Big Color-Coded Kalimba Songbook for Absolute Beginners: Play by Color or by Letter

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. I also put dots under the letters in the sheet music if they use an octave other than the main kalimba octave.

In this e-book, I 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 my e-book doesn’t include stickers, I suggest making color-coded stickers yourself. This is very easy and you can do it with very small pieces of colored paper.

My sheet music is not for a specific kalimba but is universal and suitable for 8-17 note kalimbas.

I made my 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 e-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