The tremolo harmonica notes are arranged as a major scale, like the white notes on a piano. Harmonica bending charts for all 12 keys the charts below will show you all the bent and unbent notes on all twelve major key harmonicas not including overblows and overdraws. Some harp tabs use the letter b instead of the to represent levels of bending. Musical notation and diatonic harmonica tablature for natural notes all notes have been moved one octave down on the staff for ease of presentation. Did you ever fool around with a harmonica as a kid. A draw four on a c harmonica should be a true d note. After you have perfected single notes, practice blowing and drawing on multiple holes to form chords. A 16 hole chromatic harmonica has a range from c3 which is the c below middle c on a piano, up to a d7. If youd like to learn more, my complete 30 step course with pdf documents. Many beginning players are confused about harmonica notes, particularly since some of them appear to be missing. So, all the blow notes on a c harmonica come from the c chord. How players refer to the different notes of the harmonica. The easy way to bend notes on harmonica yes you can do it.
Bending is also used to create bluesy sounds, such as the half steps between the scale, slurring and. All notes have been moved one octave down on the staff for ease of presentation. Each riff will be played for you at a fast speed, then a slower speed and then in most cases, at an intermediate speed. Tremolo harmonica players carry several instruments, each tuned to different keys, like the photo below. To participate in the course solotuned harmonica part i diatonic, the student must have. Chromatic harmonica a guide from the harmonica company. All of the material covered in this course pertains to the solotuned diatonic harmonica. You can play each note and say the note name, all the way up and down the harmonica. Hold the harmonica with one hand at each end, with the numbers facing you. For example, if you compare a c harmonica with a piano, the c harmonica can play the white key notes.
Playing single notes are getting easer to play, takes quit a lot of hard work. However, notation doesnt tell you how to get the notes on the harmonica or on any other instrument. So, thats the note layout chart for a 16 hole chromatic harmonica. The harmonica is designed to play chords whenever you play three or more holes at a time. If you were to blow into the holes of a harmonica, one by one from left to right, you would hear the 1, 3, and 5 notes of a major chord c, e, g in the key of c. The following picture shows the note mapping for a c harp. The arrows point from each note to the hole in the harmonica where the note is found. From beginner to advanced, classical to blues, and everything in between, browse the worlds best selection of harmonica music.
For example, if you compare a c harmonica with a piano, the c harmonica can play the white key notes only. You can easily get by with just a c and a g harmonica if you are not going to be playing with a band. A powerful one is the second hole draw note 2d, which sounds like this. When playing the harmonica tabs in this document, the key to the notes is as follows. Harmonicas makes sound both blowing and drawing in air, these are called blows and draws.
It would include only the white keys on a piano if you were playing in the key of c. Note bending is a technique used to change the pitch of a note and so reach notes that are not on a diatonic harmonica, for example, if you take the fourth hole on a key c harmonica, the blow note is a c and the draw note. Sep 30, 2015 bending notes on the lower draw reeds is a fundamental blues harmonica technique, something every beginner needs to master. Learning to play the harmonica starts with playing a single melody with either a pucker or tongue block and knowing how to read harmonica tablature tab, how to play a harmonica in position, and knowing the positions for the 12 harmonica keys. Simple harmonica chords for the beginning player udemy blog. Key of c blow reeds shown in upper case, draw notes in lower case. Here are notes charts for the 10hole diatonic harmonica in all 12 keys, with bends. The most common harmonica key is c, the notes on a c harmonica are shown below. Handy claimed to have heard harmonica train imitations as early as the 1870s. Youll need a c harmonica to take part im using a hohner marine band. When playing the harmonica tabs in this document, the key to the notes. Free free traditional harmonica sheet music sheet music pieces to download from.
Harmonicas come in a variety of keys click here for more about harmonica keys and note names. Free free christian harmonica sheet music sheet music pieces to download from. To see if you understand the chart above, here is a little quiz. The most common harmonica key is c, the notes on a c harmonica. Learn how to bend notes the easy way on your harmonica. This course will cover draw bending on holes 1,2,3,4,5, and 6 only but prepares the way for all the other bends which will follow in another. Chromatic harmonica technique note positions masters of. The notes f and a were recovered in the lower octave a b for the upper octave. This note layout is called the richter tuning, is used for most harmonicas and is shown below. Check out all the notes in a charmonica on the treble staff. Position des notes harmonica c sheet music for piano download free in pdf or midi.
