10 Songs That Taught Me Harmonica (Easy to Hard)

For written lesson, free TABS, and free JAM TRACKS go here:

Here are the harmonica tabs in C for this first, easiest, beginner way to play Mary Had a Little Lamb, a good one to learn, even if today is your very first day playing the harmonica.

1. Mary Had a Little Lamb

45 -34 34 -34 45 45 45
Ma-ry had a lit-tle lamb

-34 -34 -34 45 56 56
Lit - tle lamb, Lit - tle lamb

45 -34 34 -34 45 45 45
Ma-ry had a lit-tle lamb

45 -34 -34 45 -34 34
Her fleece was white as snow

Here are the harmonica tabs in C for Mary Had a Little Lamb:

1b. Mary Had a Little Lamb - Single Notes

5 -4 4 -4 5 5 5
Mary had a little lamb

-4 -4 -4 5 6 6
Little lamb, little lamb

5 -4 4 -4 5 5 5
Mary had a little lamb

5 -4 -4 5 -4 4
Her fleece was white as snow

Here are the harmonica tabs in C for “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”

2. Row Row Row Your Boat

4 4 4 -4 5
Row, row, row your boat

5 -4 5 -5 6
Gently down the stream

7 7 7 6 6 6 5 5 5 4 4 4
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily

6 -5 5 -4 4
Life is but a dream

These are the harmonica tabs in C for “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
3. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

4 4 6 6 -6 -6 6
Twinkle, twinkle little star

-5 -5 5 5 -4 -4 4
How I wonder what you are

6 6 -5 -5 5 5 -4
Up above the world so high

6 6 -5 -5 5 5 -4
Like a diamond in the sky

4 4 6 6 -6 -6 6
Twinkle, twinkle little star

-5 -5 5 5 -4 -4 4
How I wonder what you are

Here are the harmonica tabs in C for how I learned to play Oh Susanna.

4a. Oh Susanna! (Fast tabs)

4 5 6 6 6 -6 6 5 4
-4 5 5 -4 4 -4

4 5 6 6 6 -6 6 5 4
-4 5 5 -4 -4 4

-5 -5 -6 -6 -6 6 6 5 4 -4

4 5 6 6 6 -6 6 5 4
-4 5 5 -4 -4 4

4b. Oh Susanna! (More accurate tabs)

4 -4 5 6 6 -6 6 5 4
-4 5 5 -4 4 -4

4 -4 5 6 6 -6 6 5 4
-4 5 5 -4 -4 4

-5 -5 -6 -6 -6 6 6 5 4 -4

4 5 6 6 6 -6 6 5 4
-4 5 5 -4 -4 4

5. The Train Imitation

Da’ Whistle
-34 -34
“Dwah Dwah”

Da’ Chug
-123 123 -14 14
“Takata Hoo”

Here are the harmonica tabs to play the Cross-eyed Cat riff on the harmonica:

6. Cross-eyed Cat by Muddy Waters
-5 5 -4 4 -3 -4

Here are the harmonica tabs in C for “Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

7. Bethoven’s 9th Symphony “Ode to Joy”
5 5 -5 6 6 -5 5 -4 4 4 -4 5 5 -4 -4
5 5 -5 6 6 -5 5 -4 4 4 -4 5 -4 4 4
-4 -4 5 4 -4 5 -5 5 4 -4 5 -5 5 -4 4 -4 3
5 5 -5 6 6 -5 5 -4 4 4 -4 5 -4 4 4

Here are the harmonica tabs for “You Got to Move”

8. You Got To Move
-2 -3 4 -4
-4 -4 -4’ -3 -2 -3
-4 -4 -4 -4 4
-4 -3 -3 -2
-1 2 -2 -3
-3 -2 2 -1
-2 -2 2 -2

Here are the harmonica tabs to Low Rider:

9. Low Rider
-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 4 -4
3 -3 4 -3 3 (Repeat)
-2” -2” -2” -2” -2” -2”
-2” -2” -2” -2” -2” -2”
-2” -2

Here are the harmonica tabs to Peach Tree by Sonny Boy Williamson:

10. Peach Tree by Sonny Boy Williamson
-2 2 -2 -3 4 -4’ -4
-2 2 -2 -3 -3 -2 2 -1 (2)
-2 2 -2 -3 4 -4’
-4 -4 4 -4 -3 -2 2 -1 2 -2 -2

[dyskover]

I was 10. Uncle Joe, who played a huge accordion on his front step in the evenings, gave me a Hoener 64. There was a paper with instructions inside its case that had the song: "Old Black Joe" laid out and described how to play a single note using your tongue to block and blow out the right side. I stuck with it and always had my ear attuned to hear a harp in whatever music I heard. I love any reed tones, like sax, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, whatever...I'm 76, but maybe some day I'll acquire a sax and figure out how to play a tune or two. Once I learned that one song, I experimented with other simple tunes by ear and eventually became more and more familiar with how to pick out tunes. The limitations of a 10 diatonic are challenging, but the sound is irreplaceable and appealing. (no pun intended) As for playing 'by the numbers' I would have hated to have learned that way. i learned by playing tunes by ear and working them out. By listening to all the great blues guys on WBCN in Boston, back in '68, and by actually witnessing live performances of Muddy Waters and James Cotton, to name a couple. Some of the best harmonica you will ever hear is on Willie Nelson songs.
Now that I think of it, one of my early self taught songs was; When the Saints Go Marching In. I had so much fun working out Christmas songs, military songs, 'nursery' songs, whatever I could fit on the scale to my own ability. A funny thing about my own limited perceptions. i used to think that Dylan wasn't such a great harp player. That he used it only for character and authenticity and that he was very limited in his ability, but, I've heard him play impressively since those days. I was wrong. It's nice be be wrong sometimes.

[ikust]

Those “small” songs are extremely important and even can prove how advance a player is: bringing Colours in them !

[genegoodwin]

I lerned in completely differant way. When I was in my thirties a friend brought a hamonica in to work with him and played Oh, Suzzanna. Kater I bought a five dollar (C) harp and learned the scale. THen I learned where the notes were on some sheet music. After that I simply played single notes using my tougue to block all the holes except the ones I wanted to play.
I didn;t learn on children songs, Ilearned on folk songs like Oh Suzzanna and On Top Of Pld Smokey. But since I could read misic by this point I wanted to expand. WHat music I found easy to find was chiurch hynals. LAter I learned some roack and roll and country.
I met a man who was 89 years old and played on the radio when he was a teenager. I listened to him play in church many nights and learned how to lift my toungue at the right time to add the harmony behind the melody. His favorite song was :"He'll Set Your fields On Fire."
SInce those days I Competed in the State of Ohio harmonica contest and came in second twice. I have about 100 songs memorized, from folk, rock and roll, country and hymns.
I am 71 years old and use to known as the harmonica player who preached. Then I was United Methodist preacher for fifteen years and was known as the preacher who played the harmonica. After I retired from the ministry I am now just known for playing the harmonica.

[qwmx]

Hoo hoo hee. I get to post the first comment here. My first song was "Moon River" (sang by Audrey Hepburn), played without bending. Now I want to play with bending.

[saurabhthakurad]

This was such a delight man! I will follow you and try to use my old harmonica.

[roguepanda]

Loving it man😊 whatever people says, the nursery rhymes are the best when it comes down to basics 🔥...need more nursery rhymes ❤

[hypnocoachJuan]

Nice job with the new content man. Thanks for producing these! 🙏

[rianryan]

The harmonica has its magic to make a nursery song sound like a romantic song

[franciscogonzales]

There’s always a nugget to be gleaned from all of your videos. I’ve been working on my bent vibrato for years now and was never satisfied with it. Your simple explanation and example did the trick for me. You’re a gifted teacher. Thank you!

[chimpui]

わかりやすい解説ありがとうございます。
僕はハーモニカ初心者です。
動画を参考に練習させていただきます。

[goozh]

This is the best video I've seen you do yet. I'm working on the hard songs/riffs tonight. Keep it up!

[GrilloTheFlightless]

My first tunes were probably ‘Oh Susanna’ ‘Home On The Range’ and ‘H.A.P.P.Y’ ( the theme tune of 70s U.K. hospital sitcom ‘Only When I Laugh’). I then learned ‘Jug O’ Punch’ and ‘Dirty Old Town’ before learning all the riffs in Jon Gindick’s ‘ Blues and Country Harmonica for the Musically Hopeless’. I also played ‘You Gotta Move’ at around this time from the Stones version. It’s still my go-to tune when I just want to chill out. Because I was using Lee Oskar harmonicas I felt it my duty to learn the harmonica part to ‘Low Rider’. Once I’d got a basic handle on the blues I started learning as many blues riffs as I could.

[ganslikar]

I play almost like you🤣🤣 I enjoy listening to you and learning. I've been learning from you a year and I've made a lot of progress.Thank you my friend!🤘

[Tomlateralus]

Thanks for this content man. Feedback for you: 1. You are very funny and that makes the video easy to watch 2. Great harp playing, 3. You are a good teacher, it's easy to learn new stuff. Thanks again!

[JavaRatusso]

Being a professional yourself.... I'd love to get your feel of INDIARA SFAIR ... My comments on her video shorts are my opinion but get almost ridiculed by other listeners expressing their passion for MANY other various artists who they seem to favor. All😊 I can say is God Bless her, she blows my mind!

[Youreout]

I bought my first Harmonic at around 16yrs old. The package insert had one song included. It was Oh! Susanna and eventually I was able to play it really fast. Over the years, I'd pick up the harp occasionally and learned how to play a couple of songs with my guitar e.g. Neil Young, Ozark Mt. Daredevils etc.
But then I got hooked on the Blues and bought more harps in most keys; the Marine Band cost six bucks at that time and I still have and use them. Now at the ripe ole age of 69, I can fake the blues which sounds okay. At least, the guy I jam with says so!

[stephenbouchelle]

I was on my own for the first year - didn’t know about blues or much of anything. I learned bugle calls. Reveille, taps and such. My inspiration for train t-k-t-k stuff came later with the scat singing of Indian music when they vocalize the tabla part.

[JokerJim]

Hey Luke 👋
This is just a great video 👏.
So much content and some really good tips for technique and expression.
Just really enjoyed this & it's 1.40am, chill time after work.
Thanks again Luke, keep em coming 🎼😁👏👏👍👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[marianaandres]

Tu canal es sensacional, estoy empezando con la armónica y tus videos son todo un tesoro de información, yo estoy en el punto en que no puedo saltar celdas por que no calculo bien. Un saludo

[JavaRatusso]

You really are very good at teaching and correlating your note illustrations. I liked and subbed... I am inspired to pickup something new from We'll see if this Old dog can learn new tricks. 😂