Jig-to-Reel Sets: How do you do it?

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 11:11 am

I like the sound of those transitions, and have heard them on several CDs: Bothies, Altan, Lunasa. I guess that tells you right there that it's beyond the boundaries of Geezerland, but perhaps not. Anyway the Diddley-Diddley to YAHdudadi-YAHdudadi throws me a bit. Any advice?

BTW: Are Noonday Feast and Scatter the Mud the same jig? Sure sounds that way to me. Or did someone get confused when writing the tracklist? (Lunasa: Lunasa, track 3)

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 11:53 am

I do an A minor medley: Battle of Aughrim-Liltin Banshee-Knot the Chord.

Three time changes, march (or polka) to jig, to Reel. It works but you are ready for a new key by the end o' it. When yer into the tunes, the time changes just happen though some bodhran players may git confuzzled.

energy · Post by **energy** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 12:09 pm

I think the important thing is to keep the beat steady through the change. Nothing really changes except the number of of notes between beats. Does that make sense?

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 12:21 pm

On 2002-11-14 13:09, energy wrote:
I think the important thing is to keep the beat steady through the change. Nothing really changes except the number of of notes between beats. Does that make sense?

Oh, it makes perfect sense. It also doesn't help.

I was hoping for a secret trick, or at least an incantation of some sort to help me brace myself, some way to have the reel in my head while finishing off the jig.

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 12:25 pm

Here's an incantation -

"apricot, apricot, apricot, watermelon."

Apricot represents the jig beat, and watermelon the reel. It sounds ridiculous but it does work. And makes my friend Max crack up, too.

Teri-K · Post by **Teri-K** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 12:27 pm

Bloomy:

Maybe think of the next tune in the set as a variation of the previous. What makes The Leitrim Fancy/The Sword in the Hand work so well is the similarity between them; Sword virtually sounds like a progressive variation of Leitrim.

Teri

carrie · Post by **carrie** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 1:30 pm

I think the important thing is to keep the beat steady through the change. Nothing really changes except the number of of notes between beats. Does that make sense?

Oh, it makes perfect sense. It also doesn't help.
I was hoping for a secret trick, or at least an incantation of some sort to help me brace myself, some way to have the reel in my head while finishing off the jig

Bloomfield,
I'm working on Knocknagow into Sean Sa Cheo and I love the sound and feel of the change from jig to reel. Energy is right, of course. But when I try to go plowing right in I almost always stumble. What I've found is that just taking a little stop, a little collecting moment, makes all the difference. I know this sounds obvious, but it worked wonders for me. I think of it in the terms my son's baseball coach used for fielding a double play: set yourself first. Not even as long as a second, but just long enough to "have the reel in your head," or at least a glimmer of it. Honestly, it seems to sound better that way too.

For what it's worth...

Carol

Stan · Post by **Stan** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 8:04 pm

Bloomfield-
Here's what Alan Ng's comprehensive Irish
Traditional Tune Index has to say about
Scatter the Mud and The Noonday Feast:

"Scatter the Mud / Scaip an Puiteach / Rambles with Rory / The Noonday Feast / Port Jack Walsh / Jack Walsh's Jig / Smash the Windows (compare The Maids of Tramore / The Maid of Tramore included here, which has different 2nd part)"........are all names for the same tune.

There's also a quite similar version of both tunes in JC's Tunefinder.

Whistlepeg · Post by **Whistlepeg** » Sat Nov 16, 2002 11:10 pm

If you are playing with a band, or with a guitarist, while you hold the last note of the jig, have the guitarist switch to the reel pattern using the first chord of the reel (like a bridge) Then it is no longer your problem - you just jump in when you feel ready!
If you are playing with yourself (figuratively speaking) practice singing the jig going into the reel. Most jigs are faster than reels so don't necessarily try to keep the beat constant or your reels may be too fast. As long as you have a strong, definite transition it should work.

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Sun Nov 17, 2002 1:30 am

Most jigs are faster than reels?!??!!?

Whistlepeg · Post by **Whistlepeg** » Sun Nov 17, 2002 5:15 pm

It is all relative.
What I mean by faster is the Metronome would be set at a faster tempo. Because jigs have 3 notes per beat and reels have 4, reels will sound faster. The actual beat is slower.
Example: try setting metronome at 120 forjigs
at 112 reels
I am not very good at math, so I don't know how to work out how fast each eighth note is at a specific metronome marking
...If two trains are travelling towards each other at 112 bmp....

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Sun Nov 17, 2002 10:21 pm

Ahhh, I don't have a metronome, but I understand what you're saying... Just play a jig, keep the same beat, and switch to a reel, it will sound faster. Thanks for opening my eyes

Whistlepeg · Post by **Whistlepeg** » Sun Nov 17, 2002 10:24 pm

Azalin,
Were you at the James Morrison festival just outside of Sligo?

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 9:22 am

Well, there's a few nights that I don't remember where I was, but I don't think I've ever been to this concert. I was in Sligo for a few days, but not at any festival. Why?

Whistlepeg · Post by **Whistlepeg** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 7:36 pm

Azalin,
There were a couple of people from Canada there that I chatted with for a moment. I remember you saying you had a lesson with Sean Ryan - he performed at this festival, so I wondered if may I met you there! Oh well, maybe next time.