Irish Traditional Music

Jigs, Reels & Hornpipes

• There are 3 main types of tune in Irish music

- Jigs, Reels and Hornpipes

- You can recognise each one by its beat, tempo and style.

Reels

Reels are FAST and in 4/4 time!Mainly quavers, to keep up the speed.

Occasional ‘triplets’ to maintain interest.These can be ‘bowed’ or ‘fingered’.

Reels

• Are the easiest to understand… …they are FAST and in 4/4 time!

• Generally has 2 sections of 8 bars eachPart A = 8 barsPart B = 8 bars

• Combine reels in various keys to create a SET.

Jigs

• This is the most ‘famous’ or ‘stereotypically’ Irish dance tune.

• They are in 6/8 time – you can count them with 2 beats in a bar, each divided into 3.

• If all else fails, go ‘diddle-de-diddle-de-diddle’ and see if it fits!

Jigs

• Jigs ‘feel’ like 2 strong beats in a bar.

• But they are grouped in 3’s.

• This makes them sound ‘jumpy’ or ‘diddly’

Hornpipes

• These are sailor’s dance tunes

• They are a STEADY tempo in 4/4

• …and they are DOTTED!

Hornpipes

• The quavers in a Hornpipe are played DOTTED

• This means the whole tune is slower and sounds like a ‘skipping’ pattern

3 types of tune…

Reel Jig HornpipeTime Signature 4/4 6/8 Dotted 4/4

Tempo FAST FAST/MEDIUM STEADY

Feel Fast and franticquavers

Jumpy, bouncy triplets

Steady skipping rhythm

Here are some common features of Irish music….

1. A & B SECTIONS - most tunes have 2 sections (A+B), 8 bars each

2. AURAL TRADITION – passed on by EAR

3. FREEDOM TO INTERPRET THE MUSIC – lots of variety in the music

Regional variation techniques include ORNAMENTATION & IMPROVISATION

4. SOCIAL PLAYING - playing for dances, or in the pub!

Slip Jigs• Slip Jigs are EXTENDED jigs.

• They have the same number of bars in each phrase, but the have an extra group of quavers in each bar.

Jigs Slip JigsTime Signature 6/8

2 groups of 39/8

3 groups of 3

Phrases 2 or 4 bars

4 or 8 ‘beats’

2 or 4 bars

6 or 12 ‘beats’

Slip Jigs