, and employ simple unobtrusive devices - at the appropriate volume - to provide enough accompanyment to maintain continuity and help things develop dynamically, in simpler ways - eg: warbles, simple recurring licks etc. Also (IMO) every song and every part of a song doesn’t need harp.

Hope I can chime in with my .02. Accompaniment requires a delicate balance between opposing elements.... between soft and loud, between repetition and originality. Dave Barrett always told me that a player can play louder if he is playing repetitively. (Think song hooks, warbles, or organ like held notes to add texture.)

I really like this as an example of Walter's accompaniment. Notice how Walter uses textures and held notes behind the vocals. When there's space, he plays more inventively. I'm sure Rick (or other players on this board) have other, better examples.

I can recommend Dave Barrett's "Blues Harmonica Accompaniment Playing", from Mel Bay.

Thanks Bill - I always appreciate your feedback. i’m happy if I can help. As I said before, you’ve got a good, natural groove. That’s not a small thing. Keep at it and as always, feel free to ask for any clarification, any time.

Thanks Robert, I’m glad if you acquired some new tools. Often the small things can make a big difference. Thanks for getting in touch. I hope to hear from you again next time I‘m on Sonic Junction.