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SongsCanon in D
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4 more songs need notes this instrument does not have. Changing the size or key brings some of them into reach.

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  1. 3'
  2. 2'
  3. 1'
  4. 7
  5. 6
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 1'
  10. 7
  11. 6
  12. 5
  13. 4
  14. 3
  15. 4
  16. 2
  17. 1

Johann Pachelbel, c. 1680. 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

Canon in D — Kalimba Tabs

Canon in D (the opening line), 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.

  • Notes17, 10 pitches
  • RangeC4–E5
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo72 bpm · about 15 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a kalimba play Canon in D?

3 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 C5, D5, E5, which it does not have
  • 8-key✕ Cannot play itNeeds D5, E5, which it does not have
  • 10-key✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, C4–E5 · load it
  • 17-key✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, C4–E5 · loaded above
  • 21-key✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, C4–E5 · load it

Canon in D: 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

Canon in D — kalimba tabs (17-key) · tonalics.com

The 10 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 10 and you can play the whole tune.

  • 1C4×1
  • 2D4×1
  • 3E4×1
  • 4F4×2
  • 5G4×2
  • 6A4×3
  • 7B4×3
  • 1•C5×2
  • 2•D5×1
  • 3•E5×1

What to expect on a kalimba

  • It runs from C4 to E5, an octave and a major third, using 10 different notes. Its lowest note is the lowest this instrument has, and 12 semitones of range are left above it.
  • 94% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a minor third, F4 to D4, at note 16.
  • The left thumb plays 9 notes and the right 7, with 1 on the centre tine. Once 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 5th tine out.

About the tune

Pachelbel wrote the Canon and Gigue in D for three violins and bass around 1680. It was almost forgotten until a 1968 recording made it one of the most played pieces of baroque music and a fixture at weddings.

Johann Pachelbel, c. 1680. Public domain. More about Canon in D →

Canon in D on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation. It is not offered for the guzheng or handpan, 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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