As blues harmonica players we grow up on this instrument studying the great harmonica players of our past and present. We try to learn solos note-for-note in the hopes that these great licks and techniques become part of our own playing vocabulary. Due to the oral tradition of blues harmonica (listen, copy… try to use), harmonica players are never brought through the methodical instruction path of what it means to be a musician and how to handle the various roles asked of us as a player.

Have you ever heard from someone or read in an instruction book that learning how to play accompaniment is an important study on the harmonica? I sure never did. Did you know that 90% of your time spent playing with other musicians is not spent doing what you most likely spend 100% of your time studying? We all work hard learning solos, but you need to realize that most of our playing will be spend supporting other musicians—just as other musicians support us when we solo.

With this said, how do we approach this task? There must be a methodical way to approach this! And, of course, there is. We have eighty years of great blues harmonica accompaniment role models available to us. All you have to do is listen and you'll realize that there are common approaches to the different song types.

In this series we have done this.

Let's review this series through the eyes of the various players we mimic in the blues ensemble.

The Bass
The bass player is responsible for time keeping (shared duty with the drummer) and the foundation or outlining of the chords used in each song. Bass players take these notes and craft them into catchy lines that are sequenced among the chords to create a repetitive, recognizable and unique pattern for each song. There are a grouping of common lines that are worthwhile learning for simple accompaniment. Some lines are unique to a particular song, and if fit well and sound nice on the harmonica, they can be great lines to double on the harmonica. In any case, you can double the bass line in a song or play a different bass line altogether as long as it fits the feel of the song. If you start with a bass line, you must be consistent and play it throughout the song. If you depart from the line (a little variation is OK of course), the song loses its identity. Each song should have a specific identity.

The Organ
Since guitar and harmonica commonly play active in the blues, the organ player will take the support role of adding texture and thickness to the sound by padding. Padding is a word to describe playing sustained chords. These chords will commonly contain the 3rd and flat-7th of the chord to add harmony (3rd) and bluesy tension (flat-7th). Playing octaves on the harmonica and following the rule of playing 3rds and flat-7ths work exceptionally well in songs that just call for a thicker sound, but not more activity. George "Harmonica" Smith's chromatic harmonica accompaniment is a great study of this.

The Horns
The biggest influence on harmonica players are horn players, especially saxophone players. Though sax players can play any note combination they wish, their lines are commonly approachable on the harmonica. Ideas borrowed from sax players can be fresh material for the over-used standard blues harmonica licks that we normally play. It sure worked for Little Walter!

We learned that horn lines could be approached in two ways. The first approach is playing vertical lines based on chord tones. These are commonly horn punches (one to two note repetitive patterns that change slightly to match chord change). The second approach is playing horizontal lines. These are longer lines (commonly one to two measures in length) that repeat over the entire 12 bar blues progression, commonly with no change (though not uncommon to change a note or two to match chord change).

With the lack of blues venues these days and the money to support a horn section (once common place), the harmonica player fills this role. Horn lines fit well on the harmonica and their repetitive nature makes them work well for our modest instrument.

The Vocals
It's not uncommon (les so these days though) for the harmonica to mimic the vocal line throughout a song. Some songs have such a powerful vocal melody that there is nothing that you can do except to support it by doubling it.

Traditional Harmonica Accompaniment (Playing as Harmonica Players Now)
This is our good-ole' "fill them holes" approach of playing harmonica. This style is all based on supporting the vocals. One approach is to play only when the singer is not singing. The other approach is to fill holes and play softly underneath the vocals. The key to this approach is in keeping your volume down and playing repetitive. You can play very active while accompanying, but you must always keep the vocals in mind. If you are distracting from the vocals, you are not playing the supportive role.

The Hook
In whatever form it takes, the hook in most cases is the winning choice of what to play. When a song has a strong line, don't fight it, play it. The hook could be played by the bass, guitar, keyboard or all of them together. If there isn't a hook, you can create one by playing a line repetitively.

SETTINGS

The musicians you play with (instrumentation, style, talent, etc.) will determine how you will play.

Guitarist/Singer and Harmonica Duo
In this setting you will be playing very active. You share the responsibilities with the guitarist for the form of the song. Your lines need to clearly outline each chord and telegraph exactly where you are within the progression. This becomes increasingly important when the guitarist goes to solo. In order for the guitarist to solo, you must hold down the form. Playing bass lines on the lower four holes works very nice for this. Lines above the fourth hole cut too much and doesn't lay as strong of a foundation for the guitarist.

Playing with a Band
Playing with a band is pretty much what we've been studying the entire series. No comments here except to always keep your ears open to react to what's happening with the other musicians.

KEY POINTS!

Volume – Never be as loud as the musician you're supporting.

Repetition – In many songs your role is to create a line of interest. A line of interest that changes all the time is a solo! Play a line and repeat it so that it becomes an interesting, integral part of the song (a hook).

RECOMMENDED CLASSIC BLUES HARMONICA ACCOMPANIMENT LISTENING

Make sure to also check out Sonny Terry.

About the Author David Barrett
http://www.harmonicamasterclass.com/david.htm