Ten Australian Folk Songs

Some of Australia's best-loved folk songs have their origins in the folk music of Ireland, Scotland and England. The convict era was quickly replaced by bushrangers, settlers and sheep shearers, and the stories that were shared around campfires served to record the tough history of Australian colonial days. These songs have been arranged in guitar-friendly keys, and keyboard players and bass guitarists should be able to "fake" chords / bass-lines from the chord symbols above the music. All songs are presented in two different keys to offer singers the most ideal range for their voice type. The exception here is The Wild Colonial Boy; because this song has a range that covers an octave-and-a-half, it has been arranged in the key of C major which should accommodate most vocalists. As a composer I've taken the liberty to notate some sample instrumental solos. I have written these to sound improvised even though they are fully notated. They have been written with violin in mind (given that "fiddle" can be such an integral part of any folk music ensemble). It should be quite easy for most musicians to adapt these for other instruments (eg flute, clarinet, saxophone etc). If you email me I will send you the MuseScore file for the pieces you require. Almost all the pieces should be performed with a "lilt", much in the way that jazz musicians swing pairs of quavers to give the music more of a triplet feel. I hope you enjoy playing this selection of folk songs as much as I enjoyed arranging them!