I was just wondering if there are any speeds for jigs, reels and hornpipes… because I tend to play the jigs and reels too fast, according to those that listen to me, so are there any speeds that most jigs and reels are played with, so that I can practise at those tempos?
I just heard a fiddler on NPR’s Thistle and Shamrock address this topic. He said that if you’re not sure how fast to play a tune, put down your instrument, get up and do some dance steps to that tune (doesn’t really matter if you don’t know how to do a jig or reel). If you’re playing too slow, the dance will feel draggy, and if you’re playing too fast, you won’t be able to dance fast enough. I love this idea!
That’s not to say that “dance” tempo will be fast enough to play at many sessions, but it’s a good place to start.
Seems like they beat me by a minute, so I have to doa bit of editing.
Jigs are about 110-127 bpms. Reels range from 112-120 bpms. If these are people who play, try to play along with them, if they have no idea what they are talking about (ie people who don’t play ITM) ignore them and nod your head or tell them it is an Irish thing and they wouldn’t understand. Of course it is most important to play them how you like to play them.
No, Jigs are 6/8 so it is a dotted quarter per beat. Reels are danced in 2/2 or Cut time and the beat is a half note. Wanderer quotes Uilliam who is talking 4/4 for Reels which is a beat per quarter note.
