Every Beatles Song with Harmonica - What Key and Type of Harmonica?
For the first time ever, here is a full and comprehensive list of all Beatles songs with harmonica, including what type and key of harmonica you will need to play each.
The Beatles - one of the most influential bands in pop music history - often incorporated the harmonica into their early recordings, adding a bluesy and folk-like element to their sound. John Lennon was the primary harmonica player for the group, and although he later dismissed his harmonica playing as a "gimmick", his use of the instrument - especially in their early hits - gave their songs a unique character. Here's a detailed look at the type and key of harmonica used on each Beatles track that featured the instrument.
Harmonica on Beatles Recordings: Quick Breakdown
Here is a list of every official Beatles song which features harmonica:
Love Me Do - C chromatic harmonica
Please Please Me - low E diatonic harmonica
There's a Place - C chromatic harmonica
Chains - C chromatic harmonica
From Me to You - C chromatic / low C diatonic harmonica
Thank You Girl - G diatonic harmonica
I'll Get You - G diatonic harmonica
Little Child - A diatonic harmonica
I Got to Find My Baby - C diatonic harmonica
Clarabella - C diatonic harmonica
I Should Have Known Better - C diatonic harmonica
I'm a Loser - C diatonic harmonica
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite - bass harmonica and chord harmonica
The Fool on the Hill - chord harmonica
Rocky Raccoon - C diatonic harmonica
All Together Now - G diatonic harmonica
For more details on harmonica keys and positions (and to hear all the songs), see the detailed list below.
EXTRAS: Aside from official singles and album releases, John Lennon can also be heard playing harmonica on I Remember You from the Star Club bootleg recordings, on a rehearsal of I Saw Her Standing There from the Cavern, and also very briefly (and rather dissonantly) in the band's 1964 Christmas message. He also plays harmonica in the Ode to Joy scene from the movie Help!
Beatles Songs with Harmonica - the Comprehensive List
Love Me Do
Harmonica Type: Chromatic harmonica
Harmonica Key: C
Position: 2nd position
Song Key: G
Release Date: October 5, 1962 (single in the UK)
The most famous Beatles harmonica part is the very first one ever released, the warbling riff played by John Lennon on 'Love Me Do'.
This often confuses beginner harmonica players because the notes can be played on diatonic harmonica, but the consensus is that Lennon used a chromatic harmonica. On a standard diatonic he would have had to bend notes with an unnatural precision and tone.
It is also possible to play the part convincingly using two different keys of diatonic harmonica, however the speed of changover needed makes it virtually impossible to perform at speed.
Please Please Me
Harmonica Type: Diatonic harmonica
Harmonica Key: Low E
Position: 1st position
Song Key: E
Release Date: January 11, 1963 (single in the UK)
The signature riff on 'Please Please Me' (the song which kickstarted Beatlemania) is another very distinctive harmonica part. You can play the notes an octave up on a standard E diatonic harmonica, however that's not what John Lennon did for the recording.
The most likely culprit for this session is the 12-hole Hohner Echo Vamper, the European version of the Marine Band 364. The key of E edition was actually what we'd now call a low E harmonica, meaning the notes would sound as they do on this record.
That said, it is also possible the part was played on a chromatic harmonica.
There's a Place
Harmonica Type: Chromatic harmonica
Harmonica Key: C
Position: 5th position
Song Key: E
Release Date: March 22, 1963 (from Please Please Me)
This song features a yearning harmonica refrain. The notes for this part are achieveable on an E diatonic harmonica, but they would require bending which gives a different tone and timbre to the notes.
Lennon's harmonica playing was decent but never virtuosic, and his sloppy use of the slide button suggests he was using a chromatic harmonica here.
Chains
Harmonica Type: Chromatic harmonica
Harmonica Key: C
Position: 11th position
Song Key: Bb
Release Date: March 22, 1963 (from Please Please Me)
This is another example of Lennon's chromatic playing, revealed by some messy use of the slide. A key of Bb chromatic would suffice also, but the slips and fluffs suggest a C chrom was used.
From Me to You
Harmonica Type: Chromatic OR diatonic harmonica
Harmonica Key: C / low C
Position: 1st position
Song Key: C
Release Date: April 11, 1963 (single in the UK)
Another famous Beatles harmonica intro, this can be played on a standard diatonic harmonica in the key of C, but that would require bending.
It's possible to play it an octave up without bending, or use a G harp to avoid the issue, but Lennon's phrasing here suggested he's either using a C chromatic harmonica, or using a low C harmonica (a harmonica tuned to the key of C, but with every note an octave below a standard C harp). The 12-hole Hohner Echo Vamper in C was tuned an octave lower than a regular C harp, so it's certainly a possibility. We know that Lennon did own a C chromatic so perhaps that's the most likely guess.
