Drunken Sailor Kalimba Tabs (17-Key)

Drunken Sailor kalimba tabs

For a 17-key kalimba tuned to C major. This tab is the verse and the chorus: 63 notes on 9 tines, from C4 up to D5.

newellabs.com/play/kalimba/tabs/drunken/

Number tab

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

Letter notes

A₄A₄A₄A₄A₄A₄A₄D₄F₄A₄G₄G₄G₄G₄G₄G₄G₄C₄E₄G₄A₄A₄A₄A₄A₄A₄A₄B₄C₅D₅C₅A₄G₄E₄D₄D₄A₄A₄A₄A₄D₄F₄A₄G₄G₄G₄G₄C₄E₄G₄A₄A₄A₄A₄B₄C₅D₅C₅A₄G₄E₄D₄D₄

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 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 2 (A4 A4 A4 A4 A4 A4 A4 D4).
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

A traditional sea shanty, described in print in 1839. The melody is in the public domain.

About this tab

What it covers. Verse (“What shall we do with the drunken sailor”) and chorus (“Hooray and up she rises”).
Key. D Dorian (as printed): it has no sharps or flats, so every note is on the kalimba.
Source. Transcribed from Richard Runciman Terry, The Shanty Book, Part I: Sailor Shanties (J. Curwen & Sons, London, 1921), No. 14 “What shall we do with the drunken sailor”, voice part (Project Gutenberg ebook #20774: page images and the transcribers’ MIDI file).