Usually, a guide for kalimba offers the possibility of playing by letter

or by number, with letters being more common. The modern kalimba

often has engraved letters representing the name of the notes. Under

the engraved letter (or above the number), you can find one or two dots.

These dots represent the octave above the center octave. We also

put dots under the letters in the sheet music if they use an octave other

than the main kalimba octave.

In this book, we recommend playing by letter and/or color.

Even if the signs are not engraved on the keys, normally, however, each

kalimba has letter-coded stickers included in the set. Usually, they are

not color-coded and since our book doesn’t include stickers, we suggest

making color-coded stickers yourself. This is very easy and you can do it

with very small pieces of colored paper.

Our sheet music is not for a specific kalimba but is universal and

suitable for 8-17 note kalimbas.

We made our pictured sheet music as simple as possible, songs have been

transposed for a diatonic range. Some melodies might be changed and

simplified. You’ll quickly begin to play by letter-coded circles.

The book has two parts. The first one contents folk songs, the second one

has popular hymns and spirituals.

Table of contents

Part 1. Folk Songs

Au Clair de la Lune

Aura Lee

Barbara Allen

Billy Boy

Billy the Kid

Boil Them Cabbage Down

Buckeye Jim

Buffalo Gals

Colorado Trail

Cotton Eyed Joe

East Virginia Blues

Good Night Ladies

House of the Rising Sun

Jolly Good Fellow

Lavender's Blue

Li'l Liza Jane

Midnight on the Stormy Deep

My Bonnie

New River Train

Ninety-Nine Bottles

Oh! Susannah

On Top of Old Smokey

Peace Like a River

Shenandoah

Part 2. Gospel Songs

Amazing Grace

Babylon’s Falling

Christ Was Born on Christmas Day

Elijah Rock

Every Time I Feel the Spirit

Go, Tell It on the Mountain

God Is So Good

Great Big Stars

Great Day

He’s God the Whole World in His Hands

Holy, Holy, Holy

I've Got Joy Joy

I've Got Peace Like a River

Jesus Loves Me

Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley

Joy to the World! The Lord is Come!

Just As I Am

Kumbaya, My Lord

Michael Row the Boat Ashore

Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen

Praise Him, All You Little Children

Shall We Gather at the River

Silent Night, Holy Night

Sinner Man

Soldier of the Cross

Somebody’s Knockin’ at Your Door

Song of Praise

Swing Love, Sweet Chariot

The Little Light of Mine

There’s a Meeting Here Tonight

We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder

We Are Marching (Siyahamba)

We Shall Overcome

When the Saints Go Marching In

Who Built The Ark?

Will the Circle Be Unbroken