Irish Tune Type: Slide (Learning the Slide on a Tin Whistle / Low D Whistle)

Hi, friends.

In this video we’re going to learn about the Irish music type, the Slide. The slide is primarily from the South West of Ireland. This is a dance music type.

This can be confusing since there is a slide ornament and a slide tune type.

The slide is traditionally played quite quickly, but if you are playing by yourself you can do what you want. I’ve watched many videos of individuals and groups playing slides. It is not always played at race speed. This is not just a tune type to play quickly.

The slide has a specific rhythm and flow to it. It is similar to a jig, but not quite the same. A slide is primarily in 12/8 time. That means there are twelve beats to every measure, which is the smallest chunk of a tune. And an eighth note gets one beat. Slides do have triplets in them, but more often than not the tune is a mixture of quarter notes, eighth notes, and triplets. You will hear this spoken of as heavy / light pairs. The heavy is the longer note, and the light is the short note. I like this, but I think the heavy light pair comment doesn’t take the interspersed triplets into account enough. So, I’ll call it heavy / light / triplet.

Many have a hard time differentiating between a jig and a slide, but a slide has a different feel with the long / short / triplet combination. And, the slide is in 12/8 and therefore a little broader than a jig which is most often in 6/8. It may be played quickly, but it is intended to be smooth. A jig does have the long / short / triplet combinations, but jigs seem to have longer triplet runs. Also, you feel a jig as one and a two and a one and a two. The slide doubles this and is felt in four. One and a two and a three and a four. But each four set is three beats.

Select the video to the right to access the lesson.