Learning Jigs

[MSzychulda]

I have been teaching myself to play the tin whistle (nearest instructer 200 miles away) for about 8 mo. now and have become proficient at some airs and ballads, now I am intrested in jigs. My question is how do I go about getting the speed needed for a jig? Do you simply practice slow until you build the muscle memory for the song or are there some tricks? Thanks and any recommendations on easy jigs would be helpful, Matt

[glauber]

Practice slow, increase gradually, use a metronome.

Google for "Brother Steve's Pennywhistle Site" and read everything there. Then go back and read the parts that have to do with gigs, the rhythm, tonguing, phrasing, etc. The good thing is he has plenty of examples there, with the "dots" and recordings.

g

[Caj]

Practice practice practice.

A metronome is a very good idea, especially when getting "up to speed" for the first time. It helps to practice scales or arpeggios against the metronome too --- in all cases, play only at speeds at which the music is clean and steady. You will want to push yourself to play faster, but resist the urge to play faster than is good for you.

(For a double jig, "up to speed" usually means somewhere around 1 measure per second, or a metronome setting of 120 beats per minute.)

Also, metronomes are for measuring your speed as much as they are for developing steadiness. Keep a journal from day to day of the speeds at which you can play specific exercises, again clearly and steadily.

Caj

[Jens_Hoppe]

What Glauber said. Go to StevieJ's site at

http://www.rogermillington.com/siamsa/b ... index.html

and go through everything there, remembering of course to listen carefully to the sound samples. There is no better online tutorial for learning to play jigs the "real" way.

Jens

[MarcusR]

There is no better online tutorial for learning to play jigs the "real" way. ;)Jens

If you cant get the rythm down you can always play jigs the "reel" way instead.

/MarcusR

[skh]

Do you simply practice slow until you build the muscle memory for the song or are there some tricks?

Relax and take your time. Play a lot, play relaxed and with a steady beat -- with or without a metronome. Never hurry. One day, you'll be comfortable at any speed.

Sonja

[brewerpaul]

Don't worry too much about speed, which will come with time.
If you practice too fast and make a lot of mistakes, all you are really practicing is the WRONG way to play the jig. Start at a speed at which you can comfortably play the jig ACCURATELY, then increase very gradually. Try to keep a dancing feel to the music, even at slow speeds. Any tune played well, with feeling at a slower speed is much better than a fast, cruddy rendition.

[glauber]

Yes, the metronome is for developing a steady rhythm. I use the metronome to slow me down, not speed up.

[Pat Cannady]

Don't mean to pick, but I'm going to anyway

How about listening to a lot of recorded jigs played by various performers on assorted instruments at assorted tempi? Not everyone plays like the hammers of hell and it's simply not necessary to play fast all the time. It's not exciting, it's robotic.

120 bpm is a bit fast for jigs unless you're playing simplified (minimal ornamentation) settings for a ceili. You lose nothing by slowing down to a comfortable pace, and doing so will enable you to play steadier and eventually faster.

Keep your hands relaxed, don't grip the whistle tightly. Don't flail your fingers all over the place, either, keep them close to the toneholes.

A useful concept that will enable you to play with speed when you do want to turn on the jets: focus on STEADINESS. If you can learn to execute a tune with steadiness at slower tempos, with daily practice you will eventually you will be able to rock out on it. Just give it time and consistent practice, it's all muscle memory.

Above all, remember it's better to be steady than speedy. In a session, there is nothing more annoying than a musician slowing down for the tricky parts and then speeding up again.

[FJohnSharp]

It's like typing. You learn accuracy first, then speed.

[glauber]

It's like typing on a typewriter, not a computer. No, not one of those typewriters that come with correction tape either.

[Eliezer]

Yup. As Glauber says, " the metronome is for developing a steady rhythm. I use the metronome to slow me down, not speed up." And there are metronomes on the internet, though you can buy them for $15 these days.

Speed is one of those over-rated commodities, like horsepower. The important thing is to give a little push to beats 1 and 4, and make it sound like dance music. If your toes ain't a-tappin' your jig will SOUND like a metronome.

[susnfx]

What Glauber said. Go to StevieJ's site at

http://www.rogermillington.com/siamsa/b ... index.html

and go through everything there, remembering of course to listen carefully to the sound samples. There is no better online tutorial for learning to play jigs the "real" way.

Jens

Amen.

Susan

[Caj]

120 bpm is a bit fast for jigs unless you're playing simplified (minimal ornamentation) settings for a ceili.

Hi,

For a double-jig, 120 bpm is only one measure per second. It's actually a very common speed for double jigs, and amenable to a good deal of ornamentation. Look at a watch and say, "diggity diggity" every second---that's 120bpm.

Now, playing a reel at 120bpm is too fast for me. But for a jig, 120 is almost leisurely. On most of my CDs, double-jigs are either exactly 120, or some insane speed like 140-150.

Regards,
Caj

[mvhplank]

For a double-jig, 120 bpm is only one measure per second. It's actually a very common speed for double jigs, and amenable to a good deal of ornamentation. Look at a watch and say, "diggity diggity" every second---that's 120bpm.

Now, playing a reel at 120bpm is too fast for me. But for a jig, 120 is almost leisurely. On most of my CDs, double-jigs are either exactly 120, or some insane speed like 140-150.

Regards,
Caj

One of the "cheap tricks" that contra dance bands use to get the crowd to whoop and holler is to go from a jig to a reel during a set.

Contra dance tunes, whether jig or reel, are played about 120-130 bpm. Thus, when the band goes from "jiggity-jiggity" (6 notes, usually) to "watermelon-watermelon" (8 notes in the same time frame) it sounds faster but the dancers are still moving at the same speed--two steps to the bar.

I've often heard the dance band musicians advocate practicing with a metronome. The band is expected to provide a clear and consistent rhythm in addition to competent musicianship.

So, if you're anywhere close to a contra dance series, go! Listen, dance, have a good time, and as your confidence and skills build, you might be able to sit in. (You might try Googling "contra dance" and your state to find one.)