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β€Ή Kalimba songs
SongsSakura Sakura (さくらさくら)
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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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  3. 7
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  5. 6
  6. 7
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  8. 7
  9. 1'
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  11. 6
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  28. 4

Japanese traditional, Edo period; first published in the 1880s. Public domain.

17 tines Β· C4–E6 Β· C major Β· 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 β€” they follow the tines left to right.

KalimbaFree Β· printable Β· plays in your browser

Sakura Sakura β€” Kalimba Tabs

Sakura Sakura (さくらさくら), 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 β€” the kalimba waits for you β€” or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes28, 4 pitches
  • RangeF4–C5
  • Key hereA minor
  • Tempo80 bpm Β· about 26 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a kalimba play Sakura Sakura?

4 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-noteβœ• Cannot play itNeeds C5, which it does not have
  • 8-keyβœ“ Plays as writtenIn A minor, F4–C5 Β· load it
  • 10-keyβœ“ Plays as writtenIn A minor, F4–C5 Β· load it
  • 17-keyβœ“ Plays as writtenIn A minor, F4–C5 Β· loaded above
  • 21-keyβœ“ Plays as writtenIn A minor, F4–C5 Β· load it

Sakura Sakura: 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.

β–Ά Play it above

Sakura Sakura (さくらさくら) β€” kalimba tabs (17-key) Β· tonalics.com

The 4 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 4 and you can play the whole tune.

  • 4F4Γ—2
  • 6A4Γ—14
  • 7B4Γ—10
  • 1β€’C5Γ—2

What to expect on a kalimba

  • It runs from F4 to C5, a fifth, using 4 different notes. That leaves 5 semitones unused below and 16 above.
  • 89% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a major third, A4 to F4, at note 14.
  • The left thumb plays 18 notes and the right 10. 3 times one thumb plays two different tines in a row β€” those are the spots to slow down for.
  • The furthest it reaches from the centre is the 4th tine out.

About the tune

A Japanese melody from the Edo period, known as a beginner’s piece for the koto before it was published in the 1880s in a collection for teaching that instrument. It is the tune most often used abroad to stand for Japan.

Japanese traditional, Edo period; first published in the 1880s. Public domain. More about Sakura Sakura β†’

Sakura Sakura on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation. It is not offered for the guzheng, which does not have the notes.

More songs for the kalimba

All 34 kalimba songs Β· Christmas songs for kalimba Β· 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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