How to Read Kalimba Tabs | Number and Letter Notation & Kalimba Tablature

[@ToastyMcGoo]

I played band all through middle school and high school, but the trouble is that I only can read treble clef (I played flute). There's a frustrated monkey part of my brain that just wants it to be on a bar staff where it feels safe and familiar and I'm not as intimidated learning a new music reading system. Your video has genuinely been a life line for me after hours of looking through kalimba tabs and getting discouraged because it's so different from how I'm used to reading music. Thank you so much.

[@ashiramccloud8855]

Thank you for this - a very clear explanation which will be very helpful. The graphics are really good and make it much easier to understand.

[@Maenichie]

Thank you so much for dropping your feedback, I appreciate it! 😊

[@amarieometer6140]

I was thinking the same thing. I had already watch other tutorial or explanation about the notes, tablature and number notation of kalimba but I was still confused bout it but I saw your post. And I am grateful cause finally! I would be able to understand it clearer. :>

[@adityachristian5086]

at 1:55 what do you mean by "play the notes together if they are grouped in brackets"? there are THREE numbers inside the bracket, and yet you only press TWO at the same time... which number should be ignored?

[@Maenichie]

it means you pluck all of the tines together. the 1' is on left side, 3 and 5 is on the right side; so all of them should be plucked at the same time. There might be some errors when I was demonstrating it, sorry for that!

[@tuliptown9058]

You can pluck two tines (at the same time) with one thumbnail if the two tines are right next to each other.

[@normalssbu1217]

I have a question about how to play with simple number/letter notation. How do you tell how long a note is supposed to be? Do you just guess based off of the song? Amazing video, really helped me learn!

[@Maenichie]

Hello! Honestly, there's no indication to how long a note is played in simple number/letter notation tabs. Yep, usually I just guess and play it by mimicking how the song is like from my memory. Another way is to refer to the original video. Thanks a lot for your feedback, really happy to know that!! 😊

[@tinabeall5941]

This is an excellent video on how to read and learn kalimba music. Thank you so much !!!

[@alicecao8113]

When playing kalimba, should I memorize the placement of the keys (to play the kalimba while looking at the tabs/notes at all times) or should I memorize the tabs/notes for different songs instead (to look at the kalimba while playing without going back and forth to the tab/notes)? I've been playing the kalimba while looking at both the keys and tabs/notes at the same time, and it's a bit difficult to play smoothly.

[@Maenichie]

Hello Alice. Here are some helpful methods that I find useful to play smoothly: 1. I familiarise myself with the placement of keys by recognizing the patterns. For example, take the 9 keys to the right, from 1 to 3**. The First 4 keys are odd numbers, then the next 3 keys are even numbers and the last 2 keys are odd numbers again. 2. I split up the kalimba tabs into smaller sections. I usually practice line by line and repeat each line at least 10 times before learning the next line. In this process, I look at the kalimba key and notes. Familiarise yourself with the positioning of your thumbs, and how it sounds when you play it. This will help you to build muscle memory. When you have that, you'll easily find yourself playing the songs smoothly. So to answer your question, I usually memorize the tabs by relying on my muscle memory. Don't worry too much about which one you should memorize because as long as you practice a song consistently and repeatedly you'll memorize it naturally. Hope this helps!

[@alicecao8113]

@@Maenichie Thank you for the tip!

[@mpanga2916]

Alo dear thnx for your information well can you recommend some of the best book for beginners thnx a lot dear

[@tuliptown9058]

Hi! I have a question, what do i do if the tabs read (6) ? Also, would (56) mean the same as (5-6) ?

[@Maenichie]

Hello! I believe (6) means just pluck that one tine. Yep, that's correct. The difference in the (-) just depends on who write the tabs

[@unityyogamindbodyspirit7954]

this was an awesome video. You summed up everything simply and adorably with that little guy. Thanks so much!

[@Maenichie]

Thank you for your feedback! It means a lot to me 😊

[@lpeducover]

Guess I'll start here when I find myself a kalimba! Great video!

[@Maenichie]

Hi there! Thank you so much 😊 looking forward to when you get your kalimba!

