O Holy Night kalimba tabs

For a 17-key kalimba tuned to C major. This tab is the first verse and the refrain: 96 notes on 10 tines, from C4 up to E5.

Simplified. See what was changed.

Play along on the online kalimba Play it on a kalimba in G

newellabs.com/play/kalimba/tabs/holynight/

Number tab

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

Letter notes

E₄E₄G₄G₄G₄A₄A₄F₄A₄C₅G₄G₄E₄D₄C₄E₄F₄G₄F₄D₄C₄E₄E₄E₄G₄G₄A₄A₄F₄A₄C₅G₄G₄F₄E₄B₄G₄A₄B₄C₅B₄E₄G₄G₄A₄D₄G₄A₄G₄C₅E₄A₄G₄G₄G₄A₄D₄G₄A₄G₄C₅E₄G₄C₅B₄A₄B₄B₄D₅A₄A₄A₄C₅C₅C₅E₅D₅G₄C₅B₄A₄G₄G₄A₄G₄G₄C₅D₅G₄E₅D₅C₅B₄C₅D₅C₅

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 3 3 5 5 5 6 6 4 (E4 E4 G4 G4 G4 A4 A4 F4).
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

Composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847 as “Cantique de Noël”. John Sullivan Dwight wrote the English words in 1855. The melody is in the public domain.

About this tab

What it covers. Adolphe Adam’s vocal melody, first verse, from “O holy night” to the end of the refrain.
Key. C major (as printed).
Simplified. One note is sharpened in the original (the F sharp before “felt its worth”); a kalimba in C has no F sharp, so it is played as F. Two short grace notes are left out.
Source. Transcribed from Mutopia Project “Minuit, chrétiens” (Cantique de Noël), vocal line; Mutopia’s source: the Léon Grus edition.

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