I play for dancers and competitions and my selection of treble jigs is rather low. There is only so many times you can play "Humours of Whiskey" or "My Darling Asleep" before going nuts. Does anyone have recommendations for some INTERESTING treble jigs? Perhaps in minor keys? I rather like the "Lord of the Dance" treble jig, but have only heard it a couple of times. Does anyone know where I could find that one as well?
My treble jig favs: the idle road, Hartighan's Fancy (or Queen of the Rushes), Coleraine...
Any tips are helpful!
Our local whistle wizard got us using Paddy O'Brien's jig, The Boys of Lough Gowna, when a dancer asks for a treble jig. http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/3377 Its rambling melody and modal shifts keeps it interesting, and there are lots of opportunities for chromatic triplets in all the right places to match the dancer's steps.
For treble jigs, I've also used Joe Burke's, Top of Cork Road, and Connaughtman's Rambles.
For that purpose, I like jigs that have fairly straightforward rhythm and melodies that are pretty & interesting enough to be enjoyed at the slower pace. Like: Swans among the rushes (Reavy's), The thrush in the straw, maybe Whelan's old sow . . .
I always thought that a treble jig was another name for a slip jig. Perhaps not (no doubt, this is one of many discrepancies between dancers' and musicians' nomenclature). But, of the two tunes that Elddif mentions, one (The Humours of Whiskey) *is* a slip jig whilst the other (My Darling Asleep) is not. So I think I have a right to be confused.
Sorry MG, The Humours of Whiskey is another name for the jig, Larry O'Gaff (http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/498), and I'm guessing that's the one Elddif meant. Your First Amendment right to confusion has been revoked.
I'd still like a definition of a treble jig. Is it just a double jig that suits dancers to do their treble jig steps?
Single jigs go faster than double, so how slow would you have to play a treble jig?
Will, can I claim the right to be still confused?
Where's Zina on this one
A treble jig is any jig played around 50 BPM, so competition step-dancers can get in loads of steps per measure. With an exposure like that to "Irish" music It's a wonder why 99 out of 100 step-dancers could give a sh*t less about traditional music.
I'm in San Francisco, currently sitting in the San Francisco International Airport, which is why I'm still on Pete's account (because I can't be bothered to go turn off the cookies and all that geeky stuff on his Ti Book). It's raining quite heavily, and our flight has been delayed about an hour already.
"Treble" jig is because of "trebling", having to do with your hardshoe or heavy pomp steps, as has been above mentioned. 50 BPM is quite slow even for a champion stepdancer. I think the slowest you can go is about 68 BPM for competition, but could be wrong. (EoinO is the guy to ask about that one, although we do have a couple of other TCRGs and ADCRGs lurking on this list, as well as some champion dancers. You all know who you are.)
Pick jigs that have more complicated melody lines, is my advice, and ones that you feel comfortable playing variations on, as well, as that'll keep you from expiring from the boredom.
However, if what you're talking about is slip jigs, I do quite like that slip jig as well, though I don't consider it very traditional, and whatever shall you do with the eight bar break in the middle of the thing? ;) It is awfully fun to dance to, though, we use that recording for shows sometimes -- though the jig at the end is incredibly fast!
Kid on the Mountain is oft heard at feisianna, and there's many another slip jig that rank on my personal favorites list -- Paddy O'Snap and Lough Key are two of my favorites, from the playing of Brendan Bulger, Marty Fahey and Kathleen Gavin.
Have fun! i have an awful lot of respect for feis musicians -- dunno how they do it.
Can't! Wanted to, though. Blame Pete, he booked the flights. Besides which, my sisters had us completely booked up from the time we got here to the scheduled time of leaving! I didn't even bring the fiddle once I saw what they had online for us to do. On the brighter side, we finally got those closet installed at my aunt's apartment on Taylor St. Yay!
OK all - I think I finally have it.
Can we say that a Treble Jig is a double jig played at a real slow pace so that the dancers can do maximum steps per beat. There is no specific tunes labelled as Treble ( or is it Trouble) Jigs, but the best ones are the ones that you find easiest to play slowly.
How ever did the music and the dance get separated so much as they did on jigs. Imagine playing a jig at 65bpm in a session! Quite an impact I think.
For me treble jigs are not just about jigs that are easy to play slowly. As Zina and I hinted at above, you want one with a fairly notey melody line, rather than something with lots of dotted quarter notes. And opportunities to toss in chromatic triplets (on fiddle, think bowed triplets where each note is a different pitch) that match places the dancer likes to max out the steps (e.g., ends of phrases).
In my head right now, I can imagine Garrett Barry's working quite well as a treble.....
Tobin's Favourite and Banks of Lough Gowna (Am/C version) seem to work well at our session. Sometimes the dancers ask for a "hard" or "heavy" jig when it's a treble jig they want!
All right - it's starting to make sense: 'single', 'double' and 'treble' correspond to the complexity of the dancers steps, and consequently to the pace at which the tune is played. So, how does a treble jig differ form a 'hard' or 'heavy' jig?
"Treble" and "double" where it refers to jigs has nothing to do with the music, but is a dance term, insofar as I can make out, anyway. The two terms are more or less synonymous. A treble jig (the dance) or double jig (the dance) IS a hard or heavy jig, because you can't treble/double/shuffle/rally in soft shoes. (Unless you're a boy. Guys get to make noise in their reel shoes as well as their heavy shoes.)
Single jigs (the dance) are a softshoe step, and a very traditional one, too.
It actually doesn't have anything to do with complexity of step. The music is played slower for higher level dancers to allow them to get in more fancy moves and such within their step. (We compete with two.)
Aargh. I have to go to work now. Hope this is more helpful than confusing, but I'm not holding my breath. ;)
treble jigs for dancers
treble jigs for dancers
I play for dancers and competitions and my selection of treble jigs is rather low. There is only so many times you can play "Humours of Whiskey" or "My Darling Asleep" before going nuts. Does anyone have recommendations for some INTERESTING treble jigs? Perhaps in minor keys? I rather like the "Lord of the Dance" treble jig, but have only heard it a couple of times. Does anyone know where I could find that one as well?
My treble jig favs: the idle road, Hartighan's Fancy (or Queen of the Rushes), Coleraine...
Any tips are helpful!
# Posted on February 27th 2005 by elddif
Re: treble jigs for dancers
Our local whistle wizard got us using Paddy O'Brien's jig, The Boys of Lough Gowna, when a dancer asks for a treble jig. http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/3377 Its rambling melody and modal shifts keeps it interesting, and there are lots of opportunities for chromatic triplets in all the right places to match the dancer's steps.
For treble jigs, I've also used Joe Burke's, Top of Cork Road, and Connaughtman's Rambles.
# Posted on February 27th 2005 by Will Harmon
Re: treble jigs for dancers
For that purpose, I like jigs that have fairly straightforward rhythm and melodies that are pretty & interesting enough to be enjoyed at the slower pace. Like: Swans among the rushes (Reavy's), The thrush in the straw, maybe Whelan's old sow . . .
# Posted on February 28th 2005 by tedium
Re: treble jigs for dancers
Can someone please define a treble jig??
# Posted on February 28th 2005 by Donough
Re: treble jigs for dancers
I always thought that a treble jig was another name for a slip jig. Perhaps not (no doubt, this is one of many discrepancies between dancers' and musicians' nomenclature). But, of the two tunes that Elddif mentions, one (The Humours of Whiskey) *is* a slip jig whilst the other (My Darling Asleep) is not. So I think I have a right to be confused.
# Posted on February 28th 2005 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: treble jigs for dancers
Sorry MG, The Humours of Whiskey is another name for the jig, Larry O'Gaff (http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/498), and I'm guessing that's the one Elddif meant. Your First Amendment right to confusion has been revoked.
# Posted on February 28th 2005 by Will Harmon
Re: treble jigs for dancers
I'd still like a definition of a treble jig. Is it just a double jig that suits dancers to do their treble jig steps?
Single jigs go faster than double, so how slow would you have to play a treble jig?
Will, can I claim the right to be still confused?
Where's Zina on this one
# Posted on February 28th 2005 by Donough
Re: treble jigs for dancers
A treble jig is any jig played around 50 BPM, so competition step-dancers can get in loads of steps per measure. With an exposure like that to "Irish" music It's a wonder why 99 out of 100 step-dancers could give a sh*t less about traditional music.
# Posted on February 28th 2005 by B Rad
Re: treble jigs for dancers
I'm in San Francisco, currently sitting in the San Francisco International Airport, which is why I'm still on Pete's account (because I can't be bothered to go turn off the cookies and all that geeky stuff on his Ti Book). It's raining quite heavily, and our flight has been delayed about an hour already.
"Treble" jig is because of "trebling", having to do with your hardshoe or heavy pomp steps, as has been above mentioned. 50 BPM is quite slow even for a champion stepdancer. I think the slowest you can go is about 68 BPM for competition, but could be wrong. (EoinO is the guy to ask about that one, although we do have a couple of other TCRGs and ADCRGs lurking on this list, as well as some champion dancers. You all know who you are.)
Pick jigs that have more complicated melody lines, is my advice, and ones that you feel comfortable playing variations on, as well, as that'll keep you from expiring from the boredom.
However, if what you're talking about is slip jigs, I do quite like that slip jig as well, though I don't consider it very traditional, and whatever shall you do with the eight bar break in the middle of the thing? ;) It is awfully fun to dance to, though, we use that recording for shows sometimes -- though the jig at the end is incredibly fast!
Kid on the Mountain is oft heard at feisianna, and there's many another slip jig that rank on my personal favorites list -- Paddy O'Snap and Lough Key are two of my favorites, from the playing of Brendan Bulger, Marty Fahey and Kathleen Gavin.
Have fun! i have an awful lot of respect for feis musicians -- dunno how they do it.
Zina
# Posted on February 28th 2005 by Reverend
Re: treble jigs for dancers
try "Over the Hill" by the way a treble jig is the same as a double jig.
Bob Q
# Posted on February 28th 2005 by clawhammerbanjo
Re: treble jigs for dancers
I guess this means you aren't coming to the session tonight, Zina?
# Posted on February 28th 2005 by Phantom Button
Re: treble jigs for dancers
Can't! Wanted to, though. Blame Pete, he booked the flights. Besides which, my sisters had us completely booked up from the time we got here to the scheduled time of leaving! I didn't even bring the fiddle once I saw what they had online for us to do. On the brighter side, we finally got those closet installed at my aunt's apartment on Taylor St. Yay!
# Posted on February 28th 2005 by Reverend
Re: treble jigs for dancers
BTW, Elddif, Countess Kathleen is in the tunes section here: http://thesession.org/tunes/display.php/598 -- withOUT the break section.
Zina
# Posted on February 28th 2005 by Reverend
Re: treble jigs for dancers
OK all - I think I finally have it.
Can we say that a Treble Jig is a double jig played at a real slow pace so that the dancers can do maximum steps per beat. There is no specific tunes labelled as Treble ( or is it Trouble) Jigs, but the best ones are the ones that you find easiest to play slowly.
How ever did the music and the dance get separated so much as they did on jigs. Imagine playing a jig at 65bpm in a session! Quite an impact I think.
# Posted on February 28th 2005 by Donough
Re: treble jigs for dancers
For me treble jigs are not just about jigs that are easy to play slowly. As Zina and I hinted at above, you want one with a fairly notey melody line, rather than something with lots of dotted quarter notes. And opportunities to toss in chromatic triplets (on fiddle, think bowed triplets where each note is a different pitch) that match places the dancer likes to max out the steps (e.g., ends of phrases).
In my head right now, I can imagine Garrett Barry's working quite well as a treble.....
# Posted on February 28th 2005 by Will Harmon
Re: treble jigs for dancers
Tobin's Favourite and Banks of Lough Gowna (Am/C version) seem to work well at our session. Sometimes the dancers ask for a "hard" or "heavy" jig when it's a treble jig they want!
# Posted on February 28th 2005 by Bannerman
Re: treble jigs for dancers
All right - it's starting to make sense: 'single', 'double' and 'treble' correspond to the complexity of the dancers steps, and consequently to the pace at which the tune is played. So, how does a treble jig differ form a 'hard' or 'heavy' jig?
# Posted on February 28th 2005 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: treble jigs for dancers
Well, sort of, David.
"Treble" and "double" where it refers to jigs has nothing to do with the music, but is a dance term, insofar as I can make out, anyway. The two terms are more or less synonymous. A treble jig (the dance) or double jig (the dance) IS a hard or heavy jig, because you can't treble/double/shuffle/rally in soft shoes. (Unless you're a boy. Guys get to make noise in their reel shoes as well as their heavy shoes.)
Single jigs (the dance) are a softshoe step, and a very traditional one, too.
It actually doesn't have anything to do with complexity of step. The music is played slower for higher level dancers to allow them to get in more fancy moves and such within their step. (We compete with two.)
Aargh. I have to go to work now. Hope this is more helpful than confusing, but I'm not holding my breath. ;)
# Posted on February 28th 2005 by Zina Lee