Pan Celtic Sets
Sets are often made up on the fly during a session. Just as often, a session may have "standard" sets of tunes.. Successful sets unusually change the key or mode when the tune changes. Make up you own sets from the inventory of tunes found on the regional sections of this website.
Tempo
When practicing Celtic music, aim to bring your performance tempo up to these ranges.
ALWAYS practice with a metronome!
Choosing the “correct” tempo in Celtic music is fundamental for a good performance. The range of options extends from “free” (no discernible meter – often used for an air) all the way to “light speed”. Follow two absolute rules.
1. Don’t attempt to play faster than you can produce the melody cleanly and accurately. Speed comes with practice. Don’t get ahead of your muscle memory. That will only serve to slow your progress.
2. When playing in a session don’t set a tempo that is too fast for the majority of players. Sessions are social gatherings. It’s important to include everyone in the music, or at least most everyone.
A general range of tempos for Celtic reels is between 120 beats per minute (BPM) and 140 BPM. Implicit in that number is that each beat marks a quarter note. Yes, you’ll hear tempos up to 170 BPM. Some concert performances run like a rocket. Before you head for those high speeds, keep in mind what the melody is trying to convey. Often a really fast tempo crushes the melody. It’s a demonstration of physical mastery that can easily destroy the musicality inherent in the music. Most Celtic tunes originated as dance or ceremonial or song music. Don’t push the tempo past what the human anatomy can do.
Suggesting a general range of tempos for Celtic jigs requires a bit more discussion. A Celtic jig is built upon a unit of time (a measure or bar) that contains six things (eighth notes) grouped in two pairs of three things (eighth notes). That’s a technical way of saying that when we hear a jig, the musical pulse we feel is two beats in each measure. That pulse is how you tap your foot. Within each of those two beats, three notes are played. The result is that we feel two beats and hear three notes on each of those beats. The technical term for playing three notes on a single beat is “triplet”. Bodhran players are often taught that the pulse of a jig can be felt by saying pineapple apricot. Each word has three syllables. The two words represent one measure of a jig. This combination of two words each with three syllables defines the pulse of a jig.
This means that the BPM measure for a reel is entirely different from that for a jig. A reel will count a measure as either four beats or two beats of quarter notes. But a jig will count a measure as two dotted quarter notes! A dotted quarter note has a during of 1 and 1/2 quarter notes. That's not so easy to count! The pulse of a jig has more notes (6) within it than the pulse of a reel does (4). So, the BPM measure of a jig is always lower than that of a reel. A good tempo range for a jig is between 80 and 100 BPM. Because the pulse of a jig is based on dotted quarter notes, this tempo range will have the same energy as a reel with tempos between 120 BPM and 150 BPM.
If your metronome has a setting that will play triplets, set the rhythm for two beats with triplets on each beat. A tempo setting between 80 and 100 BPM will be the perfect pace for most jigs. Otherwise, just set the metronome for two beats. Let those beats be the pulse of the jig and keep saying pineapple apricot. That way you'll feel the vibe and be at an appropriate tempo.
For a VERY detailed discussion of tune types in Celtic music, explore this entry on the website IrishTuneInfo. The text provides a lot of information about how music and dance integrate through rhythm.
- Reel: 120 - 140 BPM
- Jig: 80 BPM – 100 BPM
ALWAYS practice with a metronome!
Choosing the “correct” tempo in Celtic music is fundamental for a good performance. The range of options extends from “free” (no discernible meter – often used for an air) all the way to “light speed”. Follow two absolute rules.
1. Don’t attempt to play faster than you can produce the melody cleanly and accurately. Speed comes with practice. Don’t get ahead of your muscle memory. That will only serve to slow your progress.
2. When playing in a session don’t set a tempo that is too fast for the majority of players. Sessions are social gatherings. It’s important to include everyone in the music, or at least most everyone.
A general range of tempos for Celtic reels is between 120 beats per minute (BPM) and 140 BPM. Implicit in that number is that each beat marks a quarter note. Yes, you’ll hear tempos up to 170 BPM. Some concert performances run like a rocket. Before you head for those high speeds, keep in mind what the melody is trying to convey. Often a really fast tempo crushes the melody. It’s a demonstration of physical mastery that can easily destroy the musicality inherent in the music. Most Celtic tunes originated as dance or ceremonial or song music. Don’t push the tempo past what the human anatomy can do.
Suggesting a general range of tempos for Celtic jigs requires a bit more discussion. A Celtic jig is built upon a unit of time (a measure or bar) that contains six things (eighth notes) grouped in two pairs of three things (eighth notes). That’s a technical way of saying that when we hear a jig, the musical pulse we feel is two beats in each measure. That pulse is how you tap your foot. Within each of those two beats, three notes are played. The result is that we feel two beats and hear three notes on each of those beats. The technical term for playing three notes on a single beat is “triplet”. Bodhran players are often taught that the pulse of a jig can be felt by saying pineapple apricot. Each word has three syllables. The two words represent one measure of a jig. This combination of two words each with three syllables defines the pulse of a jig.
This means that the BPM measure for a reel is entirely different from that for a jig. A reel will count a measure as either four beats or two beats of quarter notes. But a jig will count a measure as two dotted quarter notes! A dotted quarter note has a during of 1 and 1/2 quarter notes. That's not so easy to count! The pulse of a jig has more notes (6) within it than the pulse of a reel does (4). So, the BPM measure of a jig is always lower than that of a reel. A good tempo range for a jig is between 80 and 100 BPM. Because the pulse of a jig is based on dotted quarter notes, this tempo range will have the same energy as a reel with tempos between 120 BPM and 150 BPM.
If your metronome has a setting that will play triplets, set the rhythm for two beats with triplets on each beat. A tempo setting between 80 and 100 BPM will be the perfect pace for most jigs. Otherwise, just set the metronome for two beats. Let those beats be the pulse of the jig and keep saying pineapple apricot. That way you'll feel the vibe and be at an appropriate tempo.
For a VERY detailed discussion of tune types in Celtic music, explore this entry on the website IrishTuneInfo. The text provides a lot of information about how music and dance integrate through rhythm.
Sets That Include Tunes from Multiple Celtic Regions
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Jig Set 1: Isle of Man - Cornwall - Scotland
Reel Set 1: Cornwall - Scotland - Ireland
Reel Set 2: Isle of Man - Cornwall - Galicia
Slide Set 1: Brittany - Ireland - Isle of Man
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Jig Set 2: Ireland - Galicia - Wales
Hornpipe-Schottische Set: Scotland - Shetland - Wales
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Waltz Set 1: Brittany - Cornwall - Wales
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Waltz Set 2: Cornwall - Scotland - Wales
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Breton Sets
| set_breton_-_piquee-plin-reel.pdf |
Cornish Sets
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Galician Sets
| set_muneira_anterga-_de_casu_-ay_pin.pdf |
Manx Sets
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Irish Sets
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Welsh Sets
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