What are the more common speeds for dance tunes people have come across; specifically for the slower tunes such as the set dances and treble jigs? Reels seem to be fairly standard at 113 bpm for the cut 4/4 time, but does anyone have alternative meters?
Depends whether you are playing for fun, for sessions, for a concert, for set dancers or for step dancers.
The hardest thing is the slow speed that most Step dancers want their jigs played at.
Are you referring to step dance tempos? (I assume you are, since you're referring to treble jigs and set dances in the same breath....
Championship reels, slip jigs and hornpipes are 113
treble jigs: 73
treble reels: faster than light shoe reels - around 116
for less advanced dancers, the speeds are faster
reels 116-120 depending on level
slip jigs: 116-118 or
single jigs: sometimes as fast as 119 or 120
beginner treble jigs: 92, sometimes in the 80's
traditional hornpipes about 140 (I think)
set dances depend- trad sets have definite speeds, for example St. Patrick's Day is 92
The non-trad sets vary, but there are some rules about how slow they can go. My son has danced hornpipe sets around 109-110 (The Hunt, Blue-eyed Rascal). Jig sets can be in the high 60's / low 70's I think.
azfiddle's "Jig sets can be in the high 60's / low 70's" ~ meaning 120 - 140... Beyond that, listen, especially to the older and new more relaxed recordings ~ if you want to enjoy this music pain free into your old age...that goes for dancers too...
well, actually, for competitive step dancers, the set dances are played painfully slow, like the treble jigs, so I'm pretty sure that when the announcer says: The Three Sea Captains at 69, the musician at the feis is playing 69, not 138.....
The slow speed accomodates more footwork, but isn't terribly musical (IMHO).
well I can onlyspeak from my own considerable experience.
Ihave playedSt patricks day,successfully for dancing at 96
Double Jigs,115 to120,for ceilidh dancing.
reels no faster than 210.
Hornpipes for Belfast Duck etc 144.
Fast hornpipes[hoppies]160
Slipjigs112
irishpolkas142,Slides143.marches124
theblackbird and other solo hornpipes 140ish.
Whatever you do it will be wrong (especially with dancers who only dance to cds, as they can't tell you what they want).
All you can do is watch them closely.
I’m just gabberflasted at all these precise tempoes (I can’t say “tempi”). Does somebody really crank up a metronome to start a tune at 113 or 92? Does anybody complain if you happen to slip from 113 to 112?
Well... for playing for a dancers in a performance, you can be more casual about the tempo, and they can adjust to the music.
But at a dance competition, the musician is expected to have a metronome and use it. The one time I played solo for a feis, the judge rang her bell before the dancers could start, and asked me to play 1 beat slower. (And I had the metronome set to 113, so she wanted 112).
I don't mind sitting in with a feis musician, but personally, I don't really plan to do it again on my own because I don't really enjoy being a slave to the metronome- too stressful!
This is really most helpful! I can't help but admire people who play for the dancing competitions in all their various forms; the requirement for strict tempo (tempi? I like that!) is really difficult to get right. When the tempo is down for 50-55 for some of the set dances (and I know this to be true) there's an awful lot of silence in between each beat! I have been really impressed by the seasoned players who can manage to start off into the reels, jigs and hornpipes at the appropriate speed! Does anybody set the metronome to double the speed to listen to the off-beat? I want to give that a try to see if it helps.
speeds for dance tunes
speeds for dance tunes
What are the more common speeds for dance tunes people have come across; specifically for the slower tunes such as the set dances and treble jigs? Reels seem to be fairly standard at 113 bpm for the cut 4/4 time, but does anyone have alternative meters?
# Posted on May 8th 2007 by CiaranMulholland
Re: speeds for dance tunes
Depends whether you are playing for fun, for sessions, for a concert, for set dancers or for step dancers.
The hardest thing is the slow speed that most Step dancers want their jigs played at.
# Posted on May 9th 2007 by Donough
Re: speeds for dance tunes
"About this fast...no, a bit faster. Alright, that's perfect!"
