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Songs / Kalimba by numbers #19

The Blue Danube — easy kalimba tab

Johann Strauss II, The Blue Danube Op. 314 (1867) · 17-key kalimba in C · 38 notes · easy

Origin
Johann Strauss II, The Blue Danube Op. 314 (1867)
Kalimba
17-key C
Notes
38
Words
Numbers only (words not shown)
Range
some dotted notes (the next octave)
Tempo
70 bpm, then 144 bpm

▶ Watch the video, then play line 1.

The Blue Danube kalimba tab

Read left to right, one line at a time. The number is the tine; L or R is the thumb.

Line 1: 1 high L(hold 1)1 high L(hold 1)3 high L(hold 1)5 high L(hold 1)5 high L(hold 3)
Line 2: 5 high L(hold 1)5 high L(hold 3)3 high L(hold 1)3 high L(hold 3)1 high L(hold 1)
Line 3: 1 high L(hold 1)3 high L(hold 1)5 high L(hold 1)5 high L(hold 3)5 high L(hold 1)5 high L(hold 3)
Line 4: 4 high R(hold 1)4 high R(hold 3)7 R(hold 1)7 R(hold 1)
Line 5: 2 high R(hold 1)6 high R(hold 1)6 high R(hold 3)6 high R(hold 1)6 high R(hold 3)
Line 6: 4 high R(hold 1)4 high R(hold 3)7 R(hold 1)7 R(hold 1)2 high R(hold 1)
Line 7: 6 high R(hold 1)6 high R(hold 3)6 high R(hold 1)6 high R(hold 3)3 high L(hold 1)3 high L(hold 3)1 high L(hold 1)1 high L(hold 3)
– hold an eighth○ rest an eighth• dot above = octave upL / R = thumb
Printable PDF
The tab as plain text 
1̇– 1̇– 3̇– 5̇– 5̇–––

5̇– 5̇––– 3̇– 3̇––– 1̇–

1̇– 3̇– 5̇– 5̇––– 5̇– 5̇–––

4̇– 4̇––– 7– 7–

2̇– 6̇– 6̇––– 6̇– 6̇–––

4̇– 4̇––– 7– 7– 2̇–

6̇– 6̇––– 6̇– 6̇––– 3̇– 3̇––– 1̇– 1̇–––

The tines you need

The 17 tines from left to right, as you look at your kalimba. The ones this song does not use are dimmed.

← left thumbright thumb →

How to play The Blue Danube on kalimba

Watch the video once: it plays the tune slowly (70 beats a minute) with each number falling onto its tine, then at tempo (144 beats a minute). Then play the first line alone until it sounds right, and add a line at a time. Hum the tune as you go: it tells you the rhythm. New to the numbers? How to read kalimba numbers.

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