Jig vs reel vs hornpipe: how to hear the difference

Count the groups

A fast tune isn't necessarily a reel, and a reel played slowly doesn't turn into a hornpipe. What separates them is how the small notes group around each beat. Tap along before you look at the time signature.

Every example below plays back, which makes the grouping easy to inspect. The playback is mechanical, though. Listen to real players to hear how the rhythm feels in the tradition.

Double jigs: two groups of three

A double jig is written in 6/8. Count "ONE two three FOUR five six": two big beats in the bar, each split into three. Tap on ONE and FOUR while saying all six counts evenly.

Play The Kesh below and keep the two big taps going. The melody will sometimes hold a note or leave a gap, so you won't hear six separate notes in every bar, but the grouping carries on underneath.

Reels: groups of two

Reels are written in 4/4, eight quavers to the bar. Count "ONE and two and THREE and four and" slowly. At session speed it feels more like two big beats than four.

Put Cooley's next to The Kesh. Each beat splits in two here and in three there, and that difference is what to listen for, whichever playback happens to be faster. Say the counts along with it, then listen again without counting.

Hornpipes: written like reels, played with swing

Hornpipes are also written in 4/4, so the time signature won't separate them from reels. They're usually played slower, with an uneven long-short swing. How much swing depends on the player.

Listen to The Boys of Bluehill below and compare its phrases with Cooley's. My advice is to go easy on the dots: once learners notice the swing, they tend to overdo it on every pair of notes. Learn the phrasing from traditional players, because neither the score nor the playback captures it.

Slip jigs: three groups of three

Slip jigs are in 9/8: "ONE two three FOUR five six SEVEN eight nine". Three big beats, each split into three. Compare The Butterfly with The Kesh to hear the extra beat.

To test yourself, pick two examples without reading their labels. Tap the big beats and decide whether each one splits into two or three, then check. Get that one distinction reliable before you try to name every tune type.

Counting won't fix everything. I still mix up The Kesh with Ievan Polkka, a jig with a polka, and I couldn't tell you why.

Listen and play

Open each score to play it and compare the melodies. Use the playback for the notes and real musicians for the phrasing.

Keep learning

Pick your next tunes from my 20 tunes for your first session, then look at the sets players save together. Every session plays its own versions, so check with the people you play with.