What harmonica do I need for O Little Town of Bethlehem?

An F diatonic harmonica. The O Little Town of Bethlehem harmonica tab on this page is written for that harp.

Is O Little Town of Bethlehem 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 O Little Town of Bethlehem on harmonica?

The first line is 8 8 8 -10 9 9 -9 -6 -8 7 -7 7 8 -8 7. Plain numbers are blow notes, numbers with a minus sign are draw notes.

3 tabs available

O Little Town of Bethlehem Harmonica Tabs

Lewis H. RednerKey of FEasyFolk

3 tabs · 100 BPM · Free

Key: F Beginner level 100 BPM Free Harmonica Tab

O Little Town of Bethlehem, the Christmas carol, is tabbed here for an F harmonica on holes 6–10, 28 notes in 9 lines. It needs no bends. Blows and draws are close to even (46% draws), and the melody sits high on the harp. The widest move is from draw 9 down to draw 6, three holes. The line to drill is line 3, 9 -9 -6 -8: blow and draw on hole 9, the drop to draw 6, then back up to draw 8. Keep inhaling through the last three notes and move only the harp.

Harp: F · 1st position
Key: F major
Time: 4/4
Tempo: ♩ = 100
Level: Beginner
Part: line 2 of A and the first line of B (bars P–12, 8 bars + pickup)

Whole tab two octaves up: at the written pitch 7 notes (D4, E4) sit below hole 1 and the Bb and D notes would need bends (-2'', -3''); one octave up only, the D notes would need a -3'' bend
57% of notes are on holes 8–10: a Low F harp plays this same tab an octave lower, warmer and closer to the written register

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 [4/4]

B from 8.4

Playing Notes

Plays: line 2 of A and the first line of B (bars P–12, 8 bars + pickup) Level variant: a smaller part at an easier level Whole tab two octaves up: at the written pitch 7 notes (D4, E4) sit below hole 1 and the Bb and D notes would need bends (-2'', -3''); one octave up only, the D notes would need a -3'' bend 57% of notes are on holes 8–10: a Low F harp plays this same tab an octave lower, warmer and closer to the written register

What next?

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How to play the first line of O Little Town of Bethlehem on harmonica

Get an F diatonic harmonica
This O Little Town of Bethlehem 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 8 8 8 -10 9 9 -9 -6 -8 7 -7 7 8 -8 7: 9 blow and 6 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 O Little Town of Bethlehem?: An F diatonic harmonica. The O Little Town of Bethlehem harmonica tab on this page is written for that harp.
Is O Little Town of Bethlehem 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 O Little Town of Bethlehem on harmonica?: The first line is 8 8 8 -10 9 9 -9 -6 -8 7 -7 7 8 -8 7. Plain numbers are blow notes, numbers with a minus sign are draw notes.

Tips for playing O Little Town of Bethlehem

In line 3, the three draws -9 -6 -8 come in one breath in; slide down three holes and back up two while the air keeps moving.
Hole 10 is the top of this tab. Play it with your lightest breath so it does not squeal on an F harmonica.
With only 28 notes, learn the whole carol from memory, then play it with your eyes closed to train your sense of where holes 6 and 9 sit.

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.