Got Little Walter, If You Need Him

I finally hit the classic Little Walter riff today. Just picked up the harp and tore right into it. It was flawless and nuanced, with fat tone, perfect spacing and soulful bends. Strange, because that's the antithisis of my style. It was performed with a level of insouciance that was mildly startling. I mean, I was startled. Nobody actually witnessed it but the ghost of Little Walter, God and me. (If you're an atheist, subtract God). The lack of a temporal audience may be an an issue to some, but not to me. I figure that essentially we're all just here to entertain ourselves anyway. And don't insult me by demanding proof. It happened. I was there and I'm a blogger. You can trust me.

The riff itself is not the most technically difficult to play if you just want to hit the notes. If you want to say something with it you have to dig a little deeper. Sharp articulation on the first two notes, a little softer on the third and sustain the 2d bent for and extra half count and finish it with a little fading vibrato. Any decent harp player can do it but I'm far from decent. In fact, I see this as something of a right of passage. And after yesterday's nihilism-fest I feel like I'm facing in the right direction again.

Little Walter Riff
2d 3d 2d 2d** 2d 3d** 2d
2d 3d 2d 2d** 2d 2d**
2d 3d 2d 2d**
2d 3d 2d 2d**
2d 3d 2d 2d** 2d 2d**