House of the Rising Sun - Lesson on Guitar and Harmonica

Difficulty: The time signature is 6/8. So that's different but this is fairly simple to finger pick. Add the harmonica to increase the fun.

Lesson Length: 8:38

Instructor: George Goodman

The following link supplies the chords, lyrics and the harmonica tabs for House Of The Rising sun.
House Of The Rising Sun - Chords, Lyrics and Tabs download pdf link - for educational purposes only.

Hohner Special 20 Diatonic Harmonica in C

A C or a G harmonica can be used for this. That would be playing in 4th position C or 3rd position, G.
I am playing a Hohner Special 20 in this one.

Hohner Harmonica Holder

The Hohner Harmonica Neck Holder fits harmonicas up to 7-1/2" long.

With a long-lasting nickel-plated finish, this harmonica rack is adjustable and fits any neck shape.

History

I recorded this video for House Of The Rising Sun back in the summer of 2011 up on Anarchist Mountain in the interior of British Columbia.

I'm sitting on the bumper of an old Diamond T that had been converted into a crane - just one piece of relic machinery that my Grandfather and Dad had used to build their homesteads.

00:50 - Guitar Chords

The chords are standard chords that you will probably know already.

01:42 - Time Signature

This isn't the typical 4/4 time signature that is common in most songs. This song has a time signature of 6/8.

This means that the eighth note gets a single beat and there are 6 beats in a measure.

01:58 - Finger Picking

Root notes are played with the thumb on the first beat.

The second beat is played with the first finger.

The third beat is played with the second finger.

The fourth beat is played with the third finger.

The fifth beat is played with the second finger.

The sixth beat is played with the first finger.

Things change a little when going from E to E7.

03:40 - Harmonica

The song is in the key of Am which is the relative minor to the key of C. I am using a C harmonica in this lesson but you can also use a G harmonica.
Check the Help Files to download chords, lyrics and harmonica tabs for both the C and G harmonicas.

Hohner Special 20 Diatonic Harmonica in C or G

A C or G harmonica will work for House Of The Rising Sun. Here I am playing a C harmonica in fourth position but a G harmonica in third position also works.
I am playing a Hohner Special 20 in this one.

04:11 - Run Through on Harmonica and Guitar

Have fun with this one.
Cheers,
George