Waltzing Matilda

31 Comments

1. paulmoody June 23rd, 2011 7:24 pm
   

   I got up to where it changes up the the 8th fret, then I started getting lost, I’m going to work at it though!!

2. RobNY June 23rd, 2011 7:49 pm
   

   Thanks for this Al. I love this song. Enjoy your vacation

3. Redmond June 23rd, 2011 8:01 pm
   

   Makes me want to listen to some Nick Cave…

4. Ron Hale June 24th, 2011 12:03 am
   

   I hope your’re not trashing “Rule Britannia,”
   Al, it’s some of the best, most stirring stuff ever to come out of England. Try living with what we’re stuck with over here for a while and you’ll appreciate your treasure.

5. Ky June 24th, 2011 12:06 am
   

   you must have read my mind. I heard Kimo Hussey play this the other day and was planning to chase the Tab this weekend. Thanks for saving me the effort.

6. Izzy June 24th, 2011 10:44 am
   

   This is awesome. =) Something relatively easy to learn and to show my parents to work towards proving that my choice of instrument is NOT totally ridiculous.

7. art Crocker June 24th, 2011 7:09 pm
   

   Happy Holiday Al, I did have a lot of fun playing your arrangement on the streets of Melbourne.

   I am on Maui right now where just about every musical group I have seen has at least one ukulele, it is great.

   Thanks for putting the Matilda tab on your site,
   Art

8. david July 6th, 2011 1:01 pm
   

   hey woodshed thanks for this song! but you think you can maybe tab http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGHbOZBSv18 this song for me? :D I’m not to great with figuring out chords by ear:/”

   Thanks:)

9. Stephen July 31st, 2011 3:52 am
   

   I’m really liking this tab. I’ve loved this song since I was a little kid when my dad brought me back a music box from Australia that played this song.

10. Woodshed July 31st, 2011 7:32 am
    

    Stephen: Thanks!

11. Richie September 10th, 2011 7:35 pm
    

    I hope I do not sound to picky but this song is not traditional but was written by the great Banjo Patterson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banjo_Paterson)

12. Woodshed September 11th, 2011 11:03 am
    

    Richie: Thanks very much for the info.

13. Cam September 15th, 2011 5:18 pm
    

    This is beautiful. I finally learned the tab. Thanks so much for posting!

14. Woodshed September 16th, 2011 7:42 pm
    

    Cam: Thanks! Glad you got to grips with it.

15. something November 4th, 2011 11:01 pm
    

    thanks, i enjoy listening to this!

16. Al January 18th, 2012 5:11 pm
    

    Brings a tear to the eye.
    Thanks for posting this up. I am going to learn this before Australia Day next week and show all these Frenchies some National Pride

17. Woodshed January 18th, 2012 9:54 pm
    

    Al: Thanks very much! Good luck with it.

18. Madhava September 9th, 2012 9:49 am
    

    Hi. Thanks for this. I am a beginner player and have two questions. 1) I am getting the way the tabs work with pick and strumming when it is notated but I dont understand the bars and dots under the strings.
    2) In the recording of the song there is a slow strum everyow and than. I cant seem to understand how that is related with the tab chart.

    Thanks,
    Madhava

19. Madhava September 9th, 2012 9:56 am
    

    Sorry just number question one. I was listening to waltzing matilda but reading the silent night tabs duuh.

20. Woodshed September 9th, 2012 1:45 pm
    

    Madhava: There’s a guide to reading tab here.

21. MrMonkeyhanger January 15th, 2014 2:38 am
    

    Oh you legend Al! Now if I can glue this on the end of http://www.guitaretab.com/t/thepogues/204332.html?no_takeover I might actually be able do the bugger justice! Leaving aside my singing voice and my fat useless fingers that is. Finger pickings 312121 (or something similar) for anyone wanting to get involved :)

22. MrMonkeyhanger January 15th, 2014 2:50 am
    

    Hmmm, if I can sort the key out that is. Still, me well happys. Good work.

23. Woodshed January 15th, 2014 8:27 pm
    

    MrMonkeyhanger: That’s a great idea! Hope the fitting together goes well.

24. Natty August 3rd, 2014 11:06 am
    

    The tune IS traditional. Banjo Patterson wrote the words we relate to “Waltzing Matilda” but the tune, along with totally different words, is English and at least 200 years old. It goes back to the so-called Peninsular Wars (Duke of Wellington v Emperor Napoleon) which took place between around 1780 and 1815. The original version is a folk song about an army recruiting sargeant, touring the South East of England persuading young men to join up and fight, and is generally known under the title “The Gay Fusilier”.

25. Woodshed August 3rd, 2014 3:45 pm
    

    Natty: Thanks very much for the info. Good to know.

26. Matty October 15th, 2014 5:58 am
    

    Dumb question, but what key is this in, F? I’m trying to figure out the matching chords, but I’m new to all this musical stuff.

27. Woodshed October 15th, 2014 9:14 am
    

    Matty: You’re right. It’s in F.

28. Hamish October 21st, 2014 5:59 am
    

    The song has entered the folk tradition in some countries, but was first published in Australia about 1900 with music by Marie Cowan (died 1919) and words by Andrew Barton ‘Banjo’ Paterson (1864-1941)

29. Woodshed October 22nd, 2014 11:50 am
    

    Hamish: Thanks for the info.

30. Rich April 2nd, 2016 4:21 pm
    

    The history of the tune seems to be pretty murky. On Wikipedia it says there’s no evidence The Bold Fusilier existed before 1900 and in fact may have been written as a parody of Waltzing Matilda! And that in fact the tune supposedly was based on a Scotting song, “Thou Bonnie Wood of Craigielea”, written in 1806. Take your pick. I’ve actually heard it to a different tune as well, and was under the impression that was the original and this tune a more recent adaptation, but I may be imagining that.

31. Woodshed April 2nd, 2016 10:32 pm
    

    Rich: Thanks very much for the info.