Masterpieces you’ll want to play on the harmonica. Popular songs that look cool if you can play them.
The harmonica is one of the classic instruments you’ll find at school.
Many of you have probably played it in music class, right?
Because it’s a simple instrument that produces sound just by blowing, even small children can play it easily—that’s the nice part.
This time, we’re introducing famous songs you’ll want to try playing on the harmonica at least once.
We’ve gathered a genre-spanning selection, from long-loved Japanese and Western songs to recent popular J-pop.
If you’re thinking, “I want to play popular songs on the harmonica,” or “I want to perform the harmonica in front of people,” be sure to use this as a reference!
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Great songs you’ll want to play on the harmonica: popular tracks (41–50) that look cool when you can play them
Like the flow of a riverMisora Hibari
This song can be considered one of Hibari Misora’s signature works from her later years.
It was her final release during her lifetime, in 1989.
It’s said that at her strong request, the song was cut from the album and released as a single.
After her passing, it won the 31st Japan Record Award.
The lyricist Yasushi Akimoto is said to have written it with New York’s East River in mind, and its grand imagery pairs beautifully with the sound of the harmonica.
It might be nice to play it by a riverside at dusk.
Famous songs you’ll want to play on the harmonica. Popular tracks that look cool if you can play them (51–60)
Exploding Brain Girlrereriri
Harmonica players who love Vocaloid, definitely give this a try! It’s one of the signature songs by popular Vocaloid producer rerulili, “Nou Shou Sakuretsu Girl” (Brain Fluid Explosion Girl).
Released on video platforms in 2012, it quickly became a hit and even expanded into other media, including a novel and a live-action film.
It’s characterized by a rapid-paced structure with a driving, cascading melody line.
The key challenge is how to render that melody on harmonica—there’s the fun.
Recommended for those who want to take on a higher-difficulty piece.
Someday My Prince Will ComeFuranku Chāchirru
Originally written as an insert song for Walt Disney’s 1937 animated film Snow White, this piece later became beloved by jazz musicians and has frequently been performed and recorded as a jazz standard.
It’s also a work often featured by the master of jazz harmonica, Toots Thielemans.
Suitable for advanced players who can improvise solos.
Becoming a Thousand WindsAkiyama Masashi
This song became famous in the version sung by Masafumi Akikawa in 2006, but it originally began as a Japanese translation of the poem “Do not stand at my grave and weep,” which drew attention in the United States, to which Man Arai added his own Japanese lyrics and composed music in 2001.
The singing is wonderful, of course, but the harmonica’s tone matches this piece—whose melancholy evokes vast, expansive scenery—remarkably well, giving it a rich, compelling atmosphere.
I encourage you to try performing it.
Flowers will bloom.Kanno Yōko
The harmonica is often seen as a solo instrument, but its appeal increases even more when multiple people play different melodies together.
This piece is a charity song released in 2012 to support recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the music video—sung by people from or connected to Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima—left a strong impression.
The lyrics are wonderful, but even the melody alone is beautiful, making it one of the songs that suits harmonica performance very well.
Look up at the stars in the nightSakamoto Kyu
This song is best known as being sung by Kyu Sakamoto, but it was originally written as the main theme within the musical “Look Up at the Night Stars,” which premiered in 1960.
Kyu Sakamoto’s cover became a hit in 1963, and since then it has been covered by many artists, sung as a choral piece, and cherished by many.
The warm tone of the harmonica suits this poignant yet hopeful ballad perfectly, and it is sure to move everyone who hears it.
Carrying YouInoue Azumi
A beloved classic that everyone knows—please play it with all your heart.
It’s “Carrying You,” the theme song from the film Castle in the Sky.
Sung by Azumi Inoue, who also performed “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Stroll,” it was released as a single in 1988.
The lyrics, which convey the feelings of the protagonist setting off on a journey with memories in their heart, are truly moving.
I bet many of you can sing it without looking at the lyrics.
Since the melody is on the slower side, it’s an easy piece for beginner harmonica players to try.