Some quotes from master Jerry Portnoy (harmonica player for Muddy Waters & Eric Clapton)
On Virtuosity/Sophistication:
Serving the music can get lost. If people want to just show off their skills and virtuosity that’s an empty display. It has to serve the music and the song. Whatever serves it best is what you use even if it’s one note. You can’t lose sight of the purpose of the music which is to communicate a feeling. If the feeling you want to communicate is “look Ma, no hands!” that will impress people who are easily impressed by the wrong things but to good musicians it’s meaningless. If it takes one beautiful note in the right place that’s what you need. What moves people in music is often not your note selection – what moves them is the literal sound of the note. The first order of business to make a beautiful sound. Then, know where to put it.
What he loves most about harmonica:
When the magic is happening and I hit that spot and zone where the instrument plays itself. The greats like Walter or Kim Wilson can just turn on the spigot. The rest of us turn it on and sometimes there is a stream or a few drops, and sometimes it comes in a rush. When the instrument starts to play itself and I am a conduit it’s almost indescribable. If you open up and trust enough to let the music guide you it can be the best feeling in the world.
On Phrasing and putting together ideas:
When you look at all the great blues players with the exception of the genius Little Walter most people had a bag of tricks and licks. A lot of it was alterations and recombinations of the same material. Muddy’s slide solo came from a template that got altered every night. John Lee Williamson, the foundation of blues harmonica playing, had a certain approach that involved eight or ten basic moves and everything was a recombination of those. As far as improvising goes it takes a certain amount of bravery – what Eric (Clapton) called an act of faith. Once you know your instrument well enough and have done a certain amount of homework you can start to let go.
At the start you are just taking licks and trying to jam them in and see if they fit. You always hope for the magic and the moments when the instrument plays itself. (Little) Walter said he just filled the harp with air and navigated and that’s a good metaphor. When you get that groove you are breathing in time with music. The harp will then move on its own because you know how notes will relate to each other.