Chiff and Fipple Forums

Hi
Thank you for reading my post
What does jig, reel, polka and waltz mean in whisle playing ?
I saw that in
http://www.lafferty.ca/music/irish/flute-geezers/
and
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/



thanks

I think the best descriptions I've ever seen on this question are on Alan Ng's irishtune.info.

What is Metal, classic, and punk, in rock and roll?

These words describe types of songs, each one is different form the next,
now i may not be the best person to describe what each one sounds like, but if you try to find some reels and jigs online to listen to (Via Google) You should get the basic idea

legolas wrote:Hi
Thank you for reading my post
What does jig, reel, polka and waltz mean in whisle playing ?
I saw that in
http://www.lafferty.ca/music/irish/flute-geezers/
and
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/



thanks

Basic down and dirty explanation:

Jigs are in 6/8 (single and double jigs) , 12/8 (slide) or 9/8 time (slip jig) time. They have a characteristic rhythm that can be described by saying "jiggity, jiggity, jiggity."

Reels are usually played in cut time, though they can be written in 4/4. They also have a distinctive rhythm, which I can best remember by saying "watermelon, watermelon"

A waltz in whistle playing is the same as any other kind of waltz...3/4 time.

Redwolf

Actually, slides are definitely not jigs -- they are usually notated in 12/8, yes, but if played properly they don't have that characteristic jig rhythm.

I sometimes feel rootless and alienated. I play a lot of these beautiful irish dance tunes, but I have absolute no idea on how to actually dance a jig! To me its just music.

If you've ever danced a Strip-the-Willow or even seen it done, that's really enough to give you a clue as to "how a jig is danced".

I am lucky enough to be near to the Haddenham Ceilidh, where we dance "traditional" English Ceilidh dances. If you can have a "traditional" English Ceilidh, or Ceili. Maybe it should be a Traditional English "Kayly". The Dances and the Tunes vary from English, Scottish, Irish, Scandinavian, Polish etc. And the bands occasionally erupt with things like "Bippity-boppity-boo" or "The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B". Which seem to suit the dances perfectly well.

At the Edinburgh Folk Festival once I spent an entire day learning the Corymeela Plain Set. Which is one dance. We never did get to perform the whole thing from start to finish.