The final bar of many jigs have two sets of three 8th notes. This ending always seems abrupt and displeasing. When practicing I usually hold the final note longer. Seems to end the tune better. Have I violated all tradition in doing this?

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A moment of carelessness, a lifetime of regret.
A lifetime of carelessness, a moment of regret.

Almost always, in those cases, the right thing to do will be to end by playing either the first note of the whole tune, or the note which is they key note. But please give an example. Which tune are you thinking of?

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"Only connect!"

https://youtu.be/ezbWVysJAOY
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Here is an example, Hag At The Churn. Final bar is: GEF GED. This seems abruptly ended. To me it resolves much better with: GEF and a dotted quarter D.

_________________
A moment of carelessness, a lifetime of regret.
A lifetime of carelessness, a moment of regret.

Ooh, no. That's not right at all for that tune. Far better to play GEF GED | D6 ||

_________________
"Only connect!"

https://youtu.be/ezbWVysJAOY
https://tapm.bandcamp.com/

Many tunes are circular, which means they don't end on the last (written) note but lead up to the start of the tune or repeat of the part. In this case the phrase ends on G (although the tune resolves nicely on D), the ED are the lead up notes to the next phrase.



GEF GEA || D6 | even. But only the last time, to finish.

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My brain hurts

Ah! That is how I resolved it, a closing D.

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A moment of carelessness, a lifetime of regret.
A lifetime of carelessness, a moment of regret.

I think one of the coolest things about Irish reels and jigs are the nice turnarounds to get you back to the top in a tasty way.

Sometimes they're built into the "standard setting" and in those cases it can sound odd to end on the last note of the last bar. So for a satisfying ending you might want to wrap back around to the first note of the first part and end on it.

Or create a new Bar 8 that cadences.

In many tunes Bar 8 does cadence, and many players will have their own lovely turnarounds to get you back to the top and/or there will be setting incorporating such turnarounds.

A basic example is the jig Top Of Cork Road/Father O Flynn, the setting often seen cadencing in Bar 8

| f# d c# d3 |

which I do on the final time but to turn round to the top I play

| ~f#3 g f# e |

so you don't land on D until the first note of the first part.

In your jig in the OP I'd just go to A and end there

| GEF GED | A...

unless you wanted to get fancy and go

|GEF GEG | A...

If the goal is to end on D you could go

| GEG AGE | D...

_________________
Richard Cook
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle