Sheet Music and Tablature for World Instruments

Q: What melodies or songs will I find on Instruments du Monde?

On Instruments du Monde, you’ll discover melodies and songs from every corner of the globe. We set no limits on the pieces and titles we publish here. You might find a pop-culture tune, like the original Super Mario theme arranged for kalimba, along with older hits from the 1980s and even classical music.If you’d like us to add a particular melody, you can contact us to request it: secretariat@instruments-du-monde.com

On this page, you’ll find our full selection of sheet music and tablature for world instruments. Learn to play beautiful melodies and familiar tunes on your exotic instrument.

Kalimba Sheet Music and Tabs

See all kalimba sheet music and tabs

Want to have some fun playing popular tunes on your thumb piano? Take a look at our sheet music and tabs!

Frère Jacques Kalimba Sheet Music

🎼 Play the famous nursery rhyme Frère Jacques using our sheet music and tablature for 17-tine kalimbas. A simple song that’s easy to learn.

Kalimba Sheet Music: Comptine d'un autre été (Amélie Poulain)

🎼 Play the sheet music for the melody Comptine d'un autre été on your kalimba, the famous song composed by Yann Tiersen for the film Amélie Poulain.

Spirited Away Kalimba Sheet Music (Studio Ghibli)

🎼 Love the animated film Spirited Away from Studio Ghibli? Learn to play its melody with our kalimba sheet music.

Tongue Drum Sheet Music

See all tongue drum sheet music

Take a moment to unwind by learning one of these pieces on your tongue drum.

Tongue drum sheet music: Castle in the Sky – Carrying You

🏯 Play “Carrying You” from the Japanese animated film Castle in the Sky on your 13-note tongue drum with our sheet music.

Tongue Drum Sheet Music: Alan Walker – Faded

🎼 Do you love the song “Faded” by famous DJ Alan Walker? Come learn how to play it on your tongue drum with the help of our sheet music!

Pirates of the Caribbean Tongue Drum Sheet Music

🏴☠️ Set sail with Captain Jack Sparrow using our tongue drum sheet music for the main theme from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

A handheld kalimba with sheet music in the background

Sheet music and tablature are documents, available both in physical form (usually paper) and digitally, that help musicians transcribe a musical piece.

They’re essentially a guide: follow it closely, and you’ll play the right notes for a given melody. That means you can play music on your instrument even if you don’t know it yet, and explore countless songs without having to memorize them all.

Like books, sheet music and tabs help preserve the collective memory of musical works. They’ve been used for centuries to pass along knowledge and information—by composers, orchestras, in operas, for symphonies, and to learn music theory.

Is it hard to learn to read these music documents?

It’s true that, for a beginner, learning to read sheet music and tablature can feel a bit daunting. That said, there are several types of sheet music, including simplified versions that, with a little practice, just about anyone can learn to decode and use to play melodies on their musical instrument.

For example, for the kalimba, there are no fewer than four different types of sheet music and tablature, each more or less complex to suit every skill level. And because we want everyone who dreams of playing exotic instruments to thrive, we regularly publish helpful guides for anyone who may be struggling.

What’s the difference between sheet music and tablature?

The difference is especially noticeable with the kalimba. With this instrument, sheet music is a series of numbers or letters, with more or fewer musical symbols, that the musician reads from left to right, like reading a book.

A tablature, on the other hand, is a hybrid system between a classical music score and a visual layout of the kalimba. It’s an effective reading method invented in 2003 that helps the player better visualize where to place their fingers on their thumb piano to play the musical notes.

What melodies or songs will I find on Instruments du Monde?

On Instruments du Monde, you’ll discover melodies and songs from every corner of the globe. We set no limits on the pieces and titles we publish here. You might find a pop-culture tune, like the original Super Mario theme arranged for kalimba, along with older hits from the 1980s and even classical music.

If you’d like us to add a particular melody, you can contact us to request it: secretariat@instruments-du-monde.com