Easy Harmonica Songs You Can Learn Fast, Part 1 - Pop Songs | Lesson, Tab & Demos

Hello! In today's harmonica lesson we'll be learning some easy popular songs for beginner harmonica players. The video covers the first three songs; tabs and demos for all 11 songs can be found below. Grab a C harp to play along!

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The tab system

The song is tabbed out for diatonic harmonica (in any key). The symbols I use are pretty basic - positive numbers are blow, negative numbers are draw.

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Annie's Song (John Denver) - tabs and demo:

7 7 -7 -6 7 -7

You fill up my senses

-6 -6 -6 -7 7 6 5

Like a night in a forest

6 6 6 -6 -7 7 -7

Like the mountains in springtime

-6 -6 -6 -7 7 -7

Like a walk in the rain

7 7 7 -7 -6 7 -7

Like a storm in the desert

-6 -6 -6 -7 7 6 5

Like a sleepy blue ocean

6 6 -6 -7 7 -7

You fill up my senses

-6 -7 7 -8 7

Come fill me again

My Girl (The Temptations) - tabs and demo:

Bass line: -2 1 1 / 6 4 4

Guitar intro: 4 -4 5 6 -6 7

8 -8 8 7 7 -8 7 -6 -6 6

I've got sunshine, on a cloudy da-ay

7 -8 8 7 7 -8 7 -6 7 -6 -6 6

When it's cold outside, I've got the month of Ma-ay

6 -6 7 -8 8

I guess you'd say

6 6 -6 -6 7 7 -8

What can make me feel this way?

7 6

My girl

6 -6 7 -8 7 -6 7 (7 -7)

Talkin' 'bout my g – ir - rl (my girl)

House of the Rising Sun (The Animals) - tabs and demo

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

There is a house in New Orleans

-8 -8 -8 7 -6 (6) -6

They call the Rising Sun

-8 -8 -8 5 -5 -5 -6 6 -4 -4 -4

And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy

-4 -4 -4 4 (-3//) -4 -4

And God, I know I'm one

-8 -8 -8 7 -6 6 -4

My mother was a tailor

-8 -8 7 -6 -6

Sewed my new blue jeans

-8 -8 -8 7 -6 6 -4 -5

My father was a gamblin' man

-4 -4 4 (-3//) -4 -4

Down in New Orleans

Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin) - tabs and demo:

-6 -7 7 -7 -6 -7

There's a lady who's sure

-6 -7 7 -8 7 -7 -6

All that glitters is gold

7 -8 8 -8 7 -7 -6 6 6 -6

And she's buying a stairway to heaven

-6 -7 7 -7 -6 -7

When she gets there she knows

-6 -7 7 -8 7 -7 -6

If the stores are all closed

7 -8 8 -8 7 -7 -6 6 6 -6

With a word she can get what she came for

7 8 -8 -8 7 -7 7 -7 -6

Oo-oo-hoo, oo-oo-hoo-oo-woo-hoo

-6 -7 7 -8 8 -8 -8 7 -7 6 6 -6

And she's buying a stairway to heaven

Ain't No Sunshine (Bill Withers) - tabs and demo:

5 6 -6 7 -7 6 -6

Ain't no sunshine when she's gone

5 6 -6 7 -7 6 -6

It's not warm when she's away

-6 -6 7 8 -8 8 8 -8

Ain't no sunshine when she's go-ne

7 -8 7 -6 6 -6 -6

And she's always gone too long

7 -8 7 -6 6 -6 -6

Any time she goes away

Imagine (John Lennon) - tabs and demo:

5 6 6 6 -7 -7 -6

Imagine there's no heaven

5 6 6 6 -7 -7 -6

It's easy if you try-y

6 6 -7 -7 -6

No hell below us

5 6 6 -7 -7 -7 -6

Above us only sky-y

-6 7 -6 7 8 8 -8 (7 -6)

Imagine all the pee-puh-uh-ul

-7 -7 -7 7 -8

Living for today

8 9 8 -8 7

Ah – ah – ah – ah - ah

[Repeat for “Imagine there’s no countries…”]

-6 7 -7 -6 -7 7 7

You may say I'm a dreamer

-6 7 -7 -7 -6 -6 5

But I'm not the only one

-6 -6 7 -7 7 -7 -6 -7 7 7

I hope some day-a-a-ay you’ll join us

7 7 -8 8 -8 7 -8 8 7 7

And the wo-o-o-orld will be as one

Hurt (Johnny Cash) - tabs and demo:

Verse

-6 7 -6 6 -5 -6 -4 -5 -4 -5 6 -6

I hurt myself today to see if I still feel

-6 7 -6 6 -5 -6 -4 -5 -4 6 -4 -4

I focus on the pain, the only thing that's real

-6 7 -6 6 -5 -6 -4 -5 -4 -5 -4 -6

The needle tears a hole, the old familiar sting

-6 -6 7 -6 6 -5 -6 -4 -5 -4 -5 -4 -5 4 4

try to kill it all away, but I remember everything

Chorus

7 -6 -6 -5 -5 -5 6 -5 6

What have I become, my sweetest friend

7 -6 -6 -5 -5 -5 -4 -5 6 4 4

Everyone I know goes away in the end

-5 6 -5 -6 -5 -5 6 6 6 -5 6

And you could have it all, my empire of dirt

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

I will let you down, I will make you hurt

Love Me Tender (Elvis Presley) - tabs and demo:

