Oh! Susanna Kalimba Tabs (17-Key)

Oh! Susanna kalimba tabs

For a 17-key kalimba tuned to C major. This tab is one verse and the chorus: 85 notes on 6 tines, from C4 up to A4.

newellabs.com/play/kalimba/tabs/susanna/

Number tab

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

Letter notes

C₄D₄E₄G₄G₄A₄G₄E₄C₄D₄E₄E₄D₄C₄D₄C₄D₄E₄G₄G₄A₄G₄E₄C₄D₄E₄E₄D₄D₄C₄C₄D₄E₄G₄G₄A₄G₄E₄C₄D₄E₄E₄D₄C₄D₄C₄D₄E₄G₄G₄A₄G₄E₄C₄D₄E₄E₄D₄D₄C₄F₄F₄A₄A₄A₄G₄G₄E₄C₄D₄C₄D₄E₄G₄G₄A₄G₄E₄C₄D₄E₄E₄D₄D₄C₄

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 1 2 3 5 5 6 5 3 (C4 D4 E4 G4 G4 A4 G4 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 Stephen Foster and first published in 1848. The melody is in the public domain.

About this tab

What it covers. One verse and the chorus, the top voice of the four-part setting; rests are folded into the note before.
Key. C major (printed in G major; moved down a fifth onto the middle tines).
Source. Transcribed from The Blue Book of Favorite Songs (Hall & McCreary, Chicago, 1928), pp. 220-221, “Oh! Susanna” (Stephen C. Foster), top voice.