Waltzing Matilda

Christina Macpherson (1895), arr. Marie Cowan (1903) · Level 2 (Beginner) · traditional · Guitar, sheet music and tablature

Australia’s unofficial national song: the story of a swagman by a billabong. Melody by Christina Macpherson (1864–1936) in Marie Cowan’s 1903 version, the one most often sung. Arranged in C major: the tune in first position, with a thumb bass on the first beat of each bar and at each chord change.

▶ Play this piece with the interactive score

How to practise it

• Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
• Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
• Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
• Play the basses (strings 6, 5 and 4) with the thumb and the tune with i and m. When a bass and a melody note fall together, pluck them at the same time and let the bass ring. Practise the tune alone first.

Source : Arrangement Note after Note d’après la mélodie de 1903 (domaine public) · Public Domain