Tunes by Sarah Gowan (mostly)
Waltzes
Valley Green Waltz abc pdf
Bill Quern and I have played for several weddings at the lovely Valley Green Inn in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.Bee and Bramble abc pdf
A waltz written in honor of the best mead I've ever tasted.The House on the Rock abc pdf
One of my favorite vacations was to The House on the Rock in Wisconsin. In this waltz I try to capture a little of the crazy wonder the place inspired.
The Little Beech Trees abc pdf
A farewell waltz for my sweet friend Tori Barone, who passed away September 1, 2011
Mariah's Key
A waltz for my great-great-great-grandmother Mariah Gowan. abc pdf
Handshouse Waltz
Written for, but not played, at a lovely wedding in the woods. abc pdf
January Spring abc pdf
The bears are awake and the flowers in bloom - whatever happened to winter?Crossing Ithan Creek abc pdf
I cross Ithan Creek three times to get to my local contra danceMy Father's Table abc pdf
A waltz for hard lessons learned -- and unlearned.Felix Falls in Love abc pdf
A waltz for my brother and sister-in-law. Felix was a character he played in a regular stunt show gig.What-Not abc pdf
A waltz for Susan Terry, my mom, on her 65th birthday. She one time said to me:"The only problem with putting up a what-not shelf is that sooner or later you're bound to get what-nots."Dancing Flowers abc pdf
A waltz for Judith Flowers written with Bill QuernJigs
Bingo Wings abc pdf
A British expression for those jiggly bits under your arms.The Glaikit Quean abc pdf
An awkward tune for an awkward lassie. Also the fingering makes fiddle players cranky. Come to think of it, so did the gal.Balance the Bees abc pdf
A dorky little summer jigThe Doubtful Guest abc pdf
Written after an unsettling visit with a sick friend.
The Cellphone Goes Too abc pdf
A jig written when I realized my cellphone plays the first two bars of Off She GoesLootering abc pdf
A jig written after Katrina. A New Orleans resident said in an NPR interview, "We wasn't lootering, we only took what we needed!"Tampico Road abc pdf
Written at my family's farm in the Northeast Kingdom in Vermont.
Reels and Polkas
Ig-Night abc pdf
Another tune written with Bill Quern to console ourselves the night we got snowed out of the Phoenixville Firebird Festival.Hell Hot and Heaven Sweet abc pdf
Named after a sign we saw on North Carolina Baptist ChurchJanie Janie Jane abc pdf
A birthday tune for my bandmate the very talented fiddler Jane Rothfield.Down for the Count abc pdf
I can't remember writing this one, probably because I had a fever of 102.Lost Mitten (Romney's Retreat) abc pdf
A post election tune - use the title that suits you.Give Us a Fishie and We'll All Go Home abc pdf
My muse is a little bit mental. I didn't choose the title - it chose me.The F-Bomb abc pdf
A tune written with Bill Quern after we learned "F-Bomb" was a new word in the dictionary.Skippin' Jenny abc pdf
Leftover Hoppin' John - a New Year's traditional dish.Thunder Snow abc pdf
Written during a January storm.Nancy in a Shirttail abc pdf
"Nancy in a shirttail" was my grandmother's expression for getting caught nekkid.Cricket Moon abc pdf
A little tune for the crickets that hang out on my porch in late summer.Dance with Larry abc pdf
Every year at least one set in the Rum & Onions repertoire completely defeats me as a player and is branded with the notation "DWL" at the top of the page. Thanks to Larry Koplik who cheerfully acknowledges the difficulty of the tunes and invites me to dance instead. I now enjoy my "DWL sets" as a well-deserved break, and the time I can appreciate how great the band sounds from the dance floor.
Further trivia: Larry and I were delighted to discover we are vaguely related. His wife, also named Sarah, is my stepfather's stepsister's cousin.Picnic at the River Jordan abc pdf
In the last weeks of my grandmother's life she began seeing and conversing with her deceased brothers and sisters. At one point, when the house started feeling a bit crowded with spirits and memory, my stepfather was heard to mutter, "Jeez, you'd think ONE of them could find a flippin' boat to take her across the River Jordan."Waiting for Answers abc pdf
Bill and I composed this tune during a tense week between medical tests. It was good news.
Pobblebonk abc pdf
A pobblebonk is also known as a Banjo Frog, so called because of it's distinctive sound. This is a banjo tune written on concertina and doesn't sound at all like a frog. I just liked saying "pobblebonk".
Bones and a Beer abc pdf
a K-Lee riff
Anne Drove abc pdf
An an dro made in the carBig Phat Ragg abc pdf
A tune for the Big Phat American K-Lee Band - August 2005WestGrove abc pdf
A polka written while driving to visit my friend ToriOthers
Torpedoed Birthday abc pdf
A Zwiefacher, a dance which alternates waltz (3/4 time) steps and pivot steps.
Written for Bill’s father for his 90th birthday celebration.
He told us of how he was torpedoed when he was 19 and rescued from the life raft when he was 20.