Nearer, My God, to Thee Kalimba Tabs (17-Key)

Nearer, My God, to Thee kalimba tabs

For a 17-key kalimba tuned to C major. This tab is the whole tune: 44 notes on 8 tines, from G4 up to A5.

newellabs.com/play/kalimba/tabs/nearer/

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 3, high 2, high 1. high 1, 6, 6. 5, high 1, high 3. high 2. high 3, high 2, high 1. high 1, 6, 6. 5, high 1, 7, high 2. high 1. high 5, high 6, high 5. high 5, high 3, high 5. high 5, high 6, high 5. high 5, high 3, high 2. high 3, high 2, high 1. high 1, 6, 6. 5, high 1, 7, high 2. high 1.

Letter notes

E₅D₅C₅C₅A₄A₄G₄C₅E₅D₅E₅D₅C₅C₅A₄A₄G₄C₅B₄D₅C₅G₅A₅G₅G₅E₅G₅G₅A₅G₅G₅E₅D₅E₅D₅C₅C₅A₄A₄G₄C₅B₄D₅C₅

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 3̇ 2̇ 1̇ 1̇ 6 6 5 1̇ (E5 D5 C5 C5 A4 A4 G4 C5).
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

Sarah Flower Adams wrote the words in 1841. This is the tune most often sung in the United States, “Bethany” by Lowell Mason (1856). The melody is in the public domain.

About this tab

What it covers. Whole tune (Lowell Mason’s BETHANY), one verse.
Key. C major (printed in G major).
Source. Transcribed from Mutopia Project “Nearer My God to Thee”, soprano line; Mutopia’s source: S. Brainard’s Sons, Cleveland, 1883.