America the Beautiful

Key: C Major
Tempo: Moderate and stately (~80 BPM)

Katharine Lee Bates wrote the words, and they are sung to “Materna,” a hymn tune by Samuel A. Ward. Both are in the public domain.

The melody has a C sharp on “-bove” in “Above the fruited plain.” A C harmonica can only play that note by bending hole 4, so this tab uses the lower octave, holes 1 to 5. That octave also needs bends for F and A. Two kinds of marks show bent notes. A single tick (-4’) means draw and bend the note down a half step. A double tick (-3’’) means bend it down a whole step.

Verse 1

3 3     2   2   3   3    -1    -1
O beau- ti- ful for spa- cious skies,

2   -2'' 3   -3''  -3 3
For am-  ber waves of grain,

3   3    2   2     3    3    -1  -1
For pur- ple moun- tain maj- es- ties

-4 -4'  -4  5      -3'' -4
A- bove the fruit- ed   plain!

3  5    5  -4  4  4    -3 -3
A- mer- i- ca! A- mer- i- ca!

4   -4   -3  -3''  3  4
God shed his grace on thee,

4   4     -3'' -3'' 4    4      3   3
And crown thy  good with broth- er- hood,

3    -3'' 4  3     -4  4
From sea  to shin- ing sea!

Playing Tips

• Learn the -3’’ bend first. It comes up six times, more than any other bend in the song.
• Play with pride and a slight march feel, holding the last note of each line.
• If you can’t bend yet, try My Country, ’Tis of Thee first. It needs no bends.

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