The First 50 Songs You Should Play on Harmonica

Wondering what song you should learn on harmonica?

Here’s some perfect harmonica song ideas for you…

Whether you’re a total newbie, or a total boss,

Find the song to take you to the 

next level.

In the video above, I’m playing all these songs on a C harmonica.

Under each song in the list below, 

you can find the original key of the song, 

as well as which key harmonica you would need 

in order to be able to play along with the original recording.

I’ve also made a First 50 Songs You Should Play Spotify Playlist.

#1-10 Total Newbie

The “Big Tone” Train

I Should’ve Known Better by The Beatles

I Want Candy by The Strangeloves

Whoopin’ the Doop by Sonny Terry

Piano Man by Billy Joel

Lean on Me by Bill Withers

Snooky’s Shuffle by Snooky Pryor

Blowin’ in the Wind by Bob Dylan

Mary Jane’s Last Dance by Tom Petty

Hoochie Coochie Man by Muddy Waters

I learned this song from Joe Filisko, who taught me that it is the ultimate harmonica song for harmonica players of every experience level from total beginner to total boss.

Committing 5 minutes a day to playing this along with a metronome at the fastest speed you’re comfy with while remaining totally relaxed will work magic for 3 of the most important fundamentals to harmonica:

• Breathing
• Tone
• Throat Vibrato

You can play this on any key harmonica, but a harmonica in the key of G is recommended for ultimate benefit for your breathing.

Unlike most harmonica train imitations, this one starts with an EXHALE, with a strong emphasis on beat 1. Here are the harmonica tabs:

Find the full tabs, and a lesson on how to play this song in my Beatles lesson.

Find the full tabs, a lesson on how to play this song, and jam tracks to play along with on a C harmonica in my beginner Harmonica Chords lesson.

These are harmonica tabs for the 2 articulations I chose to do in the video:

For a really deep study of Sonny Terry’s playing style, I recommend Joe Filisko’s study song “Chasin’ Lost Sonny” which is available at Joefilisko.com, under “Study songs in special categories” under “rural country blues”. It is $20 well spent for a study song you can work on for a lifetime!

Find the full tabs, and a lesson on how to play this song in my Piano Man lesson.

Here are the harmonica tabs in C for Lean on Me by Bill Withers:

Find the full tabs, and a lesson on how to play this song in my lesson 5 Stupidly Simple Harmonica Grooves. Please note it is song #2, and in that lesson I referred to it as “The Little Walter Groove”. ALL of the old Chicago blues masters utilized this groove, so it equally could be attributed to any of them.

Find the full tabs, and a lesson on how to play this song in my lesson 2 Stupidly Simple Bob Dylan Riffs.

Here are the harmonica tabs for Tom Petty’s iconic harmonica hook in Mary Jane’s Last Dance:

By the way, I teach this song step-by-step, along with many of the other songs listed here in my Beginner to Boss course.

I also teach this one in 5 Stupidly Simple Harmonica Grooves.

Here are the harmonica tabs for Hoochie Coochie Man:

#11-20 Beginner

Taps by Daniel Butterfield

You Are my Sunshine by Jimmie Davis

Love Me Do by The Beatles

Heart of Gold by Neil Young

Country Roads Take Me Home by John Denver

Low Rider by War

Oh Susanna by Stephen Foster

Dirty Old Town by The Pogues

Sweet Virginia by The Rolling Stones

Crosseyed Cat by Muddy Waters

Since this song is traditionally played by trumpets, it’s most often played in the key of Bb, the easiest key for trumpeters. You can play this on any key harmonica. You might find that lower keys, such as G, have a “warmer” or “more mellow” tone.

Here are the harmonica tabs for Taps:

Here’s a video of me playing it in 1st position with the tabs onscreen.

This is another one I teach step by step in my Beginner to Boss course.

Here are the harmonica tabs for You are My Sunshine:

Find the full tabs, and a lesson on how to play this song here.

Find the full tabs, and a lesson on how to play this song here.

Find the full tabs, and a lesson on how to play this song here.

Find the full tabs, and a lesson on how to play this song here.

For the full tabs, check out song #4 in this lesson.

Here are the harmonica tabs for Dirty Old Town:

This is another one I break down in my Beginner to Boss course.

Find the full tabs, and a lesson on how to play this song in Level 3 of my Rolling Stones lesson.

Here’s the harmonica tabs for Crosseyed Cat:

You can find 3 speeds of jam tracks at the end of this lesson.

#21-30 Gettin’ There

Mr. Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan

Star Wars by John Williams

Going Back South by Dr. Isaiah Ross

Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring by Johann Sebastian Bach

Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

John Henry by Sonny Terry

Skip to My Lou by Joe Filisko

EZ Blues by Big Walter

Checkin’ Up on My Baby by Sonny Boy Williamson II

If You Wanna Get to Heaven by Ozark Mountain Daredevils

Find the full tabs, and a lesson on how to play this song check out this lesson.

