Pachelbel’s Canon kalimba tabs
For a 17-key kalimba tuned to C major. 33 notes on 12 tines, from D4 up to A5.
Play along on the online kalimba Play it on a kalimba in G
newellabs.com/play/kalimba/tabs/canon/
Number tab
The number tab read aloud, group by group. “High” stands for one dot above the number and “very high” for two.
- high 3, high 2.
- high 1, 7.
- 6, 5.
- 6, 7.
- high 1, 7.
- 6, 5.
- 4, 3.
- 4, 2.
- high 1, high 3, high 5, high 4.
- high 3, high 1, high 3, high 2.
- high 1, 6, high 1, high 5.
- high 4, high 6, high 5, high 4.
- high 3.
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
Johann Pachelbel’s Canon, originally in D major. This tab has the slow violin line and then the flowing variation, played in C. The variation is one octave higher than written, because it dips below the lowest tine. The melody is in the public domain.
Also in The Complete Kalimba Songbook, our book with every note’s length marked.