Blues Harp Chart and Cheat Sheet

Lesson Length: 4:06
Instructor: George Goodman

Learn where the notes to the IV7 chord in second position are on the diatonic harmonica.

Harmonica Cheat Sheets pdf

Hohner Special 20 in C
In this lesson, as in most of the lessons, I am playing a Hohner Special 20 in the key of C.

IV7 Harmonica Tabs for Cross Harp Blues

In this session, we are looking at the harmonica tabs for the IV7 chord when playing the Blues in second position or cross harp.
In the common Blues progression, the IV7 chord occurs in bars 5 and 6 as well as bar 10.
It is also common to find the IV7 chord being played in measure 2.
When the IV7 chord is being played by the guitar or piano, these are the notes that match the chord on harmonica.
Go back to the Blues Harp Cheat Sheet and look at the Cross Harp C row.
Under the IV7 column is the C7 chord.
The notes of the chord are C, E, G and Bb.The full IV7 chord can be sounded in the lower range of the harmonica shown in the first row.
The first note in the chord is the root and is blow 1.
That’s followed by blow 2,
blow 3
and then draw 3 with a semi-tone bend for the seventh.

The second row displays the entire IV7 chord as well starting with blow 4,
blow 5,
blow 6,
and then to get the 7th of the chord you need to overblow hole 6.

The third row starts at blow 7 for the root,
then blow 8 for the third of the chord
and blow 9 for the fifth of the chord.
There is not a way to get the 7th of the IV chord in the upper range of the harmonica and so that space is marked with an x.
Finally you can sound the root again on blow 10

1 2 3 -3b
4 5 6 6o
7 8 9
10 The Blues Progression

In the common 12 Bar Blues progression, the IV7 chord occurs in bars 5 and 6 as well as bar 10 as can be seen in the progression above where C7 is the IV7 for Blues in G.

Wrap Up

The IV7 chord is a common chord in the 12 Bar Blues progression.
Use the harmonica tabs to sound the notes that make up the IV7 chord to match what's being played on the guitar.
1 2 3 -3b
4 5 6 6o
7 8 9 10