6 7 -7 7 -8 -6 -8

Love me tender, love me sweet

7 -7 -6 -7 7

Never let me go

6 7 -7 7 -8 -6 -8

You have made my life complete

7 -7 -6 -7 7

And I love you so

8 8 8 8 8 8 8

Love me tender, love me true

8 -8 7 -8 8

All my dreams fulfill

8 8 -9 8 -8 -6 -8

For my darlin', I love you

7 -7 -6 -7 7

And I always will

No Woman No Cry (Bob Marley) - tabs and demo:

7 -7 7 -7 -6 8 -9 8 8 7

No woman, no cry, no woman, no cry

7 -7 7 -7 -6 8 -9 8 8 7

No woman, no cry, no woman, no cry

8 8 9 9 8 8 8 8 7 -6

Said I remember when we used to sit

8 8 -8 -8 -8 8 -7 -8 7

In the government yard in Trenchtown

8 8 8 8 9 8 8 9 8 7

Oba, oba-serving the hypocrites

6 7 -8 8 8 8 8 8 -9 8 -8 7

As they would mingle with the good people we meet

8 9 9 9 8 7 9 9 8 7

Good friends we had - oh - good friends we lost

8 -8 7 8

Along the way

8 9 9 9 8 8 9 8 9 8 7

In this great future, you can’t forget your past

8 -8 8 -9 8 -7 7

So dry your tears, I say

7 7 7 -6 6 7 7 7

Everything’s gonna be all right

Lean On Me (Bill Withers) - tabs and demo:

Verse 1:

4 4 -4 5 -5

Sometimes in our lives

-5 5 -4 4

We all have pain

4 -4 5 5 -4 -4

We all have so-or-row

4 4 -4 5 -5

But if we are wise

-5 5 -4 4

We know that there’s

4 -4 5 -3 -4 4

Always to-mo-o-rrow

Chorus:

8 -8 7

Lean on me

8 8 -8 -8 7 -8

When you’re not stro-o-ong

7 7 -7 -6 6

And I’ll be your friend

7 -8 8 8 -8 -8 8 -8 7

I’ll help you carry o-o-o-on

7 -8 8 -8 -8 7 -8

For it won’t be long

7 7 -7 -6 6

Till I’m gonna need

8 -8 7 7 -7 -8 7

Somebody to lean on

Verse 2:

8 -8 7 8 8 -8 7 -8

Ple-e-ease, swallow your pri-de

7 -7 -6 6

If I have things

7 -8 8 8 -8 -8 8 -8 7

You need to bo-or-ro-o-o-ow

7 -8 8 -8 7 -8

For no one can fill

7 -7 -6 6

All of the needs

7 -8 8 -7 -8 7

That you won’t le-et show

Bridge:

6 -6 7 7 6 -6 7

You just call on me brother

6 5 6 -6 7

When you need a hand

8 -8 7 8 8 -8 7 7 -7 -8 7

We a-ll need somebody to le-an on

6 -6 7 7 6 -6 7

I just might have a problem

6 5 6 -6 7

That you’d understand

8 -8 7 8 8 -8 7 7 -7 -8 7

We a-ll need somebody to le-an on

Repeat chorus

Repeat bridge

Repeat verse 2 (different lyrics, same melody with slight variations)

Outro:

-4 4 4 (or: -8 7 7)

Ca-all me [repeat]

What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong) - tabs and demo:

Verse 1

-2 -3 4 4 6 -6 -6 -6 6

I see trees of green, red roses too

-5 -5 -5 5 -4 -4 -4 4

I see them bloom for me and you

4 4 4 4 4 4

And I say to myself

4 4 -3 4 -4 5

What a wonderful world

Verse 2

Repeat until last line.

Substitute: 4 4 -3 4 -4 -4 4

Bridge

4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -2

The colors of the rainbow

-2 -5 5 5 4 5

So pretty in the sky

4 -4-4 -4 -4 -4 -2

Are also on the faces

-2 -5 5 5 4 5

Of people passing by

5 6 -6 -6 -6 6

I see friends shaking hands

5 6 -6 -6 -6 6

Saying how do you do

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

They’re really saying, I love you

Verse 3

-2 -3 4 4 6 -6 -6 -6 6

I hear babies cry, I watch them grow

-5 -5 -5 5 -4 -4 -4 -4 4

They'll learn much more, than I'll ever know

4 4 4 4 4 4

And I think to myself

4 4 -3 4 -4 5

What a wonderful world

5 5 5 4 -4 4

Yes, I think to myself

4 4 -3 4 -4 -4 4

What a wonderful wo-rld

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