Harmonica Cheat Sheets

GEORGE GOODMAN’S HARMONICA CHEAT SHEETS VIDEO SERIES

This video series investigates and demonstrates the charts in George Goodman’s Harmonica Cheat Sheets. Each of the charts contains the harmonica tabs that sound great when playing over a specific chord in the music.

George Goodman’s Harmonica Cheat Sheets is a combination of four great tools to kick start your harmonica playing.
The Blues Harp Cheat Sheet
This Cheat Sheet provides chords, cross harp key, 12 Bar Blues Progression, and Blues Scale harmonica tabs covering all 12 keys.
Harmonica Chord Cheat Sheet
All major keys or scales consist of 7 notes. Chords can be built upon each of these notes of the scale. So a particular key will have 7 corresponding chords.
The Harmonica Chord Cheat Sheet will show you where the notes are on the harmonica for each of these chords in all 12 keys.
Also use the Harmonica Chord Cheat Sheet to help determine song keys and to aid in transposing songs to new keys.
Pentatonic Scale Cheat Sheet
A vast number of melodies are built off of 5 note scales known as pentatonic scales. There are 2 flavors – major and minor and they occur in a number of different spots on the harmonica.
Circle of Fourths and Fifths
Make sense of playing in positions using the Circle of Fourths and Fifths and learn how to choose the correct key harmonica depending on the key and style of a song.

Harmonica tabs are used throughout the Harmonica Cheat Sheets and video series to indicate the notes to play on the harmonica, whether to blow or draw, and any bending or overblowing necessary.
In order to play the major scale over the full range of the harmonica, double bends in the lower octave are necessary.
This session goes over the harmonica tabs for the major scale and demonstrates the major scale over the full range of the mouth organ.
Concepts
* Harmonica tabs
* Blow and draw
* Bending and overblowing
* Major scale
* Semi-tone and whole tones

Playing time: 10:29

In this video we are going to explore the Blues Harp Cheat Sheet in conjunction with the 12 Bar Blues Progression to help give meaning to the columns in the Blues Harp Cheat Sheet, I7, IV7 and V7.
Concepts
* Bars and measures
* 4/4 or common time
* Dominant 7th chords
* I, IV, V

Playing time: 6:14

This sessions looks at the Blues Harp Cheat Sheet and, in particular, the I7 chord in second position.
Learn where the notes to the I7 chord land on the diatonic harmonica.
Concepts
* Dominant 7th chords
* Root, 3rd, 5th, 7th
* Chord Tones
Playing time: 4:52
 
 

The IV7 chord in second position is demonstrated in this session.
Learn the harmonica tabs that make up this important Blues chord.
Concepts
* IV7
* Overblow
* Bending
Playing time: 4:06

In this session, we’ll look at the V7 chord in the Blues progression.
Learn where the notes to the V7 chord land on harmonica when playing cross harp.
Concepts
* V7 and Vm7
* Major 3rd and minor 3rd
*
Playing time: 4:30

The Blues scale is a six note scale that sounds great when playing the Blues.
It is characterized by flattening certain pitches in relation to a major scale to create the signature Blues sound.
Concepts
* Blues scale
* Flatted 3rd, 5th and 7th
* 6 overblow

Playing time: 5:39

The Harmonica Chord Cheat Sheet locates the notes on the harmonica for the different chords formed on the degrees of the major scale.
So now we are back in first position and in this session looking at the I Major 7 chord. This is the chord built on the first note of the major scale and happens to be a major 7 chord.
Learn where each of the chord tones land on the mouth organ for this very important chord.
Concepts
* I Major 7 chord
* Major triads
* Chord tones
* Bending
* Octaves
Playing time: 3:27
 

In this session, we are looking at the ii minor 7 chord on the Harmonica Chord Cheat Sheet.
This is the chord built on the second note of the major scale and is a minor 7 chord.
The ii minor triad (minus the 7th) is a great chord for the harmonica as it is one of the few chords that can be sounded all at once.
Learn where each of the chord tones land over the full range of the mouth organ for the ii minor 7.
Concepts
* ii minor 7, iim7
* Minor triad
* Chord tones
* Double Bending
* Octaves
Playing time: 4:14

In this session, we are looking at the iii minor 7 chord on the Harmonica Chord Cheat Sheet.
This is the chord built on the third note of the major scale and is also a minor 7 chord.

