Hot Cross Buns kalimba tabs
For a 17-key kalimba tuned to C major. 17 notes on 3 tines, from C4 up to E4.
Play along on the online kalimba Play it on a kalimba in G
newellabs.com/play/kalimba/tabs/buns/
Number tab
The number tab read aloud, group by group. “High” stands for one dot above the number and “very high” for two.
- 3, 2, 1.
- 3, 2, 1.
- 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2.
- 3, 2, 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
An old English street cry that became a nursery rhyme. It uses only three notes, so it is often the very first song people learn. The melody is in the public domain.
Also in The Complete Kalimba Songbook, our book with every note’s length marked.