The Star-Spangled Banner kalimba tabs

For a 17-key kalimba tuned to C major. This tab is the whole tune: 101 notes on 11 tines, from C4 up to G5.

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

newellabs.com/play/kalimba/tabs/starspangled/

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

Letter notes

G₄E₄C₄E₄G₄C₅E₅D₅C₅E₄F₄G₄G₄G₄E₅D₅C₅B₄A₄B₄C₅C₅G₄E₄C₄G₄E₄C₄E₄G₄C₅E₅D₅C₅E₄F₄G₄G₄G₄E₅D₅C₅B₄A₄B₄C₅C₅G₄E₄C₄E₅E₅E₅F₅G₅G₅F₅E₅D₅E₅F₅F₅F₅E₅D₅C₅B₄A₄B₄C₅E₄F₄G₄G₄C₅C₅C₅B₄A₄A₄A₄D₅F₅E₅D₅C₅C₅B₄G₄G₄C₅D₅E₅F₅G₅C₅D₅E₅F₅D₅C₅

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 3 1 3 5 1̇ 3̇ 2̇ (G4 E4 C4 E4 G4 C5 E5 D5).
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

The national anthem of the United States. Francis Scott Key wrote the words in 1814; the tune was composed by John Stafford Smith in the 1770s. The melody is in the public domain.

About this tab

What it covers. Whole tune (one verse with the chorus), as sung in verse 1: two slurred notes on one syllable (bars 20 and 24) are written as one note.
Key. C major (printed in B-flat major; moved up a whole step).
Simplified. Three times the tune steps up through a sharpened note (E natural in B-flat major, F sharp here): the third note of bars 3, 11 and 23. A kalimba in C has no F sharp, so it is played as F.
Source. Transcribed from The Blue Book of Favorite Songs (Hall & McCreary, Chicago, 1928), pp. 4-5, “The Star-Spangled Banner” (Francis Scott Key / John Stafford Smith), top voice.

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