How to read kalimba tabs: numbers, dots and rhythm

Kalimba tabs write each note as a number: 1 is C, 2 is D, 3 is E, 4 is F, 5 is G, 6 is A and 7 is B. A dot or apostrophe next to the number means the same note one octave higher, so you can play almost any song without reading sheet music.

This is called number notation. It is the most common way kalimba songs are shared online, and once you know the few rules below you can read nearly every tab you come across.

On a kalimba tuned to C major, the seven notes of the scale get a number:

• 1 = C (do)
• 2 = D (re)
• 3 = E (mi)
• 4 = F (fa)
• 5 = G (sol)
• 6 = A (la)
• 7 = B (si)

On a 17-key kalimba the plain numbers are the lowest octave, starting with the middle tine. So plain 1 is the middle tine, the lowest C. Many kalimbas have these numbers engraved on the tines. If not, note stickers put them right where your thumbs are.

A 17-key kalimba covers more than two octaves, so the numbers repeat. To tell them apart, tabs add a mark:

• 1 = the lowest C (middle tine)
• 1° or 1' or a 1 with a dot above = C one octave higher
• 1°° or 1'' or a 1 with two dots above = C two octaves higher

The same goes for every other number. On a 17-key kalimba from C4 to E6 that gives you:

• plain: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
• one dot: 1° 2° 3° 4° 5° 6° 7°
• two dots: 1°° 2°° 3°°

Different websites use different symbols, but the idea is always the same. Sometimes a dot below the number appears. That means one octave lower. Those notes do not exist on a standard 17-key kalimba in C, so if you see many of them, the tab was written for a different instrument or tuning.

Here is the start of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star:

1 1 5 5 | 6 6 5 - | 4 4 3 3 | 2 2 1 -

Read it from left to right, like text. Each number is one plucked tine. The vertical lines (|) are bar lines. They split the song into equal chunks of time, which helps you keep the beat. The dash (-) means: hold the previous note one beat longer.

Basic tabs often leave rhythm out and assume you know the song. More detailed tabs borrow from numbered musical notation, which is also widely used in Asia:

• A plain number = one beat (a quarter note).
• A dash after a number = hold for an extra beat. "5 -" lasts two beats, "5 - - -" lasts four.
• One line under a number = half a beat (an eighth note). Two underlined numbers fit into one beat.
• Two lines under a number = a quarter of a beat (a sixteenth note).
• A dot after a number (on the same line, not above it) = the note lasts half as long again. "5." is one and a half beats.
• 0 = a rest. You play nothing for one beat.

Tip: if a tab has no rhythm marks, listen to the song once and hum along while you read the numbers. Your ear fills in the rhythm.

When two or more notes should sound together, tabs show them in one of these ways:

• Stacked numbers, one above the other.
• Brackets, for example (1 3 5). Play all notes in the brackets at once.

On a kalimba, notes that form a chord often lie next to each other. The C chord (1 3 5) is the middle tine plus the two tines to its right, so you can slide one thumb across all three. A chord in brackets with notes on both sides of the kalimba needs both thumbs at the same time.

Some tabs use letters instead of numbers: C C G G A A G. It works the same way. Higher octaves are then marked with a dot, an apostrophe or a number after the letter, such as C5 or C6. Numbers are more common because they match the engraved tines.

Kalimba tabs are not a different musical language. They are a short way of writing the same notes. If you can read sheet music, you can also play from a regular score: the treble clef notes from middle C upwards map directly onto the tines. Many kalimba songbooks (kalimba muziekboek in Dutch) print both.

1. Start with songs you already know by heart, so your ear can check you.
2. Read one line, play it slowly, then the next line. Do not try the whole song at once.
3. Say the numbers out loud while you play.
4. After a few songs, try reading without looking at the instrument.

The song library has tabs you can play along with directly in your browser, starting easy with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. You can also check any tab on the playable kalimba on our home page.

Pick one song from the song library and play the first line tonight. If you are still finding your way around the tines, a set of note stickers for 17 keys makes reading tabs much faster in the first weeks.