[@BellaKnowssBestt929]

What do the tabs that look like this mean (5-6)-3? Because I get (5-6) but I don't know what the -3 means.

[@tanitaa]

i’m wondering the same hahah

[@centralanalyticallaborator7108]

what is different between red in green tab

[@Maenichie]

Do you mean the red and green stickers? If that's what you're referring to; there's no difference. It's just a choice of sticker colour for you to stick on to your kalimba tines. I personally prefer green since the colour is easier on the eyes

[@rowenareyes531]

Just what I needed, thank you so much!

[@Harlowerayne]

Mahalo a nui loa for posting this excellent video . I t answers many questions that beginners would have.

[@SimplicityForGood]

I felt this was too advanced for me as a total beginner.. do you have a more simple video where you show the kalimba instead of the graphs and paintings.. I prefer seeing the actual instrument and following along to you showing the same thing as here, just a lot slower and less complex to my brain, thanks for understanding us that are not so smart and theoretical as others...

[@beckywilliams9953]

I have a silly request. I am a bit older than most players. Now that being said, can you do a slow very close up as to how to play 3 notes together. I am having a bit of trouble with that. Also I noticed at times you slide your thumb over several keys which makes a beautiful sound. Is there a way to know when you can do that? Or is it on the tabs. (sorry I can't seem to figure that part out)

[@Maenichie]

Hi Becky, thanks for watching! I found 2 video tutorials showing how to play multiple notes together, I think it'll help you to understand and see more closely how to slide your thumb across multiple tines. 1. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZvLiIiLnd-iepo 2. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ3aeJKMmNKlnqs Can you please clarify your second question because I don't understand what you're referring to. If you do have more questions, let me know or you contact me on Instagram @maenichie.ig It's much easier to communicate there!

[@beckywilliams9953]

@@Maenichie thank you so very much for your time and help.

[@tyttihalme8526]

I used to play piano 20 years ago, so I only read the normal notes, the ones on the five lines. With letters and numbers I am just thinking about the letters and numbers, and I don't See the song. With piano notes the song is right there, I can see with a glance how it is going to sound and where the next notes are going to be. Maybe I could learn the one presented here, where the notes kinda look like piano ones but are on the tines. But those you have to read from the phone, where they are moving on the screen. Not written on the paper. This is hard! 😅

[@kilmaib]

im happy that kalimba is more difficult than i tought (￣▽￣)

[@YnasWorld]

Awesome 😍😍😍

[@Maenichie]

Thank you Yna ☺️

[@Annna16678]

Я не особо понимаю английский, но это видео оказалось таким полезным! спасибо вам

[@ambulanche93]

Of all, the most difficult one to read is the tablature 😭 I'm more used to reading the nunbers one lol

[@labamba1134]

that james franco gif got me going XD

[@pngwwah1]

My kalimba doesn’t have letters or numbers. So I have been using the tablature. But they are not easy to find. If anyone knows where I can find a couple of east tabs please share.

[@avnsia]

you should buy stickers for your kalimba they're cheap and they'll help a lot they came with my kalimba for free

[@Luna-oo3fl]

I love music but learning to do math and read numbers really turns me off 😢

[@kiwiflavor6872]

Starting to get into the kalimba and this was very helpful, thank you very much for this video!

[@captain2299]

What does a hyphen next to a number mean tho? Like -5 What does that mean?

[@Luka1180]

I've seen it written like: D^ D^ B B B C^ D^ D^ C^ B A C^ C^ A ....

[@Nyrallie]

You sound like BMO (Adventure Time) :000000 ❤

[@laipengmah4849]

Thank you for your very clear explanations. I was given a new kalimba. I have learnt alot from you. Now I would go through your lesson and catch up with kalimba playing. Alot to catch up and persevere. I just love the way you simple and easy tutorials.

[@rielleme7968]

Thank youuuuuuuu! 😍🤟✨

[@tommyratcliff2445]

I thought the kalimba was supposed to be easy to learn. This video my help a lot of people. I just wanted to play simple songs. This doesn't look simple to me I'm almost 60 and no musical talent. Guess it's not for me then.😔

[@Shaesi.]

