NSW
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Put the Kettle on Mum
by Tony Smith A song about driving up to the farm and expecting to see Mum in the garden and Dad out on the tractor. My parents have passed away now, but these are the things I’d probably want to say. Composed in 2020. About the Composer Tony Smith was born and raised at Balcatherine Continue reading
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Darling River Man
by Tony Smith A tribute to growing up on the banks of the Darling River. Tony is a fifth generation Wentworth local growing up just above the junction of the Murray and Darling. Composed in 1994. About the Composer Tony Smith was born and raised at Balcatherine Station, just outside Wentworth, NSW. He began writing Continue reading
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Built Like Us
by Felicity Dowd I come from a family of six people and a dog, so moving to Uni for me was a massive shift – especially because I moved into a house by myself. I very quickly realised the importance of family and just having them there as people. Continue reading
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Root, Leaf and Flower
by Jo Pall A friend showed me this tuning that she learnt in Nashville – CFCFD. I was playing around in it and just came out with this tune. Continue reading
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A Pentatonic Waltz in Summer
by Marg Sherringham I’m fairly new to fiddle playing and I’ve been working with an American teacher. While working on pentatonic scales, I thought I’d set myself a challenge of writing something just using the 5 notes of the scale. I like old-timey music, so I thought, okay it’s going to be a waltz and Continue reading
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Morning at Bamarang
by Alison Foley Written for a beautiful morning while holidaying in the New South Welshian town of Bamarang. Continue reading
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The Glasgow Shipbuilder
by Wayne Millar This was the first tune that I ever wrote. I have some connections to the Glasgow shipbuilding industry and by coincidence I found out that my grandfather also worked there. I never knew him, but he inspired this tune. Continue reading
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Gabi’s Tune
by Kathleen Clarke I wrote this tune for a friend of mine who died suddenly and unexpectedly. It was a complete shock, and writing this tune helped me deal with the grief. Continue reading
About Melbourne Tune collection
Melbourne Tune Collection records and publishes original folk tunes and songs from around Australia.
I started this project after realising that I barely knew any Australian folk tunes, even though I’ve been playing the fiddle for almost two decades. It wasn’t that Australians weren’t writing tunes, it’s just that there was limited publishing opportunities for them.
I thought maybe if I collect these tunes and put them together, they would have a better chance of getting played. So in early 2019 I set off with my camera and recorder, first around Melbourne, then across Australia.
This site is the result of these travels. Its purpose is to make Australian folk music as accessible as possible and promote the incredible music that’s being written today. I genuinely believe that there’s something special happening in the Melbourne and Australian folk music scenes right now.
I hope you enjoy playing through these tunes as much as I have!
Katherine Oleinikov
Melbourne Tune Collection 