Thank You Girl
Harmonica Type: Diatonic harmonica
Harmonica Key: G
Position: 2nd position
Song Key: D
Release Date: April 11, 1963 (B-side to 'From Me to You')
This track featured energetic harmonica fills on a G diatonic harmonica. Lennon is playing in 2nd position here - the standard way of playing blues and R&B on the harmonica.
I'll Get You
Harmonica Type: Diatonic harmonica
Harmonica Key: G
Position: 2nd position
Song Key: D
Release Date: August 23, 1963 (B-side to 'She Loves You')
On this B-side track, Lennon plays a diatonic harmonica in G. 'I'll Get You' is in the key of D, but the record plays slightly flat - so beware!
Little Child
Harmonica Type: Diatonic harmonica
Harmonica Key: A
Position: 2nd position
Song Key: E
Release Date: November 22, 1963 (from With the Beatles)
The diatonic harmonica on Little Child is not very sophisticated, and perhaps shows Lennon's relative lack of comfort on diatonic as opposed to chromatic.
I Got to Find My Baby
Harmonica Type: Diatonic
Harmonica Key: C
Position: 2nd position
Song Key: G
Release Date: June 11, 1963 (BBC recording 'Pop Go The Beatles' - official release on November 30, 1994)
'I Got to Find My Baby' featured rough and ready blues harp in 2nd position.
Clarabella
Harmonica Type: Diatonic harmonica
Harmonica Key: C
Position: 2nd position
Song Key: G
Release Date: July 16, 1963 (BBC recording 'Pop Go The Beatles' - official release on November 30, 1994)
Another BBC recording with some pretty basic blues harp from John Lennon.
I Should Have Known Better
Harmonica Type: Diatonic harmonica
Harmonica Key: C
Position: 2nd position
Song Key: G
Release Date: July 10, 1964 (from A Hard Day's Night)
This track features one of the most memorable harmonica riffs in The Beatles' discography, and the last time the band used a harmonica intro to a song.
Legend says it took Lennon three takes to get the whole harmonica part right. On the second go he fell about in hysterics at his own failure. The result is not precise or sophisticated, but it is certainly catchy and memorable.
I'm a Loser
Harmonica Type: Diatonic harmonica
Harmonica Key: C
Position: 2nd position
Song Key: G
Release Date: December 4, 1964 (from Beatles for Sale)
Lennon's simple diatonic harmonica adds extra melancholy to this introspective and lyrically complex song.
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite
Harmonica Type: Bass harmonica & chord harmonica
Harmonica Key: n/a
Position: n/a
Song Key: C minor
Release Date: June 1, 1967 (from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band)
Harmonica never featured so prominently in post-1963 Beatles records, perhaps because the novelty wore off when they hit America - the home of the blues harp. However, there are a few examples of various types of harmonica in the Beatles' later catalogue.
'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite' uses harmonicas as part of the swirling background sound. It is virtually impossible to make out exactly which type of harmonicas are being used (they're mixed low into a huge orchestra) although there is a picture from that period showing John Lennon on bass harmonica and George Harrison on chord harmonica. Whether or not there is truth in them, recording credits name Mal Evans on bass harmonica plus Lennon, Starr, Harrison and road manager Neil Aspinall on (non-specified) harmonica.
The Fool on the Hill
Harmonica Type: Chord harmonica
Harmonica Key: n/a
Position: n/a
Song Key: D
Release Date: November 27, 1967 (from Magical Mystery Tour)
'The Fool on the Hill' features some subtle chordal-type harmonica playing. If they used chord harmonica on 'Mr. Kite' then it's possible then used it on this track too, although perhaps low-tuned diatonics could have been used.
Rocky Raccoon
Harmonica Type: Diatonic harmonica
Harmonica Key: C
Position: 1st position
Song Key: C
Release Date: November 22, 1968 (from The White Album)
'Rocky Raccoon' features some rough fills from Lennon on a C harmonica.
All Together Now
Harmonica Type: Diatonic harmonica
Harmonica Key: G
Position: 1st position
Song Key: G
Release Date: January 13, 1969 (from Yellow Submarine)
'All Together Now' features some energetic interplay between vocals and harmonica. Simple rhythmic vamping on a G diatonic.
Who played harmonica on the Beatles songs?
John Lennon played most of the harmonica on the Beatles' records, having learned the basics on diatonic harmonica from American musician Delbert McClinton. Lennon also played some good chromatic harmonica too.
Did you know? John Lennon used the word "harmonica" to refer to a chromatic harmonica, and "harp" to mean diatonic harmonica.
John Lennon’s harmonica playing was a key element of the early Beatles sound, often used to create memorable hooks, melodic lines, and texture. The harmonica played an integral role in their early folk and blues-inspired tunes, giving the Beatles a distinctive sound that contributed to their worldwide popularity.
Lennon’s best instrument was surely his voice, but the harmonica will always be the instrument that arrived first on a Beatles record.
I hope that's answered the question: what type and key of harmonica for Beatles songs?
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