Kalimbanumero
Songs / Kalimba by numbers #3

Ode to Joy — easy kalimba tab

Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 (1824) · 17-key kalimba in C · 62 notes · a little longer

Origin
Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 (1824)
Kalimba
17-key C
Notes
62
Words
With the original German words (“Freude, schöner Götterfunken”)
Range
some dotted notes (the next octave)
Tempo
70 bpm, then 100 bpm

▶ Watch the video, then play line 1.

Ode to Joy kalimba tab

Read left to right, one line at a time. The number is the tine; the word is sung on it; L or R is the thumb. The words are the original German ones.

Line 1: 3 highFreu-L(hold 1)3 highde,L(hold 1)4 highschö-R(hold 1)5 highnerL(hold 1)5 highGöt-L(hold 1)4 highter-R(hold 1)3 highfun-L(hold 1)2 highken,R(hold 1)
Line 2: 1 highToch-L(hold 1)1 highterL(hold 1)2 highausR(hold 1)3 highE-L(hold 1)3 highly-L(hold 2)2 highsi-R2 highum,R(hold 3)
Line 3: 3 highwirL(hold 1)3 highbe-L(hold 1)4 hightre-R(hold 1)5 hightenL(hold 1)5 highfeu-L(hold 1)4 higher-R(hold 1)3 hightrun-L(hold 1)2 highken,R(hold 1)
Line 4: 1 highHimm-L(hold 1)1 highli-L(hold 1)2 highsche,R(hold 1)3 highdeinL(hold 1)2 highHei-R(hold 2)1 highlig-L1 hightum!L(hold 3)
Line 5: 2 highDei-R(hold 1)2 highneR(hold 1)3 highZau-L(hold 1)1 highberL(hold 1)2 highbin-R(hold 1)3 highdenL4 high R3 highwie-L(hold 1)1 highder,L(hold 1)
Line 6: 2 highwasR(hold 1)3 highdieL4 high R3 highMo-L(hold 1)2 highdeR(hold 1)1 highstrengL(hold 1)2 highge-R(hold 1)5teilt;R(hold 3)
Line 7: 3 highal-L(hold 1)3 highleL(hold 1)4 highMen-R(hold 1)5 highschenL(hold 1)5 highwer-L(hold 1)4 highdenR(hold 1)3 highBrü-L(hold 1)2 highder,R(hold 1)
Line 8: 1 highwoL(hold 1)1 highdeinL(hold 1)2 highsanf-R(hold 1)3 highterL(hold 1)2 highFlü-R(hold 2)1 highgelL1 highweilt.L(hold 3)
– hold an eighth○ rest an eighth• dot above = octave upL / R = thumb
Printable PDF
The tab as plain text 
3̇– 3̇– 4̇– 5̇– 5̇– 4̇– 3̇– 2̇–
Freu- de, schö- ner Göt- ter- fun- ken,

1̇– 1̇– 2̇– 3̇– 3̇–– 2̇ 2̇–––
Toch- ter aus E- ly- si- um,

3̇– 3̇– 4̇– 5̇– 5̇– 4̇– 3̇– 2̇–
wir be- tre- ten feu- er- trun- ken,

1̇– 1̇– 2̇– 3̇– 2̇–– 1̇ 1̇–––
Himm- li- sche, dein Hei- lig- tum!

2̇– 2̇– 3̇– 1̇– 2̇– 3̇ 4̇ 3̇– 1̇–
Dei- ne Zau- ber bin- den wie- der,

2̇– 3̇ 4̇ 3̇– 2̇– 1̇– 2̇– 5–––
was die Mo- de streng ge- teilt;

3̇– 3̇– 4̇– 5̇– 5̇– 4̇– 3̇– 2̇–
al- le Men- schen wer- den Brü- der,

1̇– 1̇– 2̇– 3̇– 2̇–– 1̇ 1̇–––
wo dein sanf- ter Flü- gel weilt.

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 Ode to Joy 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 (100 beats a minute). Then play the first line alone until it sounds right, and add a line at a time. Sing or hum the words: they tell you the rhythm. New to the numbers? How to read kalimba numbers.

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