Free harmonica tab

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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