Are you a relative beginner like me? Are you just interested in playing simple melodies on a harmonica (harp) as though it was a recorder or flute, rather than becoming a professional blues player? If so then you will have discovered that there is very little useful material on the web to help you.
Everyone seems to assume that people only play Richter tuned harmonicas and are only interested in bluesy sounding music. If you say that you just want to play melodies then the advice is often “buy a chromatic harmonica”.
So for the benefit of others like me I will share my experience.
Chromatic harmonicas are great in theory (I have 4 of them) but in practice they are overkill for most songs. There are multiple issues with them:
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They have valves (little plastic strips over the reeds) which rapidly get wet with moisture from your breath if the harp is cold and then they stick and cause playing problems.
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They are rarely as airtight as other types meaning you can run out of breath.
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They have a significantly greater spacing between holes than other harps, which makes playing them and also playing harps with smaller spacing a challenge for beginners. It is difficult to consistently hit the correct notes when jumping between notes several holes apart when the hole spacing is so different.
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They are heavy and cumbersome compared with other harps.
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If you accidentally drop one and it lands on the slider button it will likely be damaged beyond repair
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They sound “tinny” compared with other harps, even more expensive ones such as the Suzuki SCX-48 that I have.
There is another type of harp called a solo-tuned harp. Unlike a standard diatonic (Richter tuned) harp it has every note in every octave, for the particular key. The most common is the key of C, meaning it has all of the “white notes” on a piano, generally starting on middle C, and going up two and a half or three octaves. As with a Chromatic they are no good for playing chords other than the C chord, but are great for melodies as there are no missing notes that require bending to achieve, as with a diatonic.
I like light-and-easy love songs (Beatles, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Olivia Newton John, Celine Dion etc.) I have transposed 165 of them for playing on a harmonica. (See list below.)
140 of the 165 songs have no accidentals (odd sharps and flats inserted in the middle of a song). That means that they can be transposed from whatever key they are in, and can then be played in full on a solo-tuned harp without any special techniques such as bends etc. Even ones with accidentals can sometimes be played by swapping between two harps without needing to use a chromatic harp (13 of of the 25 in my list).
Most common songs fit in a two and a half octave range, meaning they can be played on a 10-hole harmonica.
I have 4 Seydel Orchestra-S solo tuned harps (but really only needed 3). They are small 10-hole harps and very comfortable to play.
Harp 1: “C”. A configurable Seydel Orchestra S solo-tuned in the key of C with a tuning that starts on middle C (C4) and goes up to F6. I use it for 78 of my songs. ORCHESTRA S configurable - C.A. SEYDEL SÖHNE
Harp 2: “G”. A configurable Seydel Orchestra S solo-tuned in the key of G with a special tuning that starts on middle C (C4) and goes up to F6. Each of the 3 “F”'s is tuned to F# instead of F. Purists on the forum will roll their eyes but it complements the other harps perfectly as I explain below. I use it for 50 of my songs. ORCHESTRA S configurable - C.A. SEYDEL SÖHNE
Harp 3: “BC” (Below C). A configurable Seydel Orchestra S solo-tuned in the key of C with a special tuning that has one hole below middle C. It starts on A3 and goes up to E6. See description below. I use it for 16 of the songs. ORCHESTRA S configurable - C.A. SEYDEL SÖHNE
Harp 4: “LC”. (Low C) A standard off-the-shelf Orchestra-S LC. It runs from G3 (The G below middle C) up to C6. I only use it for 7 my songs. ORCHESTRA S - C.A. SEYDEL SÖHNE
The remaining 11 songs need to be played on a chromatic harmonica.
If you are only a casual player then you will want to be playing within a range of notes that are the easiest to play. From my experience the easiest notes to play on any harmonica are those between middle C (C4) and C6. Any notes outside that range are more difficult to play.
That is the first reason for my G harp being configured as it is. The second reason is so that after transposing my music into either the key of C or the key of G, all of the notes are then in the identical place on the C and G harmonicas. So middle C - C4 is hole 1 blow on both harps. D4 is hole 1 draw on both harps etc. The third reason, which follows from the second, is that it allows for easy swapping between the C and G harps mid-song for some songs as outlined below.
So how does it work in practice? Assume that you have the sheet music for a song that you want to be able to play:
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If it is already in the key of C and has no accidentals then you need to check the lowest and highest notes. If they are between C4 and F6 then you can play the song immediately on the “C” harp.
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If it has a couple of notes that go below middle C (a lot of songs drop down one or two notes below middle C) then you can play it immediately on the BC (or LC) harp.
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If it has notes that go down to the G below middle C then you can play it immediately on the LC harp.
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If the song is in the key of G, meaning it has a single sharp on the top line of the music staff, then find the high and low notes. If they are between C4 and F6 then you can play it immediately on the G harp. Failing that convert the high and low notes to the key of C and check if it fits on one of the other three harps.
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If the song is in neither C nor G, or does not fit on the harp that matches its current key, you will have to transpose it. You first transpose the high and low notes into the key of C and check if they are between C4 and F6. If so transpose the song into the key of C and play it on the C harp.
