Up on the Housetop Kalimba Tabs (17-Key)

Up on the Housetop kalimba tabs

For a 17-key kalimba tuned to C major. This tab is the verse and the chorus: 66 notes on 6 tines, from C4 up to A4.

newellabs.com/play/kalimba/tabs/housetop/

Number tab

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

Letter notes

G₄G₄A₄G₄E₄D₄C₄E₄G₄A₄A₄G₄E₄D₄G₄G₄G₄G₄A₄G₄E₄D₄C₄E₄G₄A₄A₄A₄G₄G₄E₄E₄D₄G₄C₄F₄F₄A₄G₄G₄G₄E₄D₄F₄F₄E₄G₄G₄C₄E₄G₄G₄A₄G₄E₄F₄G₄A₄G₄G₄A₄G₄E₄D₄G₄C₄

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 5 5 6 5 3 2 1 3 (G4 G4 A4 G4 E4 D4 C4 E4).
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

Written by Benjamin Hanby in 1864. The melody is in the public domain.

About this tab

What it covers. Verse and the “Ho, ho, ho! Who wouldn’t go!” chorus.
Key. C major (printed in E-flat major).
Source. Transcribed from The Blue Book of Favorite Songs (Hall & McCreary, Chicago, 1928), p. 75, “Up On The House-Top”.