Irish Dance Counts: Reels, Jigs, Slip Jigs and Hornpipes

The short answer: a reel counts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 over two bars of 4/4, a light or treble jig counts 1 2 3 4 5 6 in one bar of 6/8, a slip jig counts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 in one bar of 9/8, and a hornpipe counts like a reel but swung. A step is 8 bars in every one of them, so the count changes while the length of the phrase does not.

Side by side

Here are the five Irish dance rhythms with their meter, count and bars. Tempos come from Count Studio's own count library, and the jig tempos are the dotted beat, two to a bar.

The meters match Wikipedia's Irish stepdance article: reels and hornpipes in 2/4 or 4/4, light and treble jigs in 6/8, slip jigs in 9/8. The bar counts come from the Oireachtas page, which lists 48 bars of treble jig and 40 of hornpipe in the hard-shoe round, and 48 bars of reel and 40 of slip jig in the light-shoe round. The sources I cite give no competition bar count for the light jig, so that cell stays empty. For other styles, see the dance tempo chart, and for the reel's beats on a tape, the Irish reel count in the library.

When each is used

Reels and light jigs

The reel is a soft-shoe dance and one of the first a student learns. Its music is usually written in 4/4 or 2/2, and the same tune can be notated either way with no change to the note lengths. The beats are even, with no swing. A reel tune usually runs 32 bars as AABB, each part eight bars long, so a step fits one part exactly.

Count a reel as eight beats across two bars, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, and lean on 1 and 5. Teachers lead in with 5, 6, 7, 8 before the first step.

The light jig shares its 6/8 meter with the treble jig. Each bar is two groups of three, 1 2 3 4 5 6, with weight on 1 and 4. Eight bars of that make a step, so you say the six eight times.

The slip jig

The slip jig is in 9/8, and Wikipedia notes accents on five of the nine beats. The easy way in is to ignore the accent map and count three groups of three: 1 2 3, 4 5 6, 7 8 9. The bar feels long and rolling, so a competition slip jig runs 40 bars, not 48, at the same tempo as the other dances. If 9/8 is new to you, counting 9/8 in other traditions uses the same grouping idea.

Treble jigs and hornpipes

Both are hard-shoe dances. Both leave room for heavier steps. The treble jig is the 6/8 jig danced slowly, and the library lists a slow speed of 73 and a traditional one of 92. The hornpipe is dotted, so it does not divide into even eighths the way a reel does: the first half of each beat is long, the second short. More on both in our Irish dance articles.

How to switch between them

Keep the idea of an 8-bar step and change only the grouping. A jig bar is two threes. A slip jig bar is three threes. A reel is four beats in a bar, and two bars make your 1 to 8. A hornpipe uses the same 1 to 8 as a reel, so the switch between those two is a feel change, not a count change: even for the reel, long and short for the hornpipe.

Here's a quick test: say "1 2 3 4 5 6" fast and steady. If it wants to fall into two groups, you are in a jig. If it wants to fall into three, you are in a slip jig, and you need nine.

Practise it

1. Clap the strong beats only. Jig: 1 and 4. Slip jig: 1, 4 and 7. Reel: 1 and 5.
2. Say the full count aloud to a tune, starting with 5, 6, 7, 8.
3. Count eight bars and note the bar number you are on, not just the beat. Steps start on bar 1.
4. Do one dance at a time before mixing a jig and a slip jig, since only the grouping differs.

Count Studio is coming November 27 to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Its library has the Irish reel, light jig, slip jig, treble jig and hornpipe, each with its meter and tempo range, so you can hear the count before you dance it.

Bottom line

Reels and hornpipes share a 1 to 8 over 4/4, jigs count to six, and slip jigs count to nine. Keep the 8-bar step in your head, then count the grouping that fits the dance in front of you.