"It is easy to
get good at harmonica.
It is really, really hard to get really, really good
at harmonica."
Rich "ATOM" Baum
So, Ed
(on the left) said "Don't get me started..."
Welcome to my harmonica Song
Key web site!
Ever hear a song on the radio and wish you could play along?
Well, for your enjoyment, I have put together diatonic harmonica tabs to assist
you in playing along. In many cases I have numerous different MIDI's that
you can try to play along with. I have placed an "*"
next to the MIDI that helped me generate that tab. You will also note I
have included the Beats Per Minute (BPM) to assist in playing. By knowing
the Song Key used by the artist, you can use that harmonica key or a different
position to play along with the song. If the harmonica tab is in
Chromatic, it is labeled as Song Tab-C.
This is a collection of much of the harmonica
information I have gathered over the past 11 years assembled into a website
format. This site should keep many harpers busy for years. I will also add
2nd and 3rd position keys in the future to assist those that like to play in
these positions.
This website has been designed to provide
visitors with several things I found lacking in numerous harmonica websites:
- a common notation method that I have expounded by
adding "rests" and "measures" to assist in timing.
- tab that directly relates to a MIDI on that page (look for
a "*" on that MIDI).
- the various keys that the song can be played in and, in
particular, the key of that MIDI and tab.
- modification of a MIDI by altering the melody line to be
the sound of the harmonica (denoted by "-harp")
- adjustment of the volume of the "harmonica" melody line of
the midi by +10% to identify the harmonica easily.
- the names of the various artists or band I have found that
have performed that song.
- YouTube video links to hear the song played by the actual
artist or the band or other artists doing that tune.
- the Beats Per Minute of that MIDI and tab to assist in
timing.
I find the easiest way to learn a new tune on
the harp is to listen to the song carefully several times. Then start with
with tabs provided on the sheets. After you feel comfortable with the
tabs, start the MIDI and play along. Don't worry about your mistakes.
After several runs through the song, you'll start to feel very comfortable.
Play it 3 or 4 times each day for a week and you'll be surprised to find that
you can actually learn a new song each week.
A tip: try to practice 2 or 3 songs you
feel comfortable with each day. If you know 300 songs, this will
take you about 3 or 4 months to practice all of them. Fairly soon, though,
you'll get that one particular song in your head and be able to grab the right
harp and play it. You'll hear the tune in your head and play to that
music.
This site is still under construction, and
these pages will be updated frequently, so stop by every so often to see what's
new. Please let me know if a link does not work and I will fix it as
quickly as I can.
Want to comment on
this website? Offer suggestions?
Want to gripe, harp, complain, whine, or otherwise
throw your thoughts in? Please send an email
to me at
songcomments@harpinanawhinin and I will respond
back. No names will be broadcast or otherwise
noted on the internet for any comment made.
Disclaimer:
All Midis are
for educational and entertainment purposes only. If
any are copyrighted & should not be here, please let
me know, and they will be removed. If you know
the artist or group for any song not shown, or if
there are errors, please email me.
I would like to state at this time, that I did not
write any of these songs. I did not sequence
any of these midi files. They are or were
taken from Public Domain for my personal use on my
personal website. I receive no commission,
financial benefits, nor favors for placing them on
my site. I do not hold the copyright for
these, nor do I wish to violate anyone else's copy
right to this material. I will immediately
remove any file that is in question of copyright
violation. I have and will also attempt to
give credit to the original artist and songwriter.
In some instances this information has eluded me,
and in some instances the first recording may have
been made by someone else that I do not know about.