Irish Music

Traditional Irish Music consists of singing and instrumental tunes. Since I mostly play instrumentals myself, I will not give that much information about the singing tradition.
Irish music is mostly played at home or in pubs. Very often musicians are familiar with certain "settings" played by the legends, and the tunes might sound a wee bit different from the ones you play yourself. One of the most popular tunebooks, O'Neill's Music Of Ireland, contains some settings (by the way, it appears under quite a few names, though the most common one contains 1850 tunes). The great tune collector Brendan Breathnach edited Ceol Rince na hEireann (vol 1 - 5), which is probably another example of a "setting" collection.
Reels - Ríleanna
These are the most commonly played tunes, in 4/4 time. Nearly 90% of all the tunes played in a session are reels, and some musicians even want to get rid of the other types of tunes as quick as possible. As an uilleann piper in Miltown Malbay said after playing a couple of jigs: "Well, that's it with jigs. Any hornpipes...?".
Jigs - Poirt
The second most popular tunes are jigs, divided into three types:
Polkas - Polcaí / Polcanna
Very common in Cork/Kerry, and all over the world, 2/4.
Hornpipes - Cornphíopaí
Related to the schottische, with a very bouncy 4/4 rhythm.
Marches
Regular 2/4 tunes.
Strathspeys
Like hornpipes, but emphasized differently. The notes are dotted the other way around. Originally they're Scottish tunes played on fiddle and/or the pipes, but now also played in Donegal.
Barn Dances - Damhsaí Sciobóil
Quite like the hornpipes. Box seems to be a suitable instrument.
Germans - Germans
Quite like the barn dances. Very common in the Donegal area.
Highlands
2/4 or 4/4 tunes. Almost like marches. Donegal.
Airs - Fonn Mall
Slow, free metrical tunes in any time, although often 3/4.
Laments
In my opinion the same as airs.
Waltzes - Válsa
Dance tunes in 3/4. Played all over the world.
Mazurkas - Mazurkas
3/4 tune. Common in Donegal. However, there are not too many of them - about twelve(!).
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Latest Updated: March 24, 2002

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Irish Music - The Best That You Can Get
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