Waltzing Matilda

Christina Macpherson (1895), arr. Marie Cowan (1903) · Level 2 (Beginner) · traditional · Piano

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. An easy arrangement in F major: the right hand plays the tune, the left hand alternates a bass note and a two-note chord (“oom-pah”).

▶ 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.
• Learn the tune alone by singing it, then the left hand alone: spot the chord changes before putting hands together in Wait mode, then at a reduced tempo.

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