Happy Birthday kalimba tabs
For a 17-key kalimba tuned to C major. 25 notes on 8 tines, from G4 up to G5.
Play along on the online kalimba Play it on a kalimba in G
newellabs.com/play/kalimba/tabs/birthday/
Number tab
The number tab read aloud, group by group. “High” stands for one dot above the number and “very high” for two.
- 5, 5.
- 6, 5, high 1.
- 7, 5, 5.
- 6, 5, high 2.
- high 1, 5, 5.
- high 5, high 3, high 1.
- 7, 6, high 4, high 4.
- high 3, high 1, high 2.
- high 1.
Letter notes
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 C scale, 1 (C) to 7 (B), and each dot above a number means one octave higher; the tab shows which tine to play, not how long to hold it. Each numbered group is one bar of music, or more than one where a note lasts across a bar line.
About the song
The melody comes from “Good Morning to All” by Mildred and Patty Hill, published in 1893. The melody is in the public domain.
Also in The Complete Kalimba Songbook, our book with every note’s length marked.