In the Bleak Midwinter Kalimba Tabs (17-Key)

In the Bleak Midwinter kalimba tabs

For a 17-key kalimba tuned to C major. This tab is the whole tune: 45 notes on 8 tines, from A4 up to A5.

newellabs.com/play/kalimba/tabs/bleak/

Number tab

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

Letter notes

E₅F₅G₅E₅D₅C₅D₅E₅D₅A₄D₅E₅F₅G₅E₅D₅C₅D₅E₅D₅C₅C₅F₅E₅F₅G₅A₅A₅E₅G₅E₅D₅C₅B₄E₅F₅G₅E₅D₅C₅D₅E₅D₅C₅C₅

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 3̇ 4̇ 5̇ 3̇ 2̇ 1̇ 2̇ 3̇ (E5 F5 G5 E5 D5 C5 D5 E5).
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

Christina Rossetti’s poem of 1872, set to Gustav Holst’s tune “Cranham”, which was published in The English Hymnal in 1906. The melody is in the public domain.

About this tab

What it covers. Whole tune, verse 1 (Gustav Holst’s tune CRANHAM).
Key. C major (printed in F major).
Source. Transcribed from Mutopia Project “Cranham” (cyberhymnal transcription), soprano line; the optional pickup notes used by later verses are left out, as in verse 1.