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If they don’t fit in the C4-F6 range in the key of C then transpose the high and low notes into the key of G and check if they fit between C4 and F6. If so transpose the song into the key of G and play it on the G harp,
Most songs can be made to fit within C4-C6 if they are transposed either into the key of C or the key of G, which are half an octave apart. (120 of my songs). That is the preferred range as it is the easiest to play. If they won’t fit or don’t sound right then they can usually be transposed so they fit on the BC or LC harp, (eg. Hey Jude, I can’t stop loving you, I’ll never find another you, My love).
Many songs can be transposed to C and played on one of the C harps, and also transposed to G and played on the G harp. Try both and see which one sounds better. Often the deciding factor is the playability of the song. Songs in G tend to have more draw notes than songs in C. Playing consecutive draw notes fills up the lungs quicker than playing the same number of blow notes exhausts the lungs, so such songs are often better played on a harp in the key of C.
A few songs have accidentals which, after the appropriate transposing, result in the song containing a bunch of F’s and a couple of of F#'s. (eg. The Last Waltz, Top of the World, You Needed Me). Those songs can be played by swapping between the G and the C/BC/LC harp at the appropriate place mid-song. I have found that that is actually easier than playing the whole song on a chromatic harmonica.
Now a bit of info about the “BC” (Below C) harp, which is in the key of C starting on A3. I hate playing the off-the-shelf LC harp. All of the notes between G3 and D4 (holes 1-3) are “uncomfortable” to play. I therefore had my “BC” harp custom-made with an uncommon tuning. Instead of having two holes below middle C it only has 1. It thus goes from A3 up to E6. It is slightly quirky in that A3 is played as a blow instead of the normal draw, leaving B3 as the usual draw and C4 does not repeat. For whatever reason it is much easier to play the notes from A3 up to D4 on that harp than on the LC harp, I therefore use it for all songs that only drop down to B3 or A3. I only use the LC harp for 7 songs that go right down to G3. The two extra low notes (A3 and B3) are much more useful than the high notes you lose (E6, F6) which are rarely needed and difficult to play.
I have just ordered another harp, my “AC” harp (key of C with a second A hole). It has a very strange layout and is designed to let me play 12 songs that after transposing have accidentals that are either G# or A#, in addition to the unsharpened G or A. (eg. Bridge over troubled waters, Release me, Killing me softly with his song).
The AC harp has an extra hole inserted between the normal 3 and 4 holes, So hole 3 plays G4 and A4 and hole 4 plays G4# and A4#, then hole 5 plays B4 and C5. It will no doubt take a bit of getting used to that extra spacing of the other holes. but it means it will allow me to play those 12 songs that I would otherwise have to play on a chromatic harmonica
If your budget will not stretch to multiple harps then I would recommend ordering the “BC” tuning (my terminology) so as to be able to play the greatest number of songs most easily (87 of those below). Buying the unmodified LC harp is also a good option and will play all of those songs plus 4 others, but it is significantly more difficult to play the lower notes on. I don’t consider that extra G3 note to be worth the loss of playability.
If you can afford a second harp then it should be the same layout as the BC but in the key of G (with F#'s instead of F’s.) If I was starting out again then that is what I would order. You will then be able to play 133 of the songs below, plus a large percentage of any other songs you fancy.
As an interesting aside, I have also purchased several tiny harmonicas, the Hohner Little Lady 4-hole ($AUD24), a generic 4-hole ($2), the Suzuki Minore 5-hole ($26) and the Suzuki Mini-5 ($9). The Little Lady and the generic 4-hole are 34mm long, the Suzuki Mini-5 is 39mm long and the Minore is 43mm long. The harps are quite playable after a bit of practice. Around 20 of my songs below can be played on the 4-hole ones and a total of around 60 can be played on the 5-hole ones. Some of the songs required slight modification to fit into the small note range.
Below is the list of all songs that I have transposed, showing which of the harps each song is best played on. If you want a copy of the songs, click the links below. I have invented my own music notation system that allows the sheet music for most songs to fit on a single A4 sheet, including lyrics. It is similar to ABC notation abc:standard:v2.2 [abc wiki] but more intuitive, and more informative than tabs in that it depicts the note lengths.
