UNIT 6: Swallow Tail Jig Lesson 6A: The Tune Of the Irish music that is still popular today, the jig is the oldest form of popular dance music in Ireland, and it borrows a great deal from Scotland. In fact, it is very hard to draw clear lines and decipher exactly where each tune truly originated. Irish music is based heavily on 4 modes from Gregorian chant Ionian (like a major scale), Aeolian (like a natural minor scale), Dorian (all white notes on the keyboard starting on D. This sounds like a natural minor scale with the 6 th note raised), and Mixolydian, (all white notes on the keyboard starