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SongsAuld Lang Syne
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Scottish traditional melody, sung to these words since 1799. Public domain.

17 tines · C4–E6 · C major · The standard. Almost every tab you find is written for this.

Tap a tine, or drag across them for a glissando. On a keyboard the letters on the tines are the ones to press — they follow the tines left to right.

KalimbaFree · printable · plays in your browser

Auld Lang Syne — Kalimba Tabs

Auld Lang Syne, written out for the kalimba as number tabs with the letter under every note and set up above on the 17-key. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the kalimba waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes56, 7 pitches
  • RangeG4–A5
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo96 bpm · about 40 s
  • LevelEasy

Can a kalimba play Auld Lang Syne?

2 of the 5 here do. The check is made note by note against what each one can actually sound. Where the tune does not fit as the library writes it, another key or octave is tried, and the table says which; where nothing fits, it names the notes that are missing.

  • 7-note✕ Cannot play itNeeds G3, A3, which it does not have
  • 8-key✕ Cannot play itNeeds G3, A3, which it does not have
  • 10-key✕ Cannot play itNeeds G5, A5, which it does not have
  • 17-key✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, G4–A5 · loaded above
  • 21-key✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, G4–A5 · load it

Auld Lang Syne: kalimba tabs

The large line is the number stamped on the tine; the small line under it is its letter name. A dash holds the note another beat, an underline is half a beat, and a dot beside a note makes it half as long again. Each line is one phrase.

▶ Play it above

Auld Lang Syne — kalimba tabs (17-key) · tonalics.com

The 7 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 7 and you can play the whole tune.

  • 5G4×3
  • 6A4×4
  • 1•C5×16
  • 2•D5×8
  • 3•E5×13
  • 5•G5×6
  • 6•A5×6

What to expect on a kalimba

  • It runs from G4 to A5, an octave and a whole step, using 7 different notes. That leaves 7 semitones unused below and 7 above.
  • 62% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a major sixth, C5 to A5, at note 29.
  • The left thumb plays 39 notes and the right 17. 17 times one thumb plays two different tines in a row — those are the spots to slow down for.
  • The furthest it reaches from the centre is the 6th tine out.

About the tune

Robert Burns sent the words to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788, describing them as an old song he had taken down from an old man’s singing. The melody now sung was paired with them in 1799; it is a Scottish dance tune, and it is sung at midnight on New Year’s Eve across the English-speaking world.

Scottish traditional melody, sung to these words since 1799. Public domain. The notes follow Wikipedia, “Auld Lang Syne” (engraved score), cross-checked against 1 other transcription. More about Auld Lang Syne →

Auld Lang Syne on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation. It is not offered for the handpan or ocarina, which do not have the notes.

More songs for the kalimba

All 34 kalimba songs · Christmas songs for kalimba · The online kalimba on its own

Playing it on a real kalimba?

If it sounds wrong, check the instrument before the notes. The kalimba tuner listens through your microphone and names what each note is actually sounding.

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