In this beginner harmonica lesson, you will learn to play a small folk style tune on your harmonica, entitled ‘Tiny folk’. You’ll practice the 12 licks that form the song sections and play them on the provided backing track video.
We all know and wanted to sing at least once in our life folk songs like Blowin' in the Wind, City of New Orleans, Oh susanna, Wildwood Flower or Buffalo Gals. Harmonica players, as soon as they start to learn, they look for simple tunes, and folk is a great starting point to practice playing harmonica in first and second position.
Folk music is also described as the songs of the people.The way folk songs were created varies, but the way they were transmitted was almost always the same: from person to person, from generation to generation.
The way this kind of music was transmitted directly impacted the songs themselves; being orally transmitted, they were easy to modify and to adapt to one’s personal taste or to a particular situation. Moreover, when the songs are sung, some words or part of the tune can be changed or forgotten.
In order to perform this tune we use a C harmonica and we play in 1st position. The song key is C major, and on the included videos in this lesson you’ll find the tab on which the notes and the harmonica holes are notated, allowing an easy play-along practise session.
How to read the video lesson tab:
One plus symbol means to blow the harmonica hole.
An apostrophe means to bend the note of a half-tone.
A double apostrophe means to bend the note of a whole-tone.
A triple apostrophe means to bend the note of three steps.
Song analysis:
Playing difficulty level: Beginner.
Note bending skills: Draw bending on hole 3.
Lesson focus: C major scale notes playing, eight notes, higher harmonica holes playing, melody construction and timing.
Provided backing track for this lesson: C major folk chord progression, medium tempo. A slow version of the tune and of the backing track are available too.
You cand download the lesson tabs using the following link:
The tune is composed of three parts: two verses and a bridge.
The verse 1 chord progression:
C, C, F, F
C, G, F, C
Let’s practice together the 4 licks that compose verse 1 on the following interactive video:
The second verse chord progression is identical to the previous.
C, C, F, F
C, G, F, C
Now we’ll practice the 4 licks that compose verse 2 on the following interactive video:
The bridge chord progression:
F, F, F, C
D, D, G, G7
Practice now with me the 4 licks that compose the bridge, follow the video indications:
Following you’ll find the whole song played by the teacher and the backing track video for your to perform the tune.
Here was how to play a simple folk tune. If you enjoyed learning this song with your harp you might want to improve your harmonica skills, I suggest you to have a look at our online harmonica school courses here.