Given the small size of the harmonica and seeing how harmonica players seem to just blow and press the instrument, you might think that you can just buy one and play from it naturally.
Like any other instrument, it requires a great deal of mastery and being in tune with how it works.
With the current situation of the world right now, we all have time to spare and learning the harmonica might be one of the things you set to do with your free time. If that is the case, you are in for a treat because we will show you some of the easiest harmonica songs with tabs that you can train with.
10 easy harmonica songs with tabs
The following songs are clustered under the easy category because they are all within the middle registers pressing only the 4, 5 and 6 cells (which by the way are the easiest cells to play).
#1. Mary Had A Little Lamb
It is always a good time to start with one of the classic songs in the children’s rhyme category with Mary Had A Little Lamb. It plays diatonically on a harmonica and is easy to memorize with only three cells.
#2. This Old Man
Another nursery rhyme that is easy to play diatonically using the harmonica would be This Old Man. They almost have the same tempo with Mary Had A Little Lamb but with an ascending beat and not a monotone one.
#3. Jingle Bells (First Part)
And since Christmas is just six months around the corner, you might want to notch up Christmas Eve a bit by playing the song’s first part using your harmonica. It bears resemblance with the first two with three cells on play but using a faster beat. You might want to try it using this tab:
#4. Highway to Hell
Harmonica is so versatile that you could literally rock and roll with it. Using three cells only (1,4,5), you can master this AC/DC rock in no time. Now cell 1 is not that hard to incorporate. The good thing about the instrument is that the cells are so near each other. Here’s the tab for Highway to Hell.
#5. Piano Man
Now we are moving intermediate but still relatively easy. On top of that list would be this classic Billy Joel song. Well, if you have heard the entire song, there really is a harmonica part in it. And if you want to chime in the next time you play it, here is the tab for it.
#6. Super Mario Bros Theme Song
I mean, who does not want to master the theme song of one of the greatest 90s arcade game of all time right? Other than well, invoking the glory days of the 90s, it will be fun on charade nights and here is its tab:
#7. Star Wars Theme (#2)
Another diatonic tab that you can master in no time is this ethereal Star Wars theme made by John Williams. It will always be associated with Luke Skywalker and playing it using the harmonica will give it a more melancholic touch. Here is the tab for it:
#8. Imagine
This iconic song by John Legend is also an easy diatonic harmonica tab to play. Already enigmatic as it is, it will give you a different chill when played with the harmonica. It involves only four cells (5, 6, 7 and 8). You can master it in no time with this tab:
#9. Happy Birthday (traditional tone)
This song is not as easy as three celled tone as you think. It involves four cells (6, 7, 8 and 9). This one is traditional diatonic based from the Good Morning to All Song of the Hill sisters in 1893. With this tab below, you can now make happy birthdays more special with that harmonica touch.
#10. Heart of Gold
This song by Neil Young has a lot of harmonica sections in it and if there is one song that you would want to master for your harmonica training, this song should be it. The tab below will show you the cells for the entire song. It is the most complex song in the roster involving six cells from 3 to 8. Here is the tab for Heart of Gold.
Conclusion
As you can see, playing the harmonica is not as easy as one, two, three. It requires a level of mastery, delicate style and memorization of the tabs of the songs you will play.
With the right skills, you can further integrate harmonica playing in recordings like Billy Joel, Neil Young and John Denver to name a few artists who boldly integrated harmonica tabs in their songs. Until then, we hope you enjoyed these easy harmonica songs for beginners that we have shared today.
