As a harmonica player's skills increase, it's a natural progression to start playing with other musicians. Whether you play at a jam session, sit in with a band for a set or join a band-you need to know the standards. "Standards" are songs that have been popular enough through the years to be played often by a band. Almost every gig I've played in my life, no matter who it's been with, we've played "Got My Mojo Workin'". Every time I sit in with a band that's not a blues band (usually a rock band or a party/corporate casual band), they call "Stormy Monday" and "Mustang Sally" (though not really a blues tune, it works). Those are great example of standards.

If there are songs that are called often at shows, it makes perfect sense to become familiar with them. "Got My Mojo Workin'" has some great backing lines that you can play; one from when James Cotton recorded with Muddy Waters and the other from Little Walter. "Stormy Monday" has a section where the chord change deviates from the standard twelve bar pattern; you should be familiar with those chords so they don't trip you up. "Key to the Highway" is an eight bar blues. "You Don't Love Me" has a hook line that needs to be played and a different than standard form. "Next Time You See Me" uses an unusual break that will probably cause you to play when nobody else is if you were to play it without hearing it first! I think you get the point.

Listed below are the songs that I and the vocalist/guitarist I work with, John Garcia, feel are called often. John has played with a veritable who's-who of the blues world and has toured the world many times over. Keep in mind that some tunes not listed might also be played often depending on your region and instrument. Add songs that you feel should be on this list to make a more complete practice sheet for you. Also make sure to search your collection for multiple matches from the list below. The more viewpoints you can get on a song the better. In some cases there are more than one popular version. Being familiar with the ways a tune is commonly played will allow you ask "which version do you want?"

Lastly, you are a harmonica player and there are tunes specific to your instrument as well to add to the list. To start I would recommend that you memorize every Little Walter song recorded. His tunes are played very often, even in non-harmonica based bands. After that, listen to each of the albums you own of the other classic harmonica masters (Sonny Boy Williamson, Jr. Wells, James Cotton, George "Harmonica" Smith, Big Walter Horton, Jimmy Reed, etc.). Mark down songs that you may have heard played on the bandstand for you to learn. James Cotton's instrumental "The Creeper" and George "Harmonica" Smith's tune "Juicy Harmonica" are quoted often in the solos of other harp players. These tunes, among others, are worth learning.

Next, scour your collection for non-harmonica artists and work on those tunes as well. Muddy Waters songs would be great to memorize along with popular tunes from Howlin' Wolf, T-Bone Walker, Albert Collins, Freddie King, B.B. King, etc. The more you are familiar with the tunes out there, the better you will be able to handle what happens on stage with grace and style.

The Process

Step 1
Listen to the tune to get an over-all sense of what the tune is about. Determine the key of the song and which position you will approach it in. Chart out the song so you know where the verses, choruses, bridges, and solo choruses are. If there are any breaks also make note of that and which notes you should play with the break.

Step 2
Listen for a hook. The hook is a repetitive figure played commonly through all chord changes. This is a great line for you to double (play with) because it helps to add weight to the important line of the song.

If there is no hook, is there a head? The head is commonly the first and last chorus played. This is also a great line to double.

If there is no head or hook, what about horns? If there's a horn section, you can play the horn line. That's always a good way to approach a tune.

If there's none of the above, you need to use your best judgment on what and when to play. Either fill spaces or just solo when it's your turn to solo when you perform the song on stage.

Step 3
Practice, practice, and practice! After learning the song, make sure to review it on weekly or monthly basis so that when the tune is called, your mind is fresh on what to do.

The List
Listed below are the tunes I would recommend learning. Some songs have harmonica and some don't. By following the information above, take each tune and do your best to add to the arrangement of the tune. Tunes that are commonly played in one key are noted. The names of the artists to the right of a tune denote the players that made the song most famous. The asterisk denotes the person who wrote the song.

1) Ain't Nobody's Business If I do - Jimmy Witherspoon & Billy Holiday (*Granger & Robins)
2) All Your Love - *Otis Rush
3) Baby Please Don't Go - *Muddy Waters
4) Baby Scratch My Back - *Slim Harpo (a.k.a. James Moor) [F]
5) Baby What You Want Me To - *Jimmy Reed [E]
6) Blues with a Feeling - *Little Walter [A]
7) Boogie Thing - *Mat Murphy
8) Boom Boom (Out Go the Light) - *Little Walter [E]
9) Boom, Boom, Boom, .. - *John Lee Hooker
10) Born in Chicago - Paul Butterfield (*Nick Gravenitis) [A]
11) Caldonia - Louis Jordan, B.B. King & Big Joe Turner (*Fleecie Moore)
12) Chicken Shack - *Jimmy Smith [F]
13) Crosscut Saw - *Albert King
14) Driving Wheel - Jr. Parker (*Roosevelt Sykes) [D]
15) Dust my Broom - *Elmore James [E]
16) Everyday I Have the Blues - *Memphis Slim a.k.a. Peter Chapman, B.B. King & Joe Williams
17) Everything Gonna be Alright - *Little Walter [G]
18) Further Up the Road - *Bobby Blue Bland
19) Good Morning Little School Girl - *Sonny Boy I (John Lee) [A]
20) Got My Mojo Workin' - Muddy Waters (*Preston Foster)
21) Help Me - *Sonny Boy Williamson [F]
22) Hide Away - *Freddie King (Hound Dog Taylor is noted as originator) [E]
23) House Party - *Amos Milburn
24) Hoochie Coochie Man - *Willie Dixon & Muddy Waters
25) I Can't Quit You Baby - *Otis Rush
26) I'm Ready - Muddy Waters (*Marry Johnson)
27) It Hurts Me Too - *Elmore James [D]
28) Just Your Fool - *Little Walter [A]
29) Kansas City - *Wilbert Harrison
30) Key to the Highway - Little Walter & *Big Bill Broonzy
31) Killing Floor - *Howlin' Wolf [A]
32) Little By Little - *Jr. Wells
33) Little Red Rooster - *Willie Dixon
34) Mean old World - *T-Bone Walker, Little Walter & Otis Rush
35) Messin' with the Kid - *Jr. Wells
36) Next Time You See Me - Jr. Parker (*Don Robey & William Harvey)
37) One Bourbon, One Scotch and One Beer - John Lee Hooker (*Amos Milburn)
38) One Way Out - *Sonny Boy II & Elmore James
39) Reconsider Baby - *Lowell Fulson
40) Rock Me Baby - *B.B. King & Muddy Waters
41) Rock this House - *Jimmy Rogers (a.k.a. James Lane)
42) Same Thing - Muddy Waters & *Willie Dixon
43) Spoonful - Howlin' Wolf (*Willie Dixon)
44) Stormy Monday - *T-Bone Walker & Bobby Bland
45) Sweet Home Chicago - Magic Sam & Jr. Parker (*Roosevelt Sykes)
46) T-Bone Shuffle - *T-Bone Walker
47) That's Alright - *Jimmy Rogers
48) The Sky Is Crying - *Elmore James & Steve Ray Vaughn
49) The Things I Use to Do - *Guitar Slim
50) The Thrill is Gone - *B.B. King [Bm]
51) Walkin' Blues - *Robert Johnson & Paul Butterflied [A]
52) Walkin' By Myself - *Jimmy Rogers [A]
53) Woke up This Morning - *B.B. King
54) You Don't Love Me - *Jr. Wells

About the Author David Barrett
http://www.harmonicamasterclass.com/david.htm