Waltzing Matilda kalimba tabs

For a 17-key kalimba tuned to C major. This tab is the verse and the chorus: 90 notes on 11 tines, from G4 up to C6.

Play along on the online kalimba Play it on a kalimba in G

newellabs.com/play/kalimba/tabs/matilda/

Number tab

The number tab read aloud, one sentence per group. “High” stands for one dot above the number and “very high” for two. high 3, high 3, high 3, high 3, high 2, high 2. high 1, high 3, high 1, 6, 7, high 1. 5, high 1, high 3, high 5, high 5, high 5. high 5, high 5, high 5, high 5, high 1, high 2. high 3, high 3, high 3, high 2, high 2. high 1, high 2, high 3, high 1, 6, 7, high 1. 5, high 1, high 3, high 5, high 4, high 3. high 2, high 2, high 2, high 1. high 5, high 5, high 5, high 5, high 3. very high 1, very high 1, high 7, high 6, high 5. high 5, high 5, high 5, high 6, high 5, high 5. high 5, high 4, high 3, high 2, high 1, high 2. high 3, high 3, high 3, high 2, high 2. high 1, high 2, high 3, high 1, 6, 7, high 1. 5, high 1, high 3, high 5, high 4, high 3. high 2, high 2, high 2, high 1.

Letter notes

E₅E₅E₅E₅D₅D₅C₅E₅C₅A₄B₄C₅G₄C₅E₅G₅G₅G₅G₅G₅G₅G₅C₅D₅E₅E₅E₅D₅D₅C₅D₅E₅C₅A₄B₄C₅G₄C₅E₅G₅F₅E₅D₅D₅D₅C₅G₅G₅G₅G₅E₅C₆C₆B₅A₅G₅G₅G₅G₅A₅G₅G₅G₅F₅E₅D₅C₅D₅E₅E₅E₅D₅D₅C₅D₅E₅C₅A₄B₄C₅G₄C₅E₅G₅F₅E₅D₅D₅D₅C₅

Tines you need

The long tine in the middle is 1 (C4). Notes climb outward, alternating left and right, so neighbours on the same side are two steps apart.

How to read this tab

Numbers are steps of the scale. 1 is C, 2 is D, up to 7 for B. A dot above a number means one octave higher; two dots, two octaves higher. The song starts 3̇ 3̇ 3̇ 3̇ 2̇ 2̇ 1̇ 3̇ (E5 E5 E5 E5 D5 D5 C5 E5).
Gaps mark bars. Each group is one bar of music. The tab shows which tine to play, not how long to hold it; press Listen on the play-along page to hear the rhythm.
Other kalimbas. On an 8-, 10- or 21-key kalimba in C the numbers mean the same notes, as long as the tines you need are there.

About the song

Banjo Paterson wrote the words in 1895. The tune sung today is Marie Cowan’s arrangement, published in 1903. The melody is in the public domain.

About this tab

What it covers. Verse and chorus (Marie Cowan’s 1903 tune, the one sung today).
Key. C major (engraved in F major).
Source. Transcribed from Wikipedia score (voice part). The same notes are in an early Sydney edition of the sheet music, “Music arranged by Marie Cowan” (Turner & Henderson), voice part.

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