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3All songs / Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Number tabs for the steel tongue drum
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Free number tabs for Swing Low, Sweet Chariot on the steel tongue drum. 36 notes, C Major scale, Easy level — play it instantly in the free Tongue Drum Online player.
The tab
5
53
35
56
65
53
31
13
35
53
35
56
65
53
35
53
35
56
65
56
65
53
32
25
55
5•1
87
76
65
53
35
56
65
53
35
51–7 scale note• above = higher octave• below = lower octaveabc = key in the app
▶ Play it in Tongue Drum Online
Open the free player on the C Major scale, then tap the petals or press these keyboard keys in order, following the tab above:
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Swing Low, Sweet Chariot is a beloved African-American spiritual attributed to Wallis Willis in the 1840s, expressing a longing for liberation through the image of a heavenly chariot. On a steel tongue drum the rolling, call-and-response melody unfolds with soulful warmth, the natural decay of each note mirroring the song's quiet yearning. Its arching phrases and moderate tempo are ideal for players developing their expressive touch.
How to play Swing Low, Sweet Chariot on a tongue drum
The numbers above are the standard tongue-drum number notation. Each digit is a note of the C Major scale, counting up from the lowest tongue. A dot above a number raises it one octave; a dot below lowers it. The small teal letters show the matching key in the Tongue Drum Online player.
Start slowly, one phrase at a time. Let each note ring out fully before striking the next — the long decay is the whole character of the instrument. This is a easy arrangement and a simplified, single-instrument version of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.
About this melody
Wallis Willis, c.1840s, traditional spiritual (public domain).