Bagpipe Lessons: Jig? Reel? Strathspey? Differences Between Dance Tunes on the Highland Bagpipes! 

“So many people are not aware.” I was lost but now I’m found. Thanks.

Awesome video! Thanks! About a year ago I started piping for a local highland dancing school. Took me quite a while before I could play reliably & consistently enough for the dancers, but when I got to the stage where the dancing teacher didn't use any recorded music for the entire session, well it felt like the highest achievement I've ever had in piping. I'm extremely grateful to the highland dancing school for giving me this opportunity, and would highly recommend to other pipers, if you have a chance, to learn to pipe for dancers. Warning: If you've played pipes in a band or even for solo competition, piping for dancers is a whole new world. You'll be a humble beginner again - and that's a good thing!

Matt , this made an immediate difference. I have played this music for years, with no guide lines .

I was legit searching for that kind of question!!

Fascinating…..very worthwhile, liked the sound explanation of the theory……

A little over my head, but I'm learning, LOL!!

I enjoyed this video Ive never really understood the true meaning of the jigs reels etc but over the years I have learned to play from the heart

Fantastic video ! you have answered a lot of questions about these types of tunes that for some reason most players don’t really know the answer to, we play it the way we play it because we were told to play it that way, thank you Mat!

Another excellent video with good clear explanations of different tune types and how they are played. As someone said - Pure Gold!

This is incredibly helpful! Thank you so much! I am learning hornpipes for the first time starting off with Captain Celtic and the Teamsters, and Pumpkins Fancy. After playing mostly marches for 20 years this is a great guide especially for beginners of the different styles of bagpipe music.

Thanks for this explanation, as always, Straight and to the point is a manner that just makes sense. I always had difficultly understanding the differences. Perfect complement to the Rhythm course at the DojoU!!

I'm so glad Matt made this video. It certainly helps me understand the music. Thanks Matt!

This is great Matt, thanks. (Having learned several of these dances as a young lad, I can say the tunes (the pointed ones) are very much matched to the rhythm and steps of the particular dance types.)

Very educational Matt. Thanks! If I’m struggling with the beat when looking at a new tune, I just hum a tune I already know in that same idiom. It usually helps to set the rhythm and makes the new tune easier to absorb.

I NEEDED this. Thank you

The best explanation of the difference in timing and playing technique I have ever heard/read. Thsnk you !!!

Matt, you're awesome

This is gold.

Stuart Liddell himself said that he plays slides in his hornpipes the highland wedding and Cameronian rant

Waaaaaay over my head! But so many of your videos have been perfect for me! ... A guy that’s not looking to be a pro... just trying to figure out how to play this cantankerous monster! Thanks Matt! Just watching and listening inspires me!

Very useful video. Thank you.

Really enjoyed it; Thanks!

I'm a whistler not a piper, still totally relevant and useful. Thank you

This was super helpful! I was annoyed that the better I got at sight reading generally the worse I got at playing Strathspeys and this totally makes sense now! Thanks Matt!

Way to break it down Matt! Thanks again

That was so interesting...many thanks

i think i need a one on one with you soon on this . its been my down fall since i picked the pipes up 6 years ago. maybe even why i struggle to memorize tunes. thanks matt

I am nerding out on this! Thank you!! Shared as well!! People need to know!!

Great video, might have to watch twice as first time through was stretching my music theory a bit!

Great video good job 👏

I like to visualise the dancing to set the tempo and phrasing for my tunes.

12/8 Up to The Line-L. Grey & B Gandy

As usual a great video, great to see so many comments it helps with the algorythm (yeah with a "Y" ... It's music.. Lol) BTW slightly off topic, how about a video on "must have" apps? Or ...have you already made one andI missed it???

Gravel Walk into Sleepy Maggie...killer combo

And I forgot to say it’s usually played on a whistle or a fiddle.

Awesome video. Holy cow that tune at 13:00 is known in the bluegrass world as Red Haired Boy 🙈🤭

Hi Matt new piper here from the uk . I understand that in jigs it’s counted 123-123 . How should I count reels and horn pipes , I don’t think you mentioned how to count them. Many thanks ❤

Thank you! At last in print. Btw, what type of chanter and reed are you using for this demo?

Slide's I've come across are Keefe's slide and Art O'Keefe's

So Marquis of Huntley is a Strathspey ?... very educational stuff... being a newfoundlander I heard many a jigs, keshs especially lol

Omg I have a degree in music and this is over my head! A horn pipe as I know it is a sailor’s dance or it is in the UK. I believe they dance in a circle and it involves swords a bit like the highland male dancers do. Not sure this much help but maybe……….?

Hi, I’m doing a research about strathspey, I’ve looked everywhere on the internet and didn’t found notes on the structure in the genre, can you direct me to an academic paper of that kind of thing? Thanks anyway great video

Hello. Very informative. Can anyone help me here? I'm looking for a sound file/video of a solo GHB playing Stumpie, but for some reason my search of the internet is devoid of results. Do you know where I can find a solo GHB piper playing Stumpie (the strathspey, though I would settle for a reel otherwise. Small pipes, etc, would also be appreciated in absence of GBH). Thank you.

What are those little notes above the main notes?

Slip and slide! Isn't that a Milton Bradley board game?

I do feel like our foot movements are more complicated with hornpipes than with Reels.

Мы в своей школе преподаём шотландские и валлийские танцы и, касательно разновидностей джиг могу сказать, что, скорее всего это обусловлено разной хореографией и изначальным построением танцоров. К примеру, танцевать в сете чуть сложнее, чем в кругу и для этого и требуется музыка разных темпов. Я не могу утверждать это со 100% вероятностью, но могу обсудить это с нашими преподавателям и дать более развёрнутый ответ, если это будет интересно.

@Matt Willis Bagpiper: You did not mension if Strathspey is slower then a reel, and you also said that a jig is slower then a reel, but you never play the exact same tune with does diffrent type, to properly compare them, for example it is clear that the Money musk strathspey and reel, this is clear that the Strathspey is slower then the reel version, because they play the same tune as different version. That is not the reason why I'm asking that, I heard to diffrent version of (La grand gigue simple) one is label reel, and the other is not label reel, however the reel version is faster then the one that is not label, I want to know if the non label version if it is a Strathspey, or jig, or it is just the reel version again just played slower, the reel of La grand gigue simple, plays in La bottine souriante y a bien du changement, track number 6 and it is within this track, when he is done with the song and just start talking, the non label version, is in La bottine souriante chick & swell track 1, it is within track 1 after their [turlute(french version of an acapala mouthing the sound of the instrument)] So if you go an listen to them can you tell me what type is it the that is not label as a type, the name of the tune as the word gigue that translate into Jig, it was still considered non label because if it was label, it would have been written like this( la gigue de la grand gigue simple) or if it would have been label as a strathspey( la Strathspey de la grand gigue simple) I do understand french, I just can't type it properly with this key board. Just look at the bottine souriante topic youtube channel to find them, their album are all there for free, except for their 2nd album, chick & Swell was their 3rd album, Y'a bien du changement was their first Album. It is the band themselves who made the youtube channel, because it is the modern type and receive payment for monetizing commercial.

I know what Bacne is. I'm almost afraid to ask. What is Dacne?

12/8: I've found "An Chailleach sa Tornoig".

Slip Jig??? - Lochaber Dance

Matt, instead of “Jigadee” can I say “Giggadee”?