Learn where each of the chord tones land over the full range of the mouth organ for the iii minor 7.
Concepts
* iii minor 7, iiim7
* Chord tones
* Octaves
Playing time: 3:11

In this session, we are looking at the IV Major 7 chord on the Harmonica Chord Cheat Sheet.
This is the chord built on the fourth note of the major scale and like the I chord is a major 7 chord.
The IV chord is one of the most common chords found in music. You need to learn where the notes are on the harmonica for this chord.
Learn where each of the chord tones land over the full range of the mouth organ for the IVM7.
Concepts
* IV Major 7, IVM7
* Chord tones
* Double Bending
* Octaves
Playing time: 3:04

After the I major chord, the most common chord used in popular music is the V7 chord.
The intervals between the chord tones in the dominant 7 chord, particularly between the third and seventh of the chord, give the chord a unique sound and tension that provides movement to a song – the V7 wants to resolve to the I Major chord.
In this session, we’ll explore the V7 chord harmonica tabs over the full range of the harmonica as set out in the Harmonica Chord Cheat Sheet.
Concepts
* V7, V Dominant 7
* Chord tones
* Double Bending
* Octaves
Playing time: 3:09

In this session, I will show you where the vi minor 7 chord occurs over the entire range of the harmonica.
This is the chord built upon the sixth degree of the major scale.
The vi minor chord is also known as the relative minor and is a very common chord in music.
Concepts
* vi minor 7, vim7
* Chord tones
* Double Bending
* Octaves
Playing time: 2:56

The viim7b5 is the chord built on the seventh degree of the major scale and is the least often heard chord in popular music.
That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t come up though, so it’s still important to know where the chord tones occur over the full range of the instrument.
It is also one of the easiest to learn.

Concepts
* vii minor 7 b5, viim7b5, vii half diminished 7
* Chord tones
* Double Bending
* Octaves

Playing time: 3:08

Licks and phrases are formed from the notes that make up the notes of chords or the notes in scales.
A popular source for licks comes from 5 note scales called pentatonic scales. These can take the form of major or minor pentatonic scales.
The major pentatonic scale would be used when playing a major chord and the minor variety fits over a minor chord.

Use the I Major Pentatonic scale harmonica tabs to learn the I Major pentatonic scale.
The major pentatonic scale is a great source for improvisational inspiration and can be heard throughout popular music.
The I Major chord is the most common chord and learning the I Major pentatonic scale is essential for learning new melodies and improvising.
Concepts
* I Major
* Degrees of scale
* Bending
* Octaves

Playing time: 3:39

What notes sound great or fit over the ii minor or ii minor 7 chord and where are these notes located on the mouth organ?
The ii Minor pentatonic scale is the answer.
Use the harmonica tabs in the Pentatonic Scale Cheat Sheet to learn the ii Minor pentatonic scale to sound your best when this common chord occurs in a song.
Concepts
* ii Minor
* Degrees of scale
* Bending
* Octaves

Playing time: 2:52

What notes sound great when the iii minor or iii minor 7 chord is played in a song and where are these notes located on the mouth organ?
The iii Minor pentatonic scale is the answer.
Use the harmonica tabs in the Pentatonic Scale Cheat Sheet to learn the iii Minor pentatonic scale to sound your best when the iii minor chord occurs in a song.

Concepts
* iii Minor
* Degrees of scale
* Bending
* Octaves

Playing time: 2:13

After the I Major chord, IV major is one of the most common chords in popular music and the progression of I Major to IV Major occurs more than any other 2 chord progressions.
What notes sound great or fit over the IV Major or IV Major 7 chord and where are these notes located on the mouth organ?
The IV Major pentatonic scale holds the key.
Use the harmonica tabs in the Pentatonic Scale Cheat Sheet to learn the IV Major pentatonic scale to sound your best when this common chord occurs in a song.

Concepts
* IV Major
* Degrees of scale
* Bending
* Octaves

Playing time: 2:43

Like the IV Major chord, V Major is one of the most common chords in popular music after the I Major chord so it’s imperative to know where the tasty sounding notes are for the V chord.
That’s where the V Major pentatonic scale harmonica tabs come into play.
Concepts
* V Major
* Degrees of scale
* Bending
* Octaves

Playing time: 2:10

The vi Minor chord is also known as the relative minor chord in a key.
It occurs in songs all the time. So what notes do you play during the vi minor chord in a song and where are those notes on the harmonica?
Learn the vi Minor pentatonic scale and you will be on your way to sounding awesome.
Concepts
* vi Minor
* Degrees of scale
* Bending
* Octaves

Playing time: 2:15