Started learning harmonica after years of playing acoustic guitar . Never realized how much harmonica played into everything . I am learning on a C diatonic Hohner Special and am learning actual songs and I refuse to embellish until I have mastered actual songs with the single notes . This is a great list . Two of my favorites are the break in Deep Purple’s Lazy and the riff in the Ozark Mountain Daredevil’s If You Want To Get To Heaven .
I have a few memorable harmonica parts in my head: 1. Supertramp - take the long way home or school 2. Led zeppelin - you shook me/bring it on home 3. Allman brothers band - dont keep me wonderin 4. Chicago - in terms of two 5. Cream - traintime 6. Eagles - doolin-dalton There are more a few that i cant figure out but i surely know
Hey Nicholas - 1. Yeah copyright bastards. I'm still holding a grudge from them giving me a copyright strike on my Funkyharp channel 12 years ago when I was just teaching the song (none of the original track was used in the vid!!!!) But yeah, it's one of the best!!! 2. Yeah great stuff (great Sonny Boy Williamson rip off) But I think When the Levee Breaks even more so should have made this list. 3. Cool. But my favorite is AB harmonica is One Way Out from Live at Filmore East (another Sonny Boy Williamson tune!) 4. Had never heard that! THANKS! 5. Yeah Jack Bruce is totally BADASS, God rest his soul. 6. Had never heard this before. THANKS!!
0:47 Good video! I got 4 more: 1)"Follow You Down" by the Gin Blossoms 2) "Slow Emotion Replay" by The The 3) "Dirty Water" by The Standells 4) "Polk Salad Annie" by Tony Joe White
My vote for two not mentioned are The solo in Bonnie Raitt’s rendition of Del Shannon’s Runaway and Whammer Jammer from J. Geils Full House album. Definitely not beginner pieces but both are absolute smokin’ harmonica solos
I'm sorry, but I cannot agree that these are the best harmonica songs of all time. As far as Top 40 goes, J Geils' Magic Dick's "Whammer Jammer," is by far the best to get the most airplay and light years beyond this simple stuff. I hadn't ever played any of them but picked up the harmonicas I keep by the couch in a tray and played each one of them for the first time (I knew the tunes) just to show my wife how easy they are.
Appreciate the effort, but no Bob Dylan? Seriously? Do you have any idea how many people took up the harmonica because of Dylan? He popularized the use of first position in a pop format. You don’t think Neil Young had Dylan in mind when he took up the acoustic and the harmonica? Or Joel when he used it for Piano Man? As one who knows first hand the lineage of rock, I’m constantly reminded by videos like this of how much gets lost and twisted over time. Dylan’s simple use of it on his groundbreaking Like a Rolling Stone was the. harmonica heard round the world. Oh, and by the way, when you hear a singer w/ attitude, that’s another road that leads back to Dylan. Dylan is by no means a virtuoso, but what he plays is often inspired and memorable. Check out Mr. Tambourine Man, Desolation Row, All Along the Watchtower, or the solo at the end of Tangled Up in Blue, which brought chills to the musicians recording with him live in the studio.
Yeah I think Dylan qualifies as rock under "Folk Rock." MR. Tambourine Man I think represents some of his finest harmonica playing which is why I included it here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_Cq4C786AFg.html
Ummm, you seemed to have completely passed over the best rock harmonica song and player of all time. The J Girls Band's Wamma Jamma, played by the great Magic Dick. Dude, really?
I kinda just found you and I love the way you put the tabs in there you’re doing a great job. Thank you so very much you’re making me advance in harmonica. Thank you.
Aw thanks David! I have a good friend here in Hawaii named Serkan who is from Turkey. Thanks for noticing the editing bro! Rock on! 😎 Aloha from Hawaii.
Do a top 10 list and put Aerosmith's " One Way Street" in the top 5. Mr. Tyler just kills it on the live version, or do a list of great harmonica songs that weren't hits, it would also make that.
I like all these harmonica songs - thanks for doing, however, Canadian Gordon Lightfoot had a #1 in 1971: Lightfoot also scored four No. 1s on Billboards Adult Contemporary chart: “If You Could Read My Mind” (for one week in 1971),
Those are great harmonica songs. Some other phenoms harmonica songs include: Shawn Colvin - Get Out of this House And The late and so terribly great Warren Zevon: Bill Lee Splendid Isolation The Factory
Super cool lineup! However, for song #6 "Long Train Running"; the harmonica soloist was not Tom, but (uncredited) the late great Norton Buffalo. And for you harmonica geeks out there, to play it properly, you must use an U-Block embouchure ;o) Keep up the good work.
@@Harmonicacom I grew up in the San Jose, CA Music scene where the Doobie Brothers started their band (near San Jose State). Fortunately before Norton Buffalo passed, David Barrett’s Harmonica MasterClass had Norton as a guest. I facilitated the evening’s Cracker Barrel session. Front and center (even Mark Hummel was hanging on Norton’s every note). I asked Norton specifically about “Long Train Running” and Bonnie Raitt’s redo of “Runaway”. For LTR, the recording duties were standard fare. For Runaway, however, his solo required six diatonic harmonicas. He demonstrated to our group precisely how he pulled off that amazing piece of harmonica gymnastics by stacking six harmonicas on top of each other. His U-Block embouchure made it possible. RIP Norton Buffalo 😎
you got my respect for number 1 the doobies are so underrated it’s sad. i honestly think the last time he played was dang near when he recorded it 50 years ago. John McFee be playing the harm it would be kinda cool to see tom shred the harm again
WHAT???? Where'd you hear that Mark? Wikipedia says: Johnston performed the lead vocal and the rhythmic guitar strumming that propels the song and also performs the harmonica solo. (And Wikipedia's NEVER wrong. 😉)
You have to check out Devils Gate by The Angels - an Australian band from the ‘70’s but still rocking hard. Harp on that is played by the rhythm guitarist John Brewster
Mmmmm.... wait what is bs&t? Your next two made this list www.harmonica.com/25-iconic-harmonica-riffs/ Yeah, J. Geils is great but I'm saving him for a best blues solos list...
I take it that the presenter of this video never got to hear the album “Highway 61 Revisited” or “Blood on the Tracks”. I could go on but suffice to say too many gaps to take this guy seriously.
Blood on the tracks is probably my favorite Dylan album actually! Is there a particular song of Dylan's that you think he plays really well on? I think Mr. Tambourine Man is his best which is why I included it here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_Cq4C786AFg.html
@@Harmonicacom The way that he uses the harmonica to isolate the last verse of “Desolation Row” takes this song to another level, underline its genius. It’s 56 years ago since I first heard it and every time I hear, it I get as fresh insight.
I wasn't familiar with the Red Devils. Just checked them out. KILLER harp. But sounds more like blues? (I was trying to avoid 12-bar bluesy stuff for this list.)
No Whammer Jammer?! No "If You Want to Get to Heaven"? No Lee Oskar? No Stevie Wonder? And putting Neil Young up as a top rock harmonica player is like saying he is one of the top guitarists of all time.
LOL. Good one. Most of yours made this this list: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_Cq4C786AFg.html Only reason Lee didn't make it is his copyright holders are jerks.
Pretty lame assortment of "tunes," I must say! Whoever put this list together probably hasn't had their radio tuned to anything but "classic rock" (biggest misnomer EVER!) for about the last 50 years or so. There are DOZENS of more rockin' songs with harp accompaniment than this!
