What harmonica do I need for Danny Boy?

A Bb diatonic harmonica. The Danny Boy harmonica tab on this page is written for that harp.

Is Danny Boy easy to play on harmonica?

This song is marked beginner level. Its tab needs no bends. The page has tabs for these levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced.

What are the first notes of Danny Boy on harmonica?

The first line is 7 -8 8 -9 8 8 -8 7 -6 7 -6 -5 7 -8 8 -9 …. Plain numbers are blow notes, numbers with a minus sign are draw notes.

3 tabs available

Danny Boy Harmonica Tabs

TraditionalKey of D#EasyFolk

3 tabs · 100 BPM · Free

Key: D#Beginner level 100 BPM Free Harmonica Tab

The song 'Danny Boy' by Traditional is arranged for a Bb diatonic harmonica and utilizes holes 4–10. It needs no bends. A specific practice hint for this tab is to focus on the hardest line, which is line 8: -6 -8 7 -6 6 -5 -4 5. This beginner-level tab features a mix of draw notes, making it an excellent choice for new harmonica players to develop their skills.

Harp: Bb · 12th position
Key: Eb major
Time: 4/4
Tempo: ♩ = 100
Level: Beginner
Part: section B (bars P–16, 8 bars + pickup)

12th position on a Bb harp
Whole tab one octave up: at the written pitch the Eb and G notes would need bends (-2'', -3'')
40% of notes are on holes 8–10: a Low Bb harp plays this same tab an octave lower, warmer and closer to the written register
12th position: Bb harp for a song in Eb major

How to read this tab

4 blow (↑)
-4 draw (↓)
w h q e s whole · half · quarter · eighth · 16th
q. 3 ~ dotted · triplet · tied
1 + 2 + count: beat and “and”; (1) = keep holding

–

Ready

B from bar P

P [4/4]

Playing Notes

Plays: section B (bars P–16, 8 bars + pickup) 12th position on a Bb harp Whole tab one octave up: at the written pitch the Eb and G notes would need bends (-2'', -3'') 40% of notes are on holes 8–10: a Low Bb harp plays this same tab an octave lower, warmer and closer to the written register 12th position: Bb harp for a song in Eb major

What next?

Next song like thisLa Cucaracha

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How to play the first line of Danny Boy on harmonica

Get a Bb diatonic harmonica
This Danny Boy tab is written for a Bb diatonic harmonica.
Need a Bb harmonica? See our harmonica guide
Read the hole numbers
Each number is a hole. A plain number (6) means blow out, a number with a minus sign (-5) means draw in.
Play the first line slowly
The first line is 7 -8 8 -9 8 8 -8 7 -6 7 -6 -5 7 -8 8 -9 …: 8 blow and 8 draw notes. Play it slowly, one clean note at a time, then match the rhythm of the recording.
Carry on line by line
Once the first line sounds clean, learn the rest of the tab one line at a time. This tab needs no bends.

Questions about this tab

What harmonica do I need for Danny Boy?: A Bb diatonic harmonica. The Danny Boy harmonica tab on this page is written for that harp.
Is Danny Boy easy to play on harmonica?: This song is marked beginner level. Its tab needs no bends. The page has tabs for these levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced.
What are the first notes of Danny Boy on harmonica?: The first line is 7 -8 8 -9 8 8 -8 7 -6 7 -6 -5 7 -8 8 -9 …. Plain numbers are blow notes, numbers with a minus sign are draw notes.

Tips for playing Danny Boy

Line 8 opens with a skip from draw 6 to draw 8, then walks back down to blow 5. Practise the skip first, then add the walk one note at a time.
The jump from -5 to 7 crosses two holes and changes breath on the way. Stop briefly, move, and blow 7 cleanly.
With 47 notes over 9 lines, the lines are long and the notes are held. Plan a breath before each line and keep held notes at an even volume.