Waltzing Matilda Chords & Melody

Intermediate Grade 5 Folk Fingerstyle
1

View the full lesson at Waltzing Matilda Chords & Melody | JustinGuitar

2

I think I’ve figured out the melody for the chorus. I’m not sure of the chords/ bass notes to use especially when playing up the neck. Anybody want to help?

[Chorus]

e|–3–3–3–|–3–0–|–8–8–8–|–7–5–|–3–3–3–|–5–3–3–|–3–1–0--------|

B|-----------|--------|-----------|--------|-----------|-----------|-----------------|

G|-----------|--------|-----------|--------|-----------|-----------|-----------------|

D|-----------|--------|-----------|--------|-----------|-----------|-----------------|

A|-----------|--------|-----------|--------|-----------|-----------|-----------------|

E|-----------|--------|-----------|--------|-----------|-----------|-----------------|

e|-----------|–0-----0–|--------|--------0-----|-----------|--------0–|–3–1–0–|

B|–3–1–3–|-----1-----|–3–3–|–1–3-----1–|-----0–1–|-----1-----|-----------|

G|-----------|-----------|--------|--------------|–2--------|–0--------|-----------|

D|-----------|-----------|--------|--------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|

A|-----------|-----------|--------|--------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|

E|-----------|-----------|--------|--------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|

e|-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------|

B|–3–1–0–|–1-------------------------------------------------------------|

G|-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------|

D|-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------|

A|-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------|

E|-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------|

1 Like
6

Not being Aussie or British this melody is not very known to me! I have certainly heard it once o but hardly remembers the melody and not the text !

8

Hi Shinboner, You must barrack for North Melbourne in AUS AFL, they are called the Shinboners.
I agree with your melody notes but want to find the chords that work with them. I’m using the more complex Waltzing Matilda page 3/3 as a start.
Regards

1 Like
10

HI JG Admin, Do you have a Chorus melody for the Chorus section of the song?

1 Like
11

Danny_Boy These are the chords for the chorus as I understand them. Like you I’m wanting some help on how to arrange the bass (root) notes with the melody.
C F
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
C G
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me
C G Am F
And he sang as he sat and waited 'til his billy boiled
C G C
“You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me”

Go Roos!

1 Like
12

Doesn’t look like the chord formatting worked too well :grinning:

1 Like
13

Use verbatim mode to maintain spacing (click the “</>” symbol)

C                 F
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
...
1 Like
14

Thanks, I’ll try and remember that!

1 Like
15

Hi Shinboner, Here’s my feeble attempt at the Chorus chords with a little melody.
C F C Dm
------3 3 3 0 8 8 8 7 5 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 1 0
------1 1 1 1 6 6 6 5 3 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 3 3 1 3
------0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
------ 2 7 6 4 2 4 0
------3 7 5 3 5 3
Let’s know what you think

1 Like
16

Hi Shinboner, Tried to make it a little clearer. The last C is the start of the last two lines of the Chorus. Hope it makes sense.
Waltzing Matilda Chorus Chords

C---------------------F---------------------------C-----------------------------------Dm-----------------------C------------

----3----3----3----0----8----8----8----7----5----3----3----3----5----3----3----3----1----0------------------------------0

----1----1----1----1----6----6----6----5----3----1----1----1----3----1----1----1----3---------3----1----3---------1----

----0----0----0----0----0----0----0----0----0----0----0----0----0----0----0----0----2-------------------------0-----------

-------2------------------7---------------5----4-------2------------4----------------------0------------------------------2-----

----3---------------------8---------------7----5----3---------------5----3-------------------------------------------3----------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 Like
17

Some years ago I printed out the advanced version of Waltzing Mathilda. Now I can’t find the related lesson anymore. Anyone has an idee were it is
on the website?

1 Like
18

Hi Willem,
Welcome here…
Click on the orange link in the first post in this topic…that should solve the problem.
Greetings,Rogier

1 Like
19

I found it, it was on the Folk Fingerstyle Module CD.

1 Like
20

Does anyone have a rec for a version of Waltzing Matilda to get the melody in my musical memory? I confess that I never heard the song (besides the Pogues on “Rum Sodomy and the Lash”…which is a great song, but not THE song).

In the video, Justin mentions Tommy Emmanuel, which is great but pretty advanced.

Anyway…maybe there is no answer to this question, but I wondered whether there is a canonical recorded version of this song—or at least a version that I might want to listen to 1000 times to get embedded like an earworm into my memory…

1 Like
21

Hi David, @quare_dubitasti
If you want to learn to play this from Justin…why not listen to Justin’s version that he plays at the beginning ? After all, you can hear the melody clearly there…or maybe I don’t understand your question.
Greetings ,Rogier

2 Likes
22

Hi Rogier, I was looking for something that I could walk around/listen to on headphones—but you are right, the best approach is to get Justin’s version in my head. I’ll just record that bit of audio from YouTube.

thanks! David

2 Likes
23

Well, it’s an old folk song, so no definitive version, but you can’t go wrong with Slim Dusty.

2 Likes
24

This is the perfect thing to get the song into my head. So far I have listened to it about 30 times & I love it for so many reasons: First off, I had no idea that there were words to the song. And the words are awesome to my American ear, even if I have no idea what a billybong is. Plus Slim Dusty seems like an awesome dude. And he really delivers.

Thank you!

2 Likes
25

Yes, Slim was a legend in Australia. A billabong is an ox-bow lake. A swagman is a tramp/itinerant in case you hadn’t realised. And the squatter is the landowner. Glad you enjoyed it.

1 Like