Joy to the World Kalimba Tabs (17-Key)

Joy to the World kalimba tabs

For a 17-key kalimba tuned to C major. This tab is the whole tune: 57 notes on 8 tines, from C4 up to C5.

newellabs.com/play/kalimba/tabs/joy/

Number tab

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

Letter notes

C₅B₄A₄G₄F₄E₄D₄C₄G₄A₄A₄B₄B₄C₅C₅C₅B₄A₄G₄G₄F₄E₄C₅C₅B₄A₄G₄G₄F₄E₄E₄E₄E₄E₄E₄F₄G₄F₄E₄D₄D₄D₄D₄E₄F₄E₄D₄C₄C₅A₄G₄F₄E₄F₄E₄D₄C₄

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 1̇ 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (C5 B4 A4 G4 F4 E4 D4 C4).
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

Isaac Watts wrote the words in 1719. The tune, known as Antioch, is an arrangement by the American composer Lowell Mason (1792–1872) and has long been credited to Handel. The melody is in the public domain.

About this tab

What it covers. Whole tune (one verse).
Key. C major (printed in D major; moved down a whole step).
Source. Transcribed from The Blue Book of Favorite Songs (Hall & McCreary, Chicago, 1928), p. 71, “Joy to the World!” (Watts / arr. Lowell Mason).