How to Play the Harmonica: Blues Sheet Music

Learn how to play the harmonica with this collection of blues sheet music. These songs are perfect for beginners and experts alike.

Introduction

The blues is a genre of music that originated in African-American communities in the United States around the end of the 19th century. The style is characterized by its use of blue notes, improvisation, and often a 12-bar blues form.

While the blues can be played on any type of harmonica, we recommend using a diatonic harmonica in the key of C for this tutorial. If you don’t have a C harmonica, you can use one in any key; just be sure to transpose the sheet music accordingly.

This guide will teach you how to play a basic 12-bar blues melody on your harmonica. For this melody, we’ll be using the following harmonicas:

What You Need

In order to play the blues on the harmonica, you will need a 10 hole diatonic harmonica in the key of C. You will also need a Blues harmonica tab sheet. You can find these online or at your local music store.

A Harmonica

To play the harmonica, you need a 10-hole diatonic harmonica in the key of C. You can use a different key if you want, but C is the most common and versatile key for blues. You can find diatonic harmonicas at most music stores, or online.

You may see chromatic harmonicas advertised as being used for blues playing, but chromatic harmonicas are a different beast altogether and aren’t really suited for beginners (or for blues).

A Good Teacher

While you can certainly learn to play the harmonica on your own, it’s always helpful to have a good teacher. A good teacher can help you with your technique, give you feedback on your playing, and introduce you to new music. If you’re serious about learning to play the harmonica, we highly recommend finding a good teacher.

The Basics

The basis for playing the blues on the harmonica is understanding the 3 draw blues scale. The 3 draw blues scale consists of the notes: draw 3, bend 3 draw, 3 bend 3 draw, 3 blow 3 draw, and 3 draw. In this lesson, we will be focusing on the 3 draw blues scale.

How to Hold the Harmonica

To play the harmonica, you will need to hold it in your hand so that your mouth can cover the holes. You can hold it in either your left or right hand, depending on which is more comfortable for you. Place your thumb on the back of the harmonica and position your index finger in the space between the two plates. Rest your other fingers lightly on the top plate.

How to Make a Sound

The first thing you need to know is how to make a sound on the harmonica. It’s actually quite easy. Just hold the harmonica in your left hand and blow into one of the holes. You should feel a little resistance when you blow, but if you don’t, try another hole.

Now try drawing air through the holes. Put your lips together as if you were going to whistle and suck air through the instrument. Again, you should feel a little resistance. If you don’t, try another hole.

You may have noticed that some of the holes produce a higher-pitched note than others. The three holes on the left produce lower notes than the three holes on the right. This is because of the way the harmonica is tuned.

Playing the Blues

The blues is a musical genre that originated in the African-American communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The genre developed from the music of the slaves who were brought to the Americas from Africa. The music was originally played on acoustic instruments, but it soon began to be played on electric instruments as well. The blues has a characteristic 12-bar chord progression and is often played in a minor key.

The 12-Bar Blues

The twelve-bar blues is the most common form of the blues. It is usually composed in a major key and is primarily characterized by a repeating progression of three chords, usually consisting of a I chord, a IV chord, and a V chord. The twelve-bar blues can be played on any instruments, but it is most commonly associated with the guitar and harmonica.

There are two common ways to play the twelve-bar blues on the harmonica: in first position and in second position. First position is when you play all of the notes in one octave, which is also known as straight harp. Second position is when you bend some of the notes to create a richer sound, which is also known as cross harp.

To play the twelve-bar blues in first position, use the following harmonica tablature:

To play the twelve-bar blues in second position, use the following harmonica tablature:

The 8-Bar Blues

The 8-bar blues is the most basic and most commonly used blues format. Most 12-bar blues tunes are actually 8-bar blues with an added 4 measures to accommodate the guitar solo. The structure of an 8-bar blues is simple: it consists of three different chords (the I chord, the IV chord, and the V chord) played for two measures each, with a turnaround at the end.

The I chord is typically played for two measures, followed by the IV chord for two measures, then the V chord for two measures. This pattern then repeats itself until you reach the end of the 8 bars. The turnaround is typically a half measure of each chord, played in quick succession. For example, if you are playing in the key of C, your turnaround might look like this: C – F – G – C.

When learning how to play the Blues, it is important to first familiarize yourself with the three chords that are used in an 8-bar Blues progression. In a major key, these three chords will be:

I = The tonic or “root” note of the scale
IV = The fourth note of the scale
V = The fifth note of the scale

For example, in the key of C major, these notes would be: C (I), F (IV), and G (V). In order to construct these chords, we stack thirds on top of each scale degree. So in C major, this would give us: C-E-G (C major), F-A-C (F major), and G-B-D (G major).

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed learning how to play the blues harmonica. Remember, practice makes perfect. The more you play, the better you’ll sound. If you’re looking for more advice on playing the harmonica, check out our other articles on the subject. Thanks for reading!