You'll never get a one solid dance speed. I always ask the dancers beforehand; only sure way, really.
--DtM
# Posted on May 9th 2007 by Dan the Man
Re: speeds for dance tunes
Are you referring to step dance tempos? (I assume you are, since you're referring to treble jigs and set dances in the same breath....
Championship reels, slip jigs and hornpipes are 113
treble jigs: 73
treble reels: faster than light shoe reels - around 116
for less advanced dancers, the speeds are faster
reels 116-120 depending on level
slip jigs: 116-118 or
single jigs: sometimes as fast as 119 or 120
beginner treble jigs: 92, sometimes in the 80's
traditional hornpipes about 140 (I think)
set dances depend- trad sets have definite speeds, for example St. Patrick's Day is 92
The non-trad sets vary, but there are some rules about how slow they can go. My son has danced hornpipe sets around 109-110 (The Hunt, Blue-eyed Rascal). Jig sets can be in the high 60's / low 70's I think.
Hope that was what you were looking for.
# Posted on May 9th 2007 by azfiddle
Re: speeds for dance tunes
azfiddle's "Jig sets can be in the high 60's / low 70's" ~ meaning 120 - 140... Beyond that, listen, especially to the older and new more relaxed recordings ~ if you want to enjoy this music pain free into your old age...that goes for dancers too...
# Posted on May 9th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: speeds for dance tunes
well, actually, for competitive step dancers, the set dances are played painfully slow, like the treble jigs, so I'm pretty sure that when the announcer says: The Three Sea Captains at 69, the musician at the feis is playing 69, not 138.....
The slow speed accomodates more footwork, but isn't terribly musical (IMHO).
# Posted on May 9th 2007 by azfiddle
Re: speeds for dance tunes
well I can onlyspeak from my own considerable experience.
Ihave playedSt patricks day,successfully for dancing at 96
Double Jigs,115 to120,for ceilidh dancing.
reels no faster than 210.
Hornpipes for Belfast Duck etc 144.
Fast hornpipes[hoppies]160
Slipjigs112
irishpolkas142,Slides143.marches124
theblackbird and other solo hornpipes 140ish.
# Posted on May 9th 2007 by Rufus Jameson
Re: speeds for dance tunes
Whatever you do it will be wrong (especially with dancers who only dance to cds, as they can't tell you what they want).
All you can do is watch them closely.
# Posted on May 10th 2007 by geoffwright
Re: speeds for dance tunes
Geoff,I Agree with you.
# Posted on May 10th 2007 by Rufus Jameson
Re: speeds for dance tunes
I’m just gabberflasted at all these precise tempoes (I can’t say “tempi”). Does somebody really crank up a metronome to start a tune at 113 or 92? Does anybody complain if you happen to slip from 113 to 112?
# Posted on May 10th 2007 by Bob himself
Re: speeds for dance tunes
Well... for playing for a dancers in a performance, you can be more casual about the tempo, and they can adjust to the music.
But at a dance competition, the musician is expected to have a metronome and use it. The one time I played solo for a feis, the judge rang her bell before the dancers could start, and asked me to play 1 beat slower. (And I had the metronome set to 113, so she wanted 112).
I don't mind sitting in with a feis musician, but personally, I don't really plan to do it again on my own because I don't really enjoy being a slave to the metronome- too stressful!
# Posted on May 11th 2007 by azfiddle
Re: speeds for dance tunes
This is really most helpful! I can't help but admire people who play for the dancing competitions in all their various forms; the requirement for strict tempo (tempi? I like that!) is really difficult to get right. When the tempo is down for 50-55 for some of the set dances (and I know this to be true) there's an awful lot of silence in between each beat! I have been really impressed by the seasoned players who can manage to start off into the reels, jigs and hornpipes at the appropriate speed! Does anybody set the metronome to double the speed to listen to the off-beat? I want to give that a try to see if it helps.
Cheers all.
# Posted on May 14th 2007 by CiaranMulholland