There are simple kalimba tabs with only numbers/letters where you only have to play the corresponding tines. If you know the rhythm of the song by heart you don't need more than that.

[@prosurfaholic5121]

This confused the shhh out of me

[@Maenichie]

Hello! Mind letting me know what I can improve on to make it less confusing?

[@SarahMJordan]

Thanks so much ✨💜🦋✨ how do you know whether to play the note with your left or right thumb?

[@Shaesi.]

You use your left thumb for the left side of the kalimba and the right thumb for the right side, unless you are playing two notes on the same side of course.

[@j.pachelbel]

why isn't there a sheet music like violin or piano? it'd be so easy bcz we'd know how long to play

[@Maenichie]

I think number and letter notation is just more beginner friendly. Like if someone knows nothing about reading music sheet, you can just dive into any letter/num notation tabs and try learning the song immediately. In terms of how long to play, you can just try playing it until it fits the song since you're already familiar with the song. I notice that in the kalimba community more people use number/letter notation and the kalimba tablature too. Some do use sheet music like Yuki's Sheep (kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4vanXWVeJ2nnbs) though.

[@lemone7385]

Thank you so much! this video really helped

[@Noenoeen]

Thanks 🙆‍♀️🌻 This helps me a lot 💗

[@amzxar5049]

I was just at the first 40 sec of the video and i was like “yep she’s Malaysian for sure 😂”

[@Maenichie]

HAHAHA halu orang Malaysia 👋🏻

[@asmina.b1096]

I sitll don't get it whats the meaning of "little one" above the notation tab ? Like for eg in twinkle twinkle ( 1¹ - 3 - 1 )

[@Maenichie]

Do you notice there are three 1 on your kalimba? 1. The plain number with the longest tine at the very middle 2. 1 with a dot above it, 5th tine on the left 3. 1 with 2 dots above it, 8th tine on the right 1 is the C note. The only difference between those 3 notes are the pitch. The dot indicate that they're notes with higher pitch. So, 1'' is the highest pitch, followed by 1' then 1 being the lowest pitch. Let me know if you're still confused

[@random6767]

This is really helpful! Thank you

[@Maenichie]

Thanks for your feedback! :)

[@lancefernandes2566]

Thank you it is very helpful 👍

[@issamil]

Thank you! I’ve referenced this video a couple of time since getting my Kalimba and i’ve noticed everyone writes their notation differently. But now I know how to adjust them so I can read easier. ❤

[@wayne7018]

감사해요 from Wayne.

[@lyndseyelaine4545]

Thank you, this was really helpful!

[@Maenichie]

Glad to know that! Thanks so much for watching :)

[@dhinaradriana451]

hi, how to play minor tuts on kalimba? i played some songs that have minor note (kres or mol) but it didn't works

[@anarecio2489]

How to save kalimba chords do they have app so that we can print the chords?

[@Maenichie]

Most of the videos on KZbin require you to copy the tabs on your own. But there are websites like www.kalimbatabs.net/ and www.tabwhale.com/ where it's written down for you so that you can print it right away

[@niebor4czek932]

thank you!!

[@lux27.42]

SWEET

[@SapphireNguyen]

thank you so so much

[@michelle0945]

So informational thank you

[@avi3921]

Just me tryna play music instruments without memorizing the notes.

[@DannyDanceSuga]

you da best

[@almightyzelda93]

Thank you ❤

[@ansmrktg]

This makes me wonder why didn't I ever learn music? They're fun :')

[@danillodasilvaamaoka8109]

Omg thanks so much, this was basically the best explanation i've ever seen

[@frayansertzrave]

Thank you for this one 😻

[@Maenichie]

Thanks for watching! 💗

[@melizzapanagsagan7521]

Thank you this helps me a lot❤❤❤

Hello. Thank you for the explanation. Can you please explain how the keys in a 34 kalimba are grouped? It's a kalimba with two floors, 34 keys, 17 keys in each floor. Thanks.

