The Cranberries “Zombie” Kalimba Sheet Music

Do you love the protest song Zombie by rock band The Cranberries and want to learn how to play it on your kalimba? Perfect! With the help of sheet music and tablature for thumb piano that you’ll find in this blog post, you’ll be able to play this beautiful melody, which won the award for Best Song at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards.

Let’s not wait—let’s jump right into this now-legendary track.

The necessary tuning of the kalimba before playing Zombie

In order to play the song Zombie, you’ll need to change the tuning of your kalimba. Compared to a standard C major tuning, the two tines corresponding to the F notes in the 4th and 5th octaves must be pushed slightly upward to shorten them, raise the pitch, and turn them into F-sharps in the 4th and 5th octaves. You can check out our other article that shows you exactly how to tune a kalimba. It’s very easy to do and shouldn’t stop you from playing this song by The Cranberries.

You’ll notice that the sheet music is quite detailed and rather long. To avoid getting lost as you read it, we highly recommend learning how to read thumb piano sheet music. That way, you won’t feel overwhelmed by all the information on the page, and you’ll play the melody more smoothly.

Preview the result with the thumb piano

You’ll find it much easier to learn Zombie on the kalimba if you can see an example of what you’re aiming for. That’s exactly what we’re offering with the video just below. You’ll be in the best possible position to play The Cranberries’ melody after you’ve watched it.

Then, for comparison, you may want to watch the original version performed by the band. Listen to it below:

Learn the Cranberries' protest song with a numbered score for mbira

Arabic numeral music notation, or NMCA, is a series of numbers that represent musical notes. Simply follow the numbers in this score to play Zombie on your thumb piano.

Play the sheet music with letters for sanza for Zombie

In addition to number notation, you can also find the exact same type of sheet music written with letters. The end result will be the same; it’s simply a different notation system that some players prefer. You’ll find the letter notation for Zombie below.

The kalimba tablature for the hit song by the band "The Cranberries"

Easier to read once you’ve learned a few music symbols, tablature gives you a clearer visual layout of the tines you need to play.

Keep the sheet music close at hand with a handy PDF file

So you can play and learn the sheet music and tablature you’ve just seen, we’re offering a completely free PDF file containing the musical documents for The Cranberries’ song Zombie. Feel free to download it and share your knowledge.

Who wrote the song Zombie?

Although the song Zombie is easily associated with the rock band The Cranberries, it was written solely by Dolores O'Riordan, the band’s singer. She wrote the lyrics and composed the melody alone in her apartment in Ireland in 1993, shortly after the Warrington bombings in England.

Replacing singer Niall Quinn in 1990, who had been with the band since its creation in 1989, Dolores O'Riordan quickly established herself as the leader. After several successes that led The Cranberries to produce five albums, the band split up in 2003 so that each member could focus on their solo careers. Six years later, in 2009, the band reformed with the four original members and produced two more albums while continuing to perform concerts. On January 15, 2018, the singer was found dead by drowning in the bathroom of her hotel room. According to the investigation, Dolores O'Riordan accidentally drowned after consuming a large amount of alcohol. Shortly afterward, the remaining members of The Cranberries announced that they would not continue their musical activities following the singer’s death. A final album was released in April 2019, and the band officially disbanded afterward.

Why is Zombie a protest song?

It turns out that the song Zombie is socially conscious because it is a tribute to two children, aged 3 and 12, who were victims of a bomb attack on March 20, 1993, in Warrington, England, which was claimed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army, more commonly known as the IRA. In the song, Dolores O'Riordan calls for a ceasefire between the IRA, which is demanding independence for Northern Ireland, and the British regular army. This conflict, which has been going on since the 1960s, has claimed several hundred lives to date, including a large number of civilians.

The zombies in the song’s title refer to individuals who, according to Dolores O’Riordan, have lost their ability to judge and their humanity and commit crimes for political purposes. The aim here is to make people aware that violence is not a sustainable solution.

Enhance your performances with a Gecko kalimba

Well known to the general public and with nearly 500,000 singles sold, the song Zombie by the band The Cranberries is quite difficult to play on a kalimba. However, you now have the sheet music and tablature that will allow you to play this melody beautifully and pay tribute to the late Dolores O'Riordan.

That said, the beauty of this song really shines with a quality instrument that can produce clear, pure tones—something you won’t get from low-end, poorly made kalimbas. That’s why we recommend the Gecko kalimba, a true benchmark for tone and craftsmanship. Available now from the Instruments du Monde online store, it will deliver exceptional sound quality whenever you play from sheet music.

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See the Gecko kalimba

Start learning a new song for thumb piano that is very simple and perfect for beginners. To do so, check out our kalimba sheet music for the melody You Are My Sunshine. This is a famous American folk song that is perfect as a lullaby or for relaxing. Alternatively, consider playing a variety of melodies by checking out our assortment of sheet music for 17-key kalimbas. You're sure to find one that appeals to you.