Frère Jacques on the kalimba: tabs
Frère Jacques is a easy song on the kalimba: 32 notes over 8 bars in 4/4 at 112 BPM, about 17 seconds. It uses 7 different keys. It fits the keys as it is, with no transposing.
Frère Jacques kalimba tab in numbers
| 1* 2* 3* 1* | 1* 2* 3* 1* | | 3* 4* 5* - | 3* 4* 5* - | | 5*6* 5*4* 3* 1* | 5*6* 5*4* 3* 1* | | 1* 5 1* - | 1* 5 1* - |
Frère Jacques kalimba tab in letters
| C5 D5 E5 C5 | C5 D5 E5 C5 | | E5 F5 G5 - | E5 F5 G5 - | | G5A5 G5F5 E5 C5 | G5A5 G5F5 E5 C5 | | C5 G4 C5 - | C5 G4 C5 - |
Frère Jacques kalimba tab in solfège
| Do5 Ré5 Mi5 Do5 | Do5 Ré5 Mi5 Do5 | | Mi5 Fa5 Sol5 - | Mi5 Fa5 Sol5 - | | Sol5La5 Sol5Fa5 Mi5 Do5 | Sol5La5 Sol5Fa5 Mi5 Do5 | | Do5 Sol4 Do5 - | Do5 Sol4 Do5 - |
What to watch for
- The most played key is 1*, used for 10 of the 32 notes. The tune goes from 5 up to 6*.
- The widest jump is from 1* to 5* (7 semitones): slow down there the first times.
- A note is played again straight after itself 4 times: keep the beat steady rather than rushing the repeats.
How to read this tab
A vertical bar is a bar line. A dash keeps the last note ringing, an r is a silent beat, and notes in brackets are played together. It shows the melody part. The kalimba page explains the notes in more detail.