Here are some basics of reading written notes and relating them to a c harmonica. The diatonic scale is the doremefasolatedo scale that you may have learned in chorus at school. Diatonic harmonicas are tuned to a single major scale and are available in different keys. C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 a b a a b d g b d f g b b b e b b d g b d f a b d f a blow v c e g c e g c e g c draw v d 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 b d 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 e 1 2 3. Want to make three little birds c sound awesome on your harmonica. All of my notation excluding some chromatic harmonica notation is written as if you are playing on a c major harmonica. As we explain how blues works, the reason for this change will become clear. This articles shows the notes on a harmonica, and the reasoning behind their layout.
Harmonica sheet music, lessons, chord charts, resources. Pdf acoustical and physical dynamics of the diatonic harmonica. Udemy s best selling ultimate and complete harmonica course with over 17,000 students. The draw notes are shown on a staff above the harmonica, and the blow notes are shown on another staff below. In the diagram blow means the note when blowing into a hole, draw means the note when breathing in. This book is designed for a standard 10hole diatonic harmonica preferably in the key of c and includes. If you dont already know how to play single notes and to be able to confidently jump from one single note to the next, i recommend playing with my dvds before proceeding. Learning to play harmonica, the easiest instrument udemy. Exhale from your diaphragm to blow notes 123 and sound the c. Free sheet music for harmonica diatonic download pdf.
Free sheet music for harmonica diatonic download pdf, mp3. For a 21 hole tremolo in c, the notes are arranged like this. Student guide for solotuned harmonica part i diatonic. Embouchure is what you do with your mouth when playing a musical instrument. Musical notation and diatonic harmonica tablature for natural.
Music notation tells you which notes to play and when to play them. Blow key of c midrange draw with your c major diatonic harmonica in its holder, starting from blow exhale, try to pick out a melody in the midrange of the harmonica. To play a single melody note on the harmonica, use your mouth to isolate a single hole. Its useful to note that c is the highest tuned chromatic harp. A bent draw four is actually playing it in such a way as to produce a note that is just 12 step down or a d flat. C harmonica why start with a harmonica in the key of c.
The tremolo harmonica lessons, how it works, how to play. The harmonica is classified by the note on which the scale starts. In the diagram blow means the note when blowing into a hole, draw means. What pitches can be produced in the bending process on the harmonica. Many chromatic harmonicas will come with 12, 14, or 16 holes, which allow the player to produce notes and harmonica. For 20 years we provide a free and legal service for free sheet music. The order of keys, from lowest to highest is as follows.
Similarly, the draw notes on holes 1 to 4 are d, g. How to relate the notes on your harmonica to standard written music. Download free harmonica tabs and sheet music for christmas carols, folk songs, and more. Not really very useful for something youve never heard before, but very effective in allowing you to play a familiar number by the hole numbers stamped on your chromatic harmonica. This is no accident, and is the reason why harmonica blow notes are arranged this way. Learning to play the harmonica starts with playing a single melody with either a pucker or tongue block and knowing how to read harmonica tablature tab, how to play a harmonica in position, and knowing the positions for the 12 harmonica. Oct 14, 2014 this lesson deals with the technique for draw bends, as well as the uses and advantages of bending notes on the harmonica. This is called 1 position, or straight harp, playing.
Next, play the note by drawing or blowing air through the harmonica with either a tongue block or a pucker. If i have a tab written for a c harmonica, can i use it with a g harmonica. Harmonica players wont just say play a c, since that note. Ave maria principal composer gounod, charles sheet music douce nuit, sainte nuit principal composer gruber, franz xaver sheet music we wish you. This is an american tune, written in the 19th century by stephen foster.
