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The Trowie Burn waltz

There are 8 recordings of this tune.

The Trowie Burn has been added to 2 tune sets.

The Trowie Burn has been added to 55 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Two settings

1
X: 1
T: The Trowie Burn
R: waltz
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
K: Emin
G4A2|B<ee2d2|B2>A2G2|A4c2|B4A2|A2>G2A2|B4A2|G<EE4|
G4A2|B<ee2d2|B2>A2G2|B2>c2d2|d<ee2E2|B4A2|G<EE4|D<EE4:|
g4a2|b2>a2f2|g4d2|B<GG4|A4c2|B4A2|A2>G2A2|B4A2|G<EE4|
[1g4a2|b2>a2f2|g4d2|B<GG4|B2>c2d2|d<ee2E2|B4A2|G<EE4|D<EE4:|
[2G4A2|B<ee2d2|B2>A2G2|B2>c2d2|d<ee2E2|B4A2|G<EE4|D<EE2||
2
X: 2
T: The Trowie Burn
R: waltz
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
K: Emin
G2A Bed|BAG A2c|{Bc}(2BA (2AG/A/|{Bc}B2A (2G/E3/2|
G2A Bed|BAG Bcd|(2eE {Bc}B2A|(2G/E3/2 E3:|g2a baf|
{Bc}(2BA AGA|{Bc}B2A (2G/E3/2|g2a baf|
(2eE {Bc}B2A|(2G/E3/2 E3|g2a baf|
{Bc}(2BA AGA|{Bc}B2A (2G/E3/2|G2A Bed|
BAG Bcd|(2eE {Bc}B2A|(2G/E3/2 E3||

Nine comments

Trowie Burn

Nice tune I heard on Ceilidh House Sessions CD.

abc adapted from Walshaw’s abc site, which has a bit of a long winded notation, and I’ve changed a couple of notes to fit the version on my CD

Nice tune indeed. It was composed by Friedemann Stickle, a German sailor and fiddler washed up on Shetland. According to legend he was abandoned there by his shipmates who couldn’t stand his playing.

The way I’ve heard it is not as a waltz but with irregularly alternating 3/8 and 2/8, probably best played with Bert Lloyd’s dictum in mind that in English folk song there’s one bar per beat.
(Yes, ok, it’s neither English nor a song.)

.thanks for the extra info Jurgen. It’s not a waltz per se, but the only choice for 3/4 time shoehorns it into the waltz category here

Thanks for the link domnull. So the Ceilidh House folks play it indeed in straight 3/4.

I play it more or less like this (not with 3/8 + 2/8):

X:1
T:The Trowie Burn
C:Friedemann Stickle
M:6/8
K:EMin
G2A Bed|BAG A2c|{Bc}(2BA (2::3AG/A/|{Bc}B2A (2G/E3/|\
G2A Bed|BAG Bcd|(2eE {Bc}B2A|(2G/E3/ E3:|g2a baf|\
M:9/8
g2d (2B/G3/ A2c|\
M:6/8
{Bc}(2BA AGA|{Bc}B2A (2G/E3/|g2a baf|\
M:9/8
g2d (2B/G3/ Bcd|\
M:6/8
(2eE {Bc}B2A|(2G/E3/ E3|g2a baf|\
M:9/8
g2d (2B/G3/ A2c|\
M:6/8
{Bc}(2BA AGA|{Bc}B2A (2G/E3/|G2A Bed|\
BAG Bcd|(2eE {Bc}B2A|(2G/E3/ E3|]

IIRC, this came from Richard Robinson’s collection. I think it’s more tricky to notate (and read) than to actually play it 😉

A while ago I played it with Kevin Henderson, and he seemed to agree to the rhythm, though it didn’t occur to me to ask him about the 3/4 version.
Brass Monkey used to play it that way, too.

“it didn’t occur to me to ask him about the 3/4 version.”

ask Jeeves (or Llig)