Understand the standard tablature used to illustrate how to play songs on the harmonica. This is much simpler than learning how to read music. Tablature is a musical shorthand, specific to a single instrument, showing how to play the song on that instrument. The harmonica has 10 holes, and you can either blow air through each of these holes, or suck air backward through them. Tablature simply indicates which hole to blow air through and which way to blow.
Learn the following tablature for the harmonica. Unlike standard musical notation, tablature does not indicate how long to hold notes. It is assumed that you are already familiar with the song and can use the accompanying lyrics as a guide to timing. Go through the song, blowing into the numbered holes as the song moves along, or sucking air through the holes if the tablature displays a minus sign.
5_5_5__6____ 6__-6___-6__-5__-6_ 7 6
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
6 _5 _-4_ 4__5__-5_ 6__-5_-4____4
It is the night of the dear Sa-viour's birth.
5____5__5__6___6__-6__-6_-5 -6__ 7 6
Long lay the world in sin and er-ror pining,
6__-5_ 5_ -7____ 6__ -6__-7__ 7 _-7 5
Till He appeared and the Soul felt its worth.
6 _6__-6 -4 ___6__-6_ 6__ 7___ 5 -6 6
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
6 _ 6 -6 __ -4 ___ 6 -6__ 6__ 7 5 ___ 6
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
7__ -7_ -6 _ -7____-7 __ -8 __ -6_-6 -6 _ 7 7
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the an-gel voices!
7_ 8 -8 6 7 __ -7__ -6 6 __ 6__ -6 ___ 6 _ 6
O night divine, O---- night when Christ was born;
7_ -8 _ 6 9 -9_ 8 -8 7 ___ -7 7 ___-8 7
O night divine, O--- night, O- night di-vine.
Learn the rest of the lyrics. There are two more stanzas, but the part you play on the harmonica is exactly the same. Most songs are like this. Once you learn how to play the musical portion on the harmonica or another instrument, it usually repeats a few times with different lyrics. The rest of the lyrics are as follows.
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
Over the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from Orient land.
The King of Kings lay in the lowly manger;
In all our trials he is to be our friend.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another.
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise his name forever,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
Practice the song until you know which holes to blow into without reading the tablature. And be careful of your technique. A frequent stumbling block for aspiring harmonica players is hitting a single clear note. When the tablature indicates a 6, for example, you should blow a clear note through the 6 hole and the 6 hole alone. Until you practice, you might also blow into the 5 hole and the 7 hole, and you won't get the crisp clear sound you need for the song. Don't use your tongue to cover the holes you are trying to avoid. Use your lips, and form them to blow into a single hole. While potentially difficult at first, this will give you more control and free up your tongue to create other musical effects as you master the instrument.
Remember that while the singer you are accompanying may have a wide musical range and can sing in several different keys, your harmonica is not as versatile. That's why professional harmonica players have different harmonicas. Depending on how you play it, you can play in different keys with the same harmonica, but the tablature above will allow you to play the song in the same key as is marked on the side of the harmonica. Make sure that the singers or other instrumentalists you are playing with know what key you are playing in.