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How to Play Piano Man on Harmonica

Writer's picture: Liam WardLiam Ward

Billy Joel's Piano Man is an easy tune to learn on the harmonica. It's a nice one for beginners as it allows you to practice your rhythmic playing and it's great for intermediate / advanced players too as you can make the harmonica riff your own.


In today's lessons, I'll give you a free YouTube video plus harmonica tabs to help you learn this solo in no time.


Want to skip straight to the free video lesson? Click here


Piano Man was first released in 1973 and tells a fictionalised version of Billy Joel's experiences as a 'piano man'; he was actually a piano-lounge singer for 6 months. Amazingly for a song with the word "piano" in the title, the harmonica solo is the most famous element of the song.


Piano Man is such a well known song, and it's particularly great for us harmonica players because there is an awesome harmonica riff to learn. The harmonica solo is a beloved part of the song and you're sure to wow your friends and family with this solo.


N.B. Below are the free harmonica tabs for Piano Man by Billy Joel (click here if you want the printable tabs)


What type and key of harmonica is used in Piano Man?


Piano Man was recorded in the key of C, and the harmonica solo is on a key of C diatonic harmonica. This is great news because a key of C harmonica is the first harmonica that most of us ever had!


If you haven't already got one, you can buy a C harp by clicking here. (You don't have to use this link; if you do then I get a small commission.)


In theory, Piano Man could be played on chromatic harmonica, but it won't sound quite the same as the original solo which was played on diatonic harmonica.


Piano Man - Harmonica Tabs


Here are my easy harp tabs for Piano Man. Follow the numbers below (positive numbers are blow or exhale, negative numbers are draw or inhale):


6       -5      6    -5     5    -5     5  4

4     -4       5      -4

5    -5      6     -5      6    -5    5     -5    5     4

4    -5     5     -4     4


Piano Man - Harmonica Video Lesson

Now let's get into the lesson - here is my free YouTube harmonica lesson on Piano Man:


Do you have to play single notes for Piano Man solo on harmonica?


No, you don't have to use clean harmonica notes on Piano Man. In fact, it sounds more authentic if you slur the notes a little (and it's also easier!) So keep your mouth a little wider than a single hole and get a chordal, harmonising sound like Billy Joel did when he played harmonica on the original record.


As a reminder, the harmonica tabs are as follows:


6       -5      6    -5     5    -5     5  4

4     -4       5      -4

5    -5      6     -5      6    -5    5     -5    5     4

4    -5     5     -4     4


However, a more accurate representation of Billy Joel's harmonica solo would look like this:


567       -456      567    -456     456    -456     456  4

4     -345       456      -45

456    -456      567     -456      567    -456    456     -456    456     45

4    -456     456     -345     345


Note that Billy Joel is almost always playing two or three holes at once. For example, "567" means holes five, six and seven blow all at the same time. "-456" means holes four, five and six draw all at the same time.


But you'll also notice that it's incredibly difficult to process messy tabs like these, and also near impossible to exactly represent the mixture of notes that Billy Joel hits as harmonising notes. So it's best to use single-note tabs to get to grips with the pattern of the melody, but loosen your mouth so that you get a fuller sound.


Piano Man Harmonica Solo - Mastering the Rhythm


I love harmonica tabs, and I think they're an amazing way to learn songs on harmonica. They tell you the exact notes to blow or draw in order to play a melody. However, they don't tell you the length of the holes - i.e. how long a note should last before you move on to the next one.


So if you are not too familiar with the rhythm of the solo, I'm going to break it down into individual lines and play each line slowly for you. That way, you can really process the rhythm of the line and internalise its structure.


Before you listen to the sound files below, put the song on and try counting "1 - 2 - 3 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 1 - 2 - 3..." where it feels natural. The song has a 3/4 time signature (also called 'waltz time') with a heavy accent on the '1' so listen out for where you think the beat should be. This will help you to feel where each line of the solo should be.


Lick A:

(with 4 bar count in)


TABS:

6       -5      6    -5     5    -5     5  4


Slow Version:




Medium Version:




Fast Version:




Lick B:


TABS:

4     -4       5      -4


Slow Version:




Medium Version:




Fast Version:




Lick C:


TABS:

5    -5      6     -5      6    -5    5     -5    5     4


Slow Version:




Medium Version:




Fast Version:




Lick D:


TABS:

4    -5     5     -4     4


Slow Version:




Medium Version:




Fast Version:




Piano Man harmonica solo - full demo

Here is a demo of the full Piano man solo on harmonica:



Is Piano Man harmonica solo easy for beginners?


Piano Man is a perfect song for beginner harmonica players. It is in the key of C, played in 1st position, which is the easiest position to play, and it's also a simple melodic solo that uses the middle area of the harmonica.


Piano Man doesn't require any advanced techniques like bending so it can be played easily with just the natural notes of the instrument. Overall, it's a great beginner solo and a fantastic way to practice your rhythmic and melodic playing.


More tips for playing Piano Man on harmonica


  1. Choose the right harmonicaUse a diatonic harmonica in the key of C. Check out my free Harmonica Buyers Guide

  2. Grip it rightMake sure you're comfortable with the positioning of your hands. Check out my lesson How to Hold the Harmonica

  3. Breathe easyGet your breath under control and the solo will be much easier to play. Watch my lesson on Beginner Breath Control

  4. Pick an embouchureThere are difficult ways to play notes on harmonica. Take a look at my Single Notes Harmonica Guide

  5. Embellish if your can: If you have the ability, add techniques like vibrato, dynamic shifts, and bends to add character to the solo. Take a Free Trial of my Online Harmonica School to upgrade your harmonica playing.


Practice Videos for Piano Man on harmonica

I highly recommend playing along with the original song and trying to match Billy Joel's phrasing exactly. You can also slow down YouTube videos to suit your level. Here is the Billy Joel music video so you can play along to Piano Man on harmonica:

Once you feel like you've mastered it, you might want to play to a backing track. I found this freely available backing track with no harmonica on YouTube (shout out to @LeeElectrode for posting this). As there is no harmonica phrasing to match you can make the riff your own!:


I hope you've enjoyed this free lesson for Harmonica of Piano Man by Billy Joel.


Want more? Try a free trial of my harmonica school

Check out my harmonica school for step-by-step courses and feedback on your progress. Click here for more details


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