Baa, Baa, Black Sheep Kalimba Tabs (17-Key)

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep kalimba tabs

For a 17-key kalimba tuned to C major. This tab is the whole rhyme: 38 notes on 8 tines, from C4 up to C5.

newellabs.com/play/kalimba/tabs/baabaa/

Number tab

The number tab read aloud, one sentence per group. “High” stands for one dot above the number and “very high” for two. 1, 1. 5, 5. 6, 7, high 1, 6. 5. 4, 4. 3, 3. 2, 2. 1. 5, 5, 5. 4, 4, 4. 3, 3, 3. 2, 2. 5, 5, 5. 4, 5, 6, 4. 3, 2, 2. 1.

Letter notes

C₄C₄G₄G₄A₄B₄C₅A₄G₄F₄F₄E₄E₄D₄D₄C₄G₄G₄G₄F₄F₄F₄E₄E₄E₄D₄D₄G₄G₄G₄F₄G₄A₄F₄E₄D₄D₄C₄

Tines you need

The long tine in the middle is 1 (C4). Notes climb outward, alternating left and right, so neighbours on the same side are two steps apart.

How to read this tab

Numbers are steps of the scale. 1 is C, 2 is D, up to 7 for B. A dot above a number means one octave higher; two dots, two octaves higher. The song starts 1 1 5 5 6 7 1̇ 6 (C4 C4 G4 G4 A4 B4 C5 A4).
Gaps mark bars. Each group is one bar of music. The tab shows which tine to play, not how long to hold it; press Listen on the play-along page to hear the rhythm.
Other kalimbas. On an 8-, 10- or 21-key kalimba in C the numbers mean the same notes, as long as the tines you need are there.

About the song

The rhyme was first printed around 1744. It is sung to the same French tune as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, with its own rhythm. The melody is in the public domain.

Same tune, different rhythm: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star kalimba tabs.

About this tab

What it covers. Whole rhyme.
Key. C major (engraved in E major).
Source. Transcribed from Wikipedia score (melody). This form of the tune is printed in Walter Crane, The Baby’s Opera (first published 1877), p. 38.