Here are the harmonica tabs for Star Wars:

Here are the harmonica tabs for Going Back South:

By the way, in our incredibly scientific study on the subject, this riff was the #1 riff that normal people (who don’t play harmonica) found impressive. You can hear it and learn more about it at 14:10 in this video.

Here are the harmonica tabs for Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring:

You can find my full video lesson teaching this song here.

Here are the harmonica tabs for the chorus to Hallelujah:

I’m crediting this song to Sonny Terry because his is the harmonica version that I’m most familiar with, but in my video at the top of this lesson I’m actually playing Joe Filisko’s arrangement. You can contact him for a free pdf of the tabs.

These tabs should help you get started:

This is another study song from Joe Filisko. A very simple song that provides an excellent study in just about every tongue blocking technique you can think of.

Here are the tabs for what I played in the video:

Here are the harmonica tabs for Easy Blues by Big Walter Horton. (Note: the excerpt of me playing it in the video does not start at the beginning of the song)

Here are the harmonica tabs for Checkin’ Up on My Baby by Sonny Boy Williamson II:

Here are the harmonica tabs for If You Wanna Get to Heaven:

Or you might hear it with 3 pulses on the blow 12’s like this:

#31-40 Intermediate

The Wizard by Ozzy Osbourne

Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Harold Arlen

Roadhouse Blues by The Doors

Work Song by Paul Butterfield

House of the Rising Sun by Gwen Foster & Clarence Ashley

Mannish Boy by Muddy Waters

Miss You by The Rolling Stones

Cluck Old Hen by Traditional

Summertime by George Gershwin

Amazing Grace by Traditional

Here are the harmonica tabs to The Wizard by Black Sabbath:

Here are the harmonica tabs in C for Somewhere Over the Rainbow:

You can find the backing track that I played along with in the video here:

Here are the harmonica tabs for Roadhouse Blues by the Doors, which is another song I teach step-by-step in my Beginner to Boss course:

Here are the harmonica tabs for Work Song:

Here are the harmonica tabs for House of the Rising Sun:

You can find the backing track that I played along with in the video here:

Here are the harmonica tabs for Mannish Boy:

You can find the backing track that I played along with in the video here:

To find the full tabs and a lesson on how to play this song check out Level 5 of my Rolling Stones lesson.

Another great Joe Filisko arrangement in a Fox Chase style rhythm. If you reach out to him, he will send you the full tabs for free.

You can find the backing track that I played along with in the video here:

To find the full tabs, and a lesson on how to play this song check out my Amazing Grace lesson. I played it here as taught in Level 4 of that lesson. The easiest way to play it is actually in 12th position, which I teach in Level 2 of that lesson.

You can find the backing track that I played along with in the video here:

#41-49 Almost Boss

Honeydripper by Big Walter

Juke by Little Walter

Honest I Do by Jimmy Reed

Good Morning Little Schoolgirl by Sonny Boy Williamson I

Boogie on Reggae Woman by Stevie Wonder

Whammer Jammer by The J Geils Band

Super Mario Bros. Theme

Stone Fox Chase by Area Code 615

Walter’s Boogie by Big Walter

The key to getting the sound of this song is a technique called the “tongue slap” which I teach in Level 5 of this lesson.

Here are the harmonica tabs for Honeydripper by Big Walter Horton:

In this song, Little Walter is using that same technique called the “tongue slap” which I teach in Level 5 of this lesson.

This song is a great primer in blow bends.

More tongue slapping! Here are the harmonica tabs for Good Morning Little Schoolgirl by Sonny Boy Williamson I:

Here are the harmonica tabs for Boogie On Reggae Woman by Stevie Wonder:

This song uses tongue blocking technique. Here are the harmonica tabs for what Magic Dick plays on Whammer Jammer by The J. Geils Band:

The intro to this song starts with a -4’ -4 -5 

While the -5 is being held, a technique called the “flutter” is used where the tongue rapidly moves on and off of the -34.

Next 9’ 9 10 10” (held with throat vibrato) 9.

This is a very challenging song that requires mastery of blow bends and also the 6 overblow which I’m notating like this ‘6o.

Here are the harmonica tabs for the Super Mario Brothers Theme song:

You can find the backing track that I played along with in the video here:

Here are the harmonica tabs for Stone Fox Chase by Area Code 615:

Walter’s Boogie is an extraordinary workout in the intonation of our -3 bends. 

I give myself a B on my performance in this video.

Here are the harmonica tabs for Walter’s Boogie by Big Walter Horton:

#50 Boss

This song has 10 choruses of blazing harmonica playing. What I am playing here are choruses 6 and 7. William Clarke was a tongue blocker, and making the big jumps is easier tongue blocking, though it is also possible to play using lip blocking.

Here are the harmonica tabs for chorus 6 and chorus 7 of Blowin’ the Family Jewels by William Clarke: