Dirty Old Town - Harmonica Tabs & Lesson

Liam Ward
Jan 25, 2021
2 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

Hello! In this free harmonica lesson we'll be playing the harmonica intro to The Pogues' version of Dirty Old Town on a key of D diatonic harmonica. This is a great song for beginner harmonica players, with no bends but plenty of opportunity to practise moving around the instrument.

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Here are the harp tabs for Dirty Old Town by the Pogues:

A: 3 4 -4 5 4 -4 5 4 3 B: 5 6 -6 6 5 -4 4 5

C: 3 4 5 -4 4

These tabs were famously played in the cover version of Dirty Old Town by The Pogues. In fact, this is probably one of the most famous harmonica solos of all time. It isn't just a melody; it's a story. It's got that gritty, melancholic charm, but also a fierce kind of beauty.

The funny this is, lots of people think this is an Irish song, but before the Pogues recorded it, it was very much an English song. It was originally written by Ewan MacColl about the English town of Salford. But I have to say that the Pogues really brought their raw, heartfelt energy to it, and that's exactly what we want to capture on our harmonicas when playing this.

The tune is fantastic for working on your expressive playing – getting that wistful sound, adding a bit of swagger, and really letting the notes breathe.

Good luck playing Dirty Old Town on your harmonica, and I hope you enjoyed the free video lesson!