Oh! Susanna
An easy-to-follow arrangement for a standard 10-hole C harmonica.
Oh! Susanna isn't in one of the four songbooks. The songbooks page lists the Christmas, gospel, and patriotic collections, written in the same tab style.
Difficulty1/5
HarmonicaKey of C
Position1st position
Oh! Susanna
Key: C Major (perfect for C harmonica)
Tempo: Moderately fast (~120 BPM)
Stephen Foster published Oh! Susanna in 1848. The whole melody fits in holes 4, 5, and 6, so it is a good first song.
Verse 1
4 -4 5 6 6 -6 6 5 4 -4 5 5 -4 4 -4
I come from Al- a- bam- a with my ban- jo on my knee,
4 5 6 6 -6 6 5 4 -4 5 5 -4 -4 4
I'm goin' to Lou- i- si- an- a, my true love for to see.
4 -4 5 6 6 -6 6 5 4 -4 5 5 -4 4 -4
It rained all night the day I left, the weath- er it was dry,
4 5 6 6 -6 6 5 4 -4 5 5 -4 -4 4
The sun so hot I froze to death, Su- san- na, don't you cry.
Chorus
-5 -5 -6 -6 -6 6 6 5 4 -4
Oh! Su- san- na, oh don't you cry for me,
4 -4 5 6 6 -6 6 5 4 -4 5 5 -4 -4 4
'Cause I come from Al- a- bam- a with my ban- jo on my knee.
Playing Tips
- Keep it light and bouncy, with a little swing.
- Lines 1 and 3 have the same tab, and so do lines 2 and 4.
- The chorus opens on the 5 draw. Hold “Oh!” a little before moving up to the 6 draw.
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