6/8 jig time in american old thymemusic

Subject: RE: 6/8 jig time in american old thymemusic
From: Nehi
Date: 27 Feb 09 - 06:08 PM

After doing a little research, it seems that reels were more popular in the Southern Colonies than jigs. Most of the music played at the southern highlands were derived from the reels of Scotland and Ireland and therefore were based on 2/2, 2/4 and 4/4 time. Of course there were exceptions, such as "The Irish Washerwoman" being used extensively in the Southwest for dances.

Subject: RE: 6/8 jig time in american old thymemusic
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Feb 09 - 05:44 PM

There are a few--Haste To the Wedding was, and is, popular at least in New England. So, I think, was Larry O'Gaff--at least it had several sets of words sung to it.

Subject: RE: 6/8 jig time in american old thymemusic
From: nickp
Date: 27 Feb 09 - 12:10 PM

Maybe Ray. but wouldn't the old time repertoire have become reasonably established with just the fiddle?

Subject: RE: 6/8 jig time in american old thymemusic
From: GUEST,BanjoRay
Date: 27 Feb 09 - 12:04 PM

I wonder if it's to do with jigs being very difficult to play on a five string banjo in clawhammer or frailing style. Tunes in 4/4 are much easier.
Ray

Subject: RE: 6/8 jig time in american old thymemusic
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 26 Feb 09 - 07:50 PM

(That guest was me - please don't delete!)

Sorry, I neglected the Scottish. But there remain many Irish jigs in the CB repertoire. And my main point is that even the Scottish jigs were "introduced" rather late in the story.

As I understand it. I don't claim to have the final word on the issue.

Subject: RE: 6/8 jig time in american old thymemusic
From: Jack Campin
Date: 26 Feb 09 - 07:43 PM

The great majority of Cape Breton jigs are Scottish, not Irish.

Subject: RE: 6/8 jig time in american old thymemusic
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Feb 09 - 07:13 PM

There is a discussion on fiddle-l on this very topic, back in March/April of 1998; you might want to look it up in the archives; otherwise, I'll provide a link later on if I get the time. Based on what I read there, which was rather inconclusive ("more research needed"), and what I've picked up about other traditions in other places, I suspect that it had to do with fashion in dance: dances in 6/8 time went out of style as some new dances in 4/4 became hip, until the 6/8 repertoire was largely forgotten (although one or two contributors to the fiddle-l discussion recalled one or two specific old tyme Southern fiddlers who had a number of jigs in their brainbox). By the way, in that fiddle-l discussion, it was stated that the lack of jigs is a feature of southern as opposed to northern (New England) fiddling.

Back to dance. Somewhat conversely, in the Cape Breton tradition there is a vast number of jigs - but these were not "indigenous"; they were adapted from the Irish or composed to accomodate changes in popular dance forms in the early 20th century.

Subject: 6/8 jig time in american old thymemusic
From: The Sandman
Date: 26 Feb 09 - 06:20 PM

Does this tempo occur very much in old thyme american fiddle and banjo tunes?.
If it doesnt , is it not surprising? anyone got any theories why this might be .