Learn to play JJ Cale's After Midnight on Guitar and Harmonica

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The harmonica is being played in second position. This means drawing and bending.

The guitar rhythm syncopation can get messed up when playing both instruments together.

The Guitar Essentials, Harmonica Essentials, and Rhythm Guitar and Strumming courses can help with any difficulties you're having.

• Guitar Essentials Course
• Harmonica Essentials Course
• Rhythm Guitar and Strumming Course
• Harmonica Cheat Sheets

Video Translation

Welcome to this video where I show you how I play JJ Cale’s After Midnight on guitar and harmonica. So, we’re going to go through guitar chords, strumming pattern, talk about the harmonica and the key I’m using and then we’ll jam it through.

Ok, so starting with guitar chords, we start with A, then C, then D, and back to A. Ok, we also have E7. Those are all the chords in the song.

So, for a strumming pattern, I’ll give you a little example of how I strum it. Let me count that for you a little slower.

↓1 (2) ↓3 (4) ↑& (1) ↑& ↓2 (3) ↑& ↓4 ↑&

↓1 (2) ↓3 (4)

↓1 (2) ↓3 (4)

That maybe a little tricky to get started. Another thing you can also do is to play roots. So sometimes I’ll do this.

So for the harmonica, I’m playing a D harmonica. So we’re in the key of A but I’m playing a D harmonica. The reason for that, on a D harmonica, when you draw on the second, third, fourth and fifth notes you make an A7 chord and that’s what we want. We’re playing in the key of A but we want to have that dominant seventh to just give it that bluesy feel. It also bases it on a bend. That’s not right. It’s based upon drawing these notes and it’s easier to bend on a draw so you can take that A7 chord and bend the heck out of it and have alot of fun.

Again, a D harmonica with that draw on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th holes gives you an A7 chord.

Ok, so let’s just jam this out. There’s three chords for the main part and then we throw the E7 in there.

I hope you enjoyed the video. Please leave a comment below and tell a friend.