A type of
tune in
Irish and
Scottish traditional music. The Irish
ril is a
cornerstone for the Irish traditional
dancing such as
step dancing,
ceili dancing and
set dancing.
The reel is played in 4/4 time, counting two beats to a bar. A brisk dance speed is 120 bpm (beats per minute), but somewhat slower speeds are danceable too.
In a session with Irish traditional music, reels normally account for well over half the tunes played. In approximate order of frequency played, other tune types are: jig, polka, hornpipe, slide, slip jig.
Names of tunes are by no means standardized, and many tunes are known by several names. To confuse things further, sometimes the same name refers to different tunes. There are thousands and thousands of reels in the tradition, but some are more universally played than others. A very non-exhaustive list of some popular Irish reels:
- The Bucks of Oranmore
- The Banshee
- Cooley's reel
- Craig's pipes
- Drowsy Maggie
- The Golden keyboard
- The Green mountain
- Maid behind the bar
- The Merry Blacksmith
- Rakish Paddy
- Tear the Calico
- The Wind that Shakes the Barley