Introducing the Irish Tune Type: Slip Jig (on a Low and High Whistle)

Hi, friends.

In this video I’ll share the basics of the slip jig tune style. A slip jig is a dance tune. It is a type of a jig but has its own character.

Slip jigs are in 9/8 time. That means 9 beats to a measure, and an eighth note gets one beat. Each measure has three sets of three beats. That extra set of three beats changes the feel of the tune, particularly since the slip jig generally has a few more long / short pairs. The 9/8 rhythm causes the slip jig to feel different than the standard jig which is in 6/8 time.

A jig drives a little more, but the slip jig ends up having a lilting rhythm. There are no hard and fast rules here though. You’ll find regular jigs with lots of pairings, not dominated by runs. You’ll find slip jigs with almost all triplet runs. But the time signature and the intended dance dictate the rhythm.

The time signature controls the general feel of the rhythm. The heavy light pattern causes the flowing feel as do the runs. Listen to folks playing slip jigs. You’ll soon have the feel.

Select the video to the right to access the lesson.