Reel
Fast Scottish-Irish dance in duple time.
What it means
The reel is a fast Scottish-Irish dance in duple time, usually in 4/4 or 2/2. The melody consists mainly of continuous quavers that give the dance its drive. A reel usually has two or four parts of eight bars each, which are repeated.
Musical use
The reel is played in Scotland, Ireland and Canada (especially Cape Breton) on fiddle, bagpipe, flute, accordion and banjo and accompanies group or couple dances. It is often combined in sets with other reels and a jig. The slower Scottish strathspey is a relative with pronounced dotting.
The reel should be distinguished from the jig, which is in 6/8 time, and from the gigue of the baroque suite, which comes from a similar tradition but is in compound time.
Performance practice
Play the reel evenly and with a clear pulse; the continuous quavers should not rush. Accent the beats lightly and add small ornaments as is customary in the tradition.