I have two versions of the songs, one intended to be printed like sheet music and one intended to be displayed and scrolled automatically on a mobile phone screen using the “PDF Reader - PDF Viewer” app by Librera: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pdf.pdf.reader&hl=en&gl=US
Print version of songs: Dropbox - Harmonica Songs Print.pdf - Simplify your life
Mobile phone version of songs: Dropbox - Harmonica Songs Phone.pdf - Simplify your life
Happy harping
Peter
| Song | Harp |
|---|---|
| A World Of Our Own | C |
| Advance Australia Fair | C |
| All My Loving | C |
| Always On My Mind | G |
| Am I That Easy To Forget | C |
| Amazing Grace | C |
| Angel Of The Morning | BC |
| Annie’s Song | C |
| Any Dream Will Do | C |
| Are You Lonesome Tonight | Chrom |
| Auld Lang Syne | C |
| Banks of the Ohio | C |
| Beauty And The Beast | C |
| Blowin’ In The Wind | BC |
| Botany Bay | C |
| Both Sides Now | C |
| Bridge Over Troubled Waters | AC |
| By The Time I Get To Phoenix | G |
| Can’t Help Falling In Love With You | C |
| Cecilia | G |
| Chariots Of Fire (Full) | C |
| Chariots Of Fire (Short) | C |
| Click Go The Shears | C |
| Cotton Fields | G |
| Could I Have This Dance | G |
| Crying | BC |
| Danny Boy | BC |
| Daydream Believer | C |
| Don’t cry for me Argentina | LC+G |
| Edelweiss | C |
| Eine Kleine Nachtmusik | C |
| El Condor Pasa | AC |
| Endless Love | C |
| Eternal Flame | C |
| Evergreen | C |
| Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool | AC |
| (Everything I Do) I Do It For You | G |
| Feelings | G |
| For All We Know | C |
| For The Good Times | LC+G |
| From A Distance | BC |
| From This Moment On | C |
| Green Green Grass of Home | C |
| Happy Birthday | G |
| Have I Told You Lately That I Love You | C |
| Hello | Chrom |
| Hero | C |
| Hey Jude | BC |
| Home Among The Gumtrees | AC |
| Home On The Range | G |
| Homeward Bound | C |
| How Am I Supposed To Live Without You | C |
| I Can See Clearly Now | C+G |
| I Can’t Stop Loving You | BC |
| I Do It For You | G |
| I Don’t Know How to Love Him | C |
| I Fall To Pieces | C |
| I Get A Little Sentimental Over You | Chrom |
| I honestly Love You | C |
| I Just Fall In Love Again | G |
| I Know Him So Well | G |
| I Still Call Australia Home | AC |
| I Walk The Line | G |
| I Won’t Last A Day Without You | C |
| I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing | C |
| If Tomorrow Never Comes | C |
| I’ll Never Find Another You | BC |
| Imagine | C |
| In The Ghetto | C |
| Isn’t She Lovely | C |
| Jolene | G |
| Killing Me Softly With His Song | AC |
| King Of The Road | C |
| Lady | G |
| Let It Be | C |
| Let Me Be There | C |
| Living Next Door To Alice | G |
| Love Changes Everything | G |
| Love Is All Around | C |
| Love Is In The Air | AC |
| Love Me Tender | G |
| Lovin’ You | C |
| Lucille | C |
| Making Memories Of Us | C |
| Memory | Chrom |
| Moon River | C |
| Morning Has Broken | C |
| Mull Of Kintyre | C |
| My Heart Will Go On | C |
| My Love | BC |
| Nobody Does It Better | C+AC |
| Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You | C |
| Oh Susanna | C |
| Only The Lonely | G |
| Paper Roses | BC |
| Piano Man | BC |
| Ramblin’ Rose | BC |
| Release Me | AC |
| Rhinestone Cowboy | LC |
| Right Here Waiting | C |
| Ring Of Fire | BC |
| Rock Around The Clock | Chrom or C |
| Roses Are Red My Love | Chrom |
| Running Bear | C |
| San Francisco | G |
| Save The Best For Last | C |
| Save The Last Dance For Me | G |
| Scotland The Brave | C |
| Seasons In The Sun | G |
| She’s Always A Woman | Chrom |
| Slipping Away | G |
| Somethin’ Stupid | Chrom |
| Sometimes When We Touch | C |
| Spanish Eyes | AC |
| Stranger On The Shore | LC |
| Strangers In The Night | G |
| Sweet Caroline | LC |
| Take Me Home Country Roads | G |
| Take My Breath Away | C |
| Tears In Heaven | Chrom |
| Tennessee Waltz | C |
| That’s What Friends Are For | C |
| The Carnival Is Over | G |
| The Entertainer | Chrom |
| The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face | C |
| The Great Pretender | G |
| The Greatest Love Of All | C+AC |
| The Last Waltz | LC+G |
| The Lord’s Prayer | G |
| The Most Beautiful Girl | Chrom |
| The Power of Love | C |
| The Rose | C |
| The Sound Of Silence | G |
| The Twelfth Of Never | G |
| The Way We Were | C |
| The Wild Colonial Boy | LC |
| The Wonder Of You | G |
| There Goes My Everything | C |
| Three Times A Lady | C |
| Through The Years | G |
| Time To Say Goodbye | G |
| Tonight I Celebrate My Love For You | C |
| Top Of The World | C+G |
| Torn Between Two Lovers | C |
| True Love | Chrom |
| Unchained Melody | C |
| Up Where We Belong | BC |
| Waltzing Matilda | C |
| Wellerman | G |
| What A Wonderful World | AC |
| When I Fall In Love | G |
| When I Need You | G |
| When The Saints Go Marching In | C |
| When You Say Nothing At All | G |
| Will You Love Me Tomorrow | G |
| Wind Beneath My Wings | G |
| Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again | BC+G |
| Without You | BC |
| Wooden Heart | C |
| You Are So Beautiful | G |
| You Are The Love Of My Life | G |
| You Don’t Bring Me Flowers | G |
| You Needed Me | C+G |
| You Raise Me Up | G |
| You Were There | C |
