Scarborough Fair Kalimba Tab — Letter Notes & Numbered Tabs
The full Scarborough Fair arrangement for a 17-key kalimba in C major, written out in both letter notes and numbered notation — with an honest difficulty note and practice tips for the parts that need them.
Difficulty
Intermediate
Key
C Major (17-key)
Range
C4 – A4
Tempo
80 BPM
Scarborough Fair is an English ballad that has been passed around for at least four hundred years — a conversation between two former lovers listing impossible tasks to win each other back. Simon & Garfunkel turned it into a worldwide hit in 1966 by weaving a counter-melody underneath it, and the haunting, old-sounding quality survives in every version, including the one on a kalimba.
That haunting quality is real, not imagined: the original melody uses an old mode that sounds slightly different from a modern major scale, and our arrangement keeps traces of it even on a standard C-major instrument. It is the reason the song sounds wistful even when played slowly and gently.
The whole arrangement lives between C4 and G4 — the six lowest tines on the left side of a 17-key kalimba. Your hands barely move. Below you get the complete tab in letter notes and numbered notation, a difficulty guide, and tips for the low, resonant playing style this song prefers.
Hear Scarborough Fair first
The 1966 recording that introduced the ballad to millions. Listen for the gentle, circling melody — the kalimba tab below follows exactly that line.
Video: Simon & Garfunkel — Scarborough Fair/Canticle (Official Audio) (YouTube). Want to test the fingerings as you listen? Open our virtual kalimba in a second tab and pluck along with the recording.
Scarborough Fair Kalimba Tabs — Letter Notes
How to read the letter tabs: each note shows the letter and the octave, like C4 or G5. On a 17-key kalimba in C, the lowest tine is C4 and the highest is E6, so the octave number tells you which side of the instrument to play on — smaller numbers are the longer, lower tines. A dash after a note (C4 -) means let it ring.
| G4 A4 G4 E4 D4 E4 C4 | C4 D4 E4 C4 D4 E4 F4 G4 | | G4 A4 G4 E4 D4 C4 | G4 A4 G4 E4 D4 E4 C4 | | C4 D4 E4 C4 D4 E4 F4 G4 | G4 A4 G4 E4 D4 C4 | | G4 A4 G4 E4 D4 E4 C4 | C4 D4 E4 C4 D4 E4 F4 G4 | | G4 A4 G4 E4 D4 C4 |
Scarborough Fair Kalimba Tabs — Numbered Notation
How to read the numbered tabs: numbers 1–7 are the scale notes (1 = C, 2 = D, and so on). 1° is the low octave tine, plain 1 is the middle one, and 1′ is the high one — the same markings you see next to the numbers on your kalimba. Notes in parentheses ( ) play together, and a dash after a number means let it ring.
| 5° 6° 5° 3° 2° 3° 1° | 1° 2° 3° 1° 2° 3° 4° 5° | | 5° 6° 5° 3° 2° 1° | 5° 6° 5° 3° 2° 3° 1° | | 1° 2° 3° 1° 2° 3° 4° 5° | 5° 6° 5° 3° 2° 1° | | 5° 6° 5° 3° 2° 3° 1° | 1° 2° 3° 1° 2° 3° 4° 5° | | 5° 6° 5° 3° 2° 1° |
Prefer to hear it first? Open Scarborough Fair in the interactive player and follow along while it plays. For more songs in the same style, browse the free kalimba tabs hub.
How hard is Scarborough Fair on kalimba?
We rate this arrangement Intermediate. We rate this arrangement Intermediate, though it may be the gentlest intermediate song in the library. The tempo is a slow 80 BPM and there are no leaps wider than a fifth. The honest challenge is range, not speed: the melody spends more time on the low tines — C4, D4, E4 — than most songs do, and low notes are louder and ringier on a kalimba, so they need a lighter, more controlled touch.
Learning path: phrase by phrase
Work through these phrases in order. Each one is short enough to master in a few minutes, and together they cover the whole song.
“Are you going to Scarborough Fair”
G4 A4 G4 E4 D4 E4 C4. Seven notes that rise a step, fall back, and settle on the low C4. This shape opens the song and returns at the start of each verse.
“Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme”
C4 D4 E4 C4 D4 E4 F4 G4. The herbs line — a little wave that finally climbs to G4, the top of the arrangement. Keep the rhythm even; the words fit one note each.
“She once was a true love of mine”
G4 A4 G4 E4 D4 C4. A short, plain descent home — the most understated phrase in the song, and the one that gives it its sad, resigned ending. Play it softly and let the C4 fade completely.
Playing tips
- The opening line G4 A4 G4 E4 D4 E4 C4 sets the whole mood: a small rise, a fall, and a settle. Play it as one long breath rather than seven separate notes.
- Ease off the low tines. C4 and D4 will dominate the mix if you pluck them with the same force as the higher notes — think of them as a warm background, not the lead.
- The climb through 'parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme' — C4 D4 E4 F4 G4 — is the only real ascent in the song. Let each note arrive a little brighter than the last, then sink back down.
- This song is famous as a duet. Once the melody is steady, hum or sing the words over it — the phrases are built for the voice, and the kalimba's sustain fills the gaps between your lines beautifully.
- Let the silences work. Each phrase ends with a held or low note followed by a natural pause. Resist the urge to fill that space; the stillness is part of the melody.
Scarborough Fair kalimba FAQ
Why does Scarborough Fair sound so old and melancholy?
The original ballad uses an old folk mode with a slightly different musical color than today's major and minor scales. This arrangement preserves that shading within a standard C-major kalimba, so the wistful character comes through without any retuning.
Is it a good song to sing along with?
One of the best. The melody moves at speaking pace, the phrases mirror the lyrics exactly, and the kalimba's soft tone supports a voice instead of competing with it. Learn the tab first, then add the words once your thumbs no longer need to think.
My low notes sound muddy. What should I change?
Play them lighter and slightly shorter than written. Low tines ring longer and louder by nature, and this melody visits them constantly. A feather-light touch on C4 and D4 instantly cleans up the whole arrangement.
What are the lyrics about?
A man asks a traveler going to the seaside town of Scarborough to pass on an impossible challenge to an old love: make her a shirt with no seams, then find her an acre of land between the sea and the shore. If she can do these impossible tasks, she can win back his love. Each verse adds another task, and the herbs — parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme — appear between every line as a gentle refrain.
What should I play next?
House of the Rising Sun shares the same ancient-folk DNA with a bit more drama, and Danny Boy brings the same slow, singing style with a big sweeping opening. Both stay at calm tempos, so the tone control you built on this song keeps paying off.
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Related tabs & guides
- Amazing Grace kalimba tabs — the other slow classic with wide, singing phrases; it pairs beautifully with this song at gatherings.
- 7 note kalimba songs — melodies that fit on small kalimbas, if you are playing on fewer than 17 tines.
- Kalimba tabs with numbers — more practice reading the numbered notation used in the tab above.
- 17-key kalimba tabs — arrangements written for the standard layout, including the high and low tines.