Irish Jig Reel and Hornpipe - Traditional Irish Dancing (AoS 3 – Dance Music)
All have strong regular beat. Instruments are Violin (they call it a fiddle), Irish Flute (wooden and open holed), Tin Whistle, Concertina, accordion, Guitar, Uilleann pipes (Irish version of bag pipes) and Percussion – Bodhran (hand held framed drum) and spoons. Bodhran and tin whistle example. = Bodhran and tin whistle example. Uillean pipes – Uillean pipes Instruments play THE TUNE in Unison – all the same tune in the octave for that instrument.
Clear phrases in question and answer (call and response) pattern. Strong beat on 1st beat of bar – easier to dance to. 2 x 8 bar patterns each pattern played twice (once for right foot, once for left foot (?)) to give 32 bars. Regular repeated phrases make it easy to dance to and therefore keep in time and learn the steps. Harmonies are simple often D or G major. Occasionally minor keys. Never traditionally written down. Composers all now forgotten – passed down through the ages. This is so for most folk music, whatever country.
Social or Performance Dances?
Social – Everyone joins in like in a Ceili (pronounced Cay-lee) Ceili = overall name for the meeting where people will danced. Dancers are in couples, Danced in circle square or line. Several couples (4 is common) often dance together. May be as a celebration like a wedding or community fair.
Performance – Audience watch them. May have complicated step work and foot patterns. Top ½ of the body is often completely still. Some are soft shoe – shoes make no noise. Dancers move all round the dance floor. Some dances are hard shoe. These shoe noises are an integral part of the dance. Dancers stay more in one spot.
Whether performance or Social, there are 3 types you study.
Reel - started 1700s by travelling dance teachers. Mainly 4/4 (some 2/2 or 2/4) 1st/ 3rd beat accents in the bar. Quavers are straight, not dotted and quite quick. Women – soft shoe – light and lots of leaps. Men – Hard shoe to make noise with feet. as a social dance – as a social dance. “New policeman” and “London Lassies” irish reel example – not danced this time, but good example of the music. hard shoe reel – hard shoe reel. accordion or button box – accordion or button box (sometimes called concertina – see below)
Hornpipe - Originally English dance from Navy. Spread to Ireland 1700s (C18th) All in 4/4 Dotted rhythms (musicians can decide to play them straight) Slower than Reel Hard shoe dance both men and women Hard shoe hornpipe – hard shoe performance version (bit quiet) THE HARVEST HOME - IRISH HORNPIPE – called bring the harvest home – on fiddle. Harvest Home Hornpipe Fiddle Duet – same but as duet. another example button box/ accordian – on concertina (like small accordion)
Jig Possibly started as marches for ancient Irish clans Lively and fast with an anacrusis (an up-beat) to start each phrase. 6/8 time for Heavy, light, double or single jig – hard shoe 9/8 for Slip – graceful hops and skips. Purple And Brown - Irish Jig – well yes a cartoon version. Enjoy Hardshoe jig – solo hard shoe performance version
Modern Irish Dancing Combines folk rhythms and dances (see above) with contemporary beats, live instruments and sequencers. Remember Riverdance, the popular 1990s stage show. The Coors, Westlife, Van Morrison and use Irish dancing and traditional Irish instruments in some of their songs. Riverdance - Riverdance 1 Riverdance - riverdance example 2
The Coors - The coors - runaway – runaway Westlife - enjopy WESTLIFE yay! – sorry I had to include this. It has Irish influence. Van Morrison - Van Morrison - Into The Mystic (Original Version) – listen for Irish influence.