What harmonica do I need for It Came Upon the Midnight Clear?

An F diatonic harmonica. The It Came Upon the Midnight Clear harmonica tab on this page is written for that harp.

Is It Came Upon the Midnight Clear 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.

What are the first notes of It Came Upon the Midnight Clear on harmonica?

The first line is 4 -6 5 6 -5 -4 4 -4 4 4 -4 5 -5 -5 6 -6 …. Plain numbers are blow notes, numbers with a minus sign are draw notes.

2 tabs available

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear Harmonica Tabs

Richard Storrs WillisKey of A#EasyFolk

2 tabs · 100 BPM · Free

Key: A#Beginner level 100 BPM Free Harmonica Tab

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, the Christmas carol, is tabbed here for an F harmonica on three holes, holes 4–6. It needs no bends, and the tab is short: 35 notes in 9 lines, with draws and blows almost even (49% draws). The line to drill is line 4, -4 5 -5 -5 6 -6, which climbs from draw 4 to draw 6 one hole at a time, switching breath on nearly every note. Play it slowly and tongue the two draw 5 notes apart.

Harp: F · 12th position
Key: Bb major
Time: 6/8
Tempo: ♩ = 100
Level: Beginner
Part: section A (bars P–8, 8 bars + pickup)

12th position on a F harp
Whole tab one octave up: at the written pitch the Bb and D notes would need bends (-2'', -3'')
12th position: F harp for a song in Bb 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

A from bar P

P [6/8]

Playing Notes

Plays: section A (bars P–8, 8 bars + pickup) Level variant: a smaller part at an easier level 12th position on a F harp Whole tab one octave up: at the written pitch the Bb and D notes would need bends (-2'', -3'') 12th position: F harp for a song in Bb major

What next?

Next song like thisIl est né, le divin Enfant

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How to play the first line of It Came Upon the Midnight Clear on harmonica

Get an F diatonic harmonica
This It Came Upon the Midnight Clear tab is written for an F diatonic harmonica.
Need an F 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 4 -6 5 6 -5 -4 4 -4 4 4 -4 5 -5 -5 6 -6 …: 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 It Came Upon the Midnight Clear?: An F diatonic harmonica. The It Came Upon the Midnight Clear harmonica tab on this page is written for that harp.
Is It Came Upon the Midnight Clear 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.
What are the first notes of It Came Upon the Midnight Clear on harmonica?: The first line is 4 -6 5 6 -5 -4 4 -4 4 4 -4 5 -5 -5 6 -6 …. Plain numbers are blow notes, numbers with a minus sign are draw notes.

Tips for playing It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

The run 6 -5 -4 steps down blow, draw, draw. Change breath once, after blow 6, then keep drawing.
The widest move is blow 6 down to blow 4. Keep blowing as you slide past hole 5 so the two notes join.
Nine lines make a short tune: learn it from memory, then work on joining the lines so the carol flows.

Free Christmas Harmonica Songbook

A free printable PDF: how to read harmonica tabs, then public-domain carols such as Silent Night, Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls, one per page, easiest first, each with a link to play it here.