[@ambulanche93]

I just received my 34-key kalimba from China! After I tested to play it for some times, I should conclude that 34-key is like 17-key but they added 4 super-bass low notes & some odd notes (think about it like the black keys on a piano. They just added those "black keys" to the 34-key kalimba). I hope this helps!

[@Zoomrail]

@@ambulanche93 how do you tell if a key is in sharp and not flat on one of those in the tabs

[@satyam4606]

Why do they even have a tied note if only the first note is supposed to be played? Can't they just have the note that is to be played ?

[@Maenichie]

To notate rhythm specifically. For example, you want a note to be played for a 2 1/4 beats but there's no music notation to indicate that. Hence, the way to notate that on a music sheet is by tying a minim and semiquaver together.

[@jimmycheong7970]

Thanks for the guide ☺

[@ajlinh1702]

Thank youuuuuuu!!! Finally found you!

[@shaniawong2699]

hello what does it mean when the dot is down on the number!?

[@Maenichie]

Hello Shania. I'm not familiar with the notation of a dot below a number. Mind sending me the source to see an example for that?

[@Shaesi.]

Those are bass notes. They are used in kalimbas with 21 keys or more.

[@ferreis9181]

Thank you very much for your video. I got my kalimba few months ago, on Amazon. and i've been practice since then. I have problems to memorise the songs, so I need to always rely on the tabs to be able to play, which can be a bit confusing and exhausting sometimes. Do you have any tips for memorising the tabs easier, so I can play without looking at them all the time, please?

[@Maenichie]

Hi Fernanda! Thanks for watching the video. I recently received a similar comment asking about the same concern, so I'll summarise the points. 1. Split up the kalimba tabs into smaller sections. I usually practice line by line and repeat each line at least 10 times before learning the next line. 2. In the process, get familiar with the positioning of your thumbs, and how it sounds when you play it. Repetition helps you to build muscle memory. 3. If there's a really difficult section to play, it's an indication to practice and focus on it more. For instance, there's a section in the piece Experience by Ludovico Einaudi where the tempo increases. I repeated that so many times compared to other sections with slower tempo. 4. When your muscle memory is built, you'll find yourself not having to refer to the tabs as much compared to when you first learn the song while playing because you're just used to the thumb movements and sound that it becomes automated. Just trust yourself that the more you repeat and practice consistently, the better you get at playing it. Be patient and break down your practice sessions in smaller chunks; it's easier to process, learn and manage. To track progress, I feel motivated by recording how I play when I first learn a new song vs a few days after having donea some practice. Here's a video I posted on Reddit if you wanna check out: www.reddit.com/r/kalimba/comments/leewxz/practice_makes_progress_playing_gymnopédie_no_1/? Hope this helps!

[@ferreis9181]

@@Maenichie Thank you so much

[@hooi3803]

Awesome video! That was easy to understand, thank you so much :D

[@shisuiuchiha9124]

Great vid but i have a question. What does this mean 2b 4 2b 6? I understand 6 and 4 ....they are single notes but what is 2b ? Please answer 😥😥😥😥😥

[@Maenichie]

I think you need to tune the 2 to a flat note. So it's a D flat = Db = 2b

[@shisuiuchiha9124]

@@Maenichie thank you sooo much ❤❤😄😄

[@shisuiuchiha9124]

@@Maenichie and yes you got a new sub 😄❣😄

[@Maenichie]

Thank you 😊

[@Reneey]

Which one is easier to learn? Great video, thank you!!!!

[@Maenichie]

I like simple number notation tabs best because I can remember numbers easier and a lot of kalimba tabs are in that format. However that's just my preference. Try each one of them and see what you like best. Thank you for the feedback :)

[@kitty92002]

Thanks!!! ❤❤❤

[@devesh3085]

thank u

[@msjbaking7088]

quick question does the note filled in white count as a whole note??

[@Maenichie]

Yep. The one without any stem is semibreve = whole note = 4 beats

[@msjbaking7088]

@@Maenichie thank you!!!

[@margotmargot4426]

Very clear and concise! Thank you!