The tremolo harmonica lessons, how it works, how to play it. The earliest harmonica recordings dating from before ww1 document proficient note bending in the 1st position, whereas 2nd position playing was not recorded until 1923, though it must have existed previously. C tenor low d low, e low, flow, g, ab, a, bb, b, c. Small open circle above note head same as standard tongue block lips over four holes, tongue blocks three left holes, but the tongue starts off the harmonica, sounds the chord, and then slaps down to leave one note sounding similar to saying hal. Student guide for solotuned harmonica part i diatonic presented by the gateway harmonica club, inc. Chromatic tabs while not sheet music, tabs are what some slidemeisters like to call cheat music. A typical tenhole diatonic like the hohner marine band has a range of three octaves, but the only complete octave starts with the blow note. Harmonica tab improvisation in cm indiara sfair youtube. Print and download in pdf or midi positions des notes. Harmonica sheet music and music books sheet music plus.
Many chromatic harmonicas will come with 12, 14, or 16 holes, which allow the player to produce notes and harmonica chords in different keys. So far we have used a c harmonica, and played in the key of c, we continue with a c harmonica, but will now play in the key of g. In this excerpt, before the ear training session on chromatic harmonica, we discuss c e g c segsee for blow notes and d f a b deefab for draw notes which is the 4 hole note layout for. And harmonica tabs silent night the first noel oh holy night o christmas tree jingle bells little drummer boy do you hear what i hear joy to the world deck the halls im dreaming of a white christmas god rest ye merry gentleman away in the manger we three kings of orient are o come all ye faithful have yourself a merry little christmas. Harmonicas are available in every musical key, so the actual notes you are playing will vary according to the key. A chromatic harmonica uses a sliding bar either on the mouthpiece or on the back of the instrument to direct airflow across the desired reed. Key of c blow draw a mixolydian scale commonly used in funk, blues, and rock music played in the key of g in 2 position on the c major diatonic harmonica. Diatonic harmonica this is the most common kind of harmonica, usually a small instrument with ten holes, containing 20 notes, also. It should be played at a steady speed, with a c harmonica. This is helpful for both recovering notes of the scale and chord. If you use and like, thank you to consider support donation. How to play single notes on the harmonica c harmonica needed.
Most folk and country music is played on the harmonica in the key of the blow exhale chord. Move the harmonica to align holes 123 with the area that your lips cover. Check out all the notes in a c harmonica on the treble staff. Master tight single notes, rock solid bending and more with easy video lessons click here. The common 10 hole harmonica is a diatonic instrument, meaning that it is designed to play in one key c for a c harmonica. Position des notes harmonica c sheet music for piano. The tune has an a part, played twice, then a b part, played once. How to play the diatonic harmonica in the key of c. Musical notation and diatonic harmonica tablature for.
This is helpful for both recovering notes of the scale and. Harmonica note charts in 12 keys with bends glenn weiser. See more ideas about songs, harmonica lessons and dulcimer music. Specifically made for children, its a smaller instrument for a comfortable hold. So with all the differences in notes on different keyed harps, how do you play a song using tabs on a harp that is a different key than what the song is written in. Diatonic harmonica this is the most common kind of harmonica, usually a small instrument with ten holes, containing 20 notes, also known as the blues harp. I have played the five string banjo for quite some time, this seems to help with working out tunes on the harmonica. Heres a complete note layout chart, ill explain it in detail. Initially most harmonica players were solo performers. Harmonica course volume 6 101 blues riffs hello and welcome to the 6th in our series in which we offer you 101 blues riffs to learn, use, modify, and take over their ownership.
Holenote layout of the chromatic harmonica youtube. This is beneficial to the studying harmonica player to think and become proficient in one key when picking up any other key of harmonica, the blows, draws and general techniques are the. Similarly, the blow notes for holes 7 to 10 are also c, e, g and c. However, it is possible to play all of the notes of the chromatic scale on a diatonic harmonica by using bends see how to play bends on the harmonica. Free harmonica sheet music, lessons, chord charts, resources sheet music pieces to download from. The answer relates to range a chromatic harmonica tuned to a, for example, will have a lower range at the expense of the higher notes than one tuned to c. The harmonica and irish traditional music by don meade.