The First Noel Kalimba Tabs (17-Key)

The First Noel kalimba tabs

For a 17-key kalimba tuned to C major. This tab is the verse and the refrain: 72 notes on 8 tines, from C4 up to C5.

newellabs.com/play/kalimba/tabs/noel/

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, 2. 1, 2, 3, 4. 5, 6, 7. high 1, 7, 6. 5, 6, 7. high 1, 7, 6. 5, 6, 7. high 1, 5, 4. 3, 3, 2. 1, 2, 3, 4. 5, 6, 7. high 1, 7, 6. 5, 6, 7. high 1, 7, 6. 5, 6, 7. high 1, 5, 4. 3, 3, 2. 1, 2, 3, 4. 5, high 1, 7. 6, 6. 5. high 1, 7, 6. 5, 6, 7. high 1, 5, 4. 3.

Letter notes

E₄D₄C₄D₄E₄F₄G₄A₄B₄C₅B₄A₄G₄A₄B₄C₅B₄A₄G₄A₄B₄C₅G₄F₄E₄E₄D₄C₄D₄E₄F₄G₄A₄B₄C₅B₄A₄G₄A₄B₄C₅B₄A₄G₄A₄B₄C₅G₄F₄E₄E₄D₄C₄D₄E₄F₄G₄C₅B₄A₄A₄G₄C₅B₄A₄G₄A₄B₄C₅G₄F₄E₄

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 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 (E4 D4 C4 D4 E4 F4 G4 A4).
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 English carol from Cornwall, in print since 1823. The melody is in the public domain.

About this tab

What it covers. Whole tune: verse and the “Noel, Noel” refrain.
Key. C major (printed in D major).
Source. Transcribed from Mutopia Project “The First Noel” (cyberhymnal transcription), soprano line; barred here with the two-eighth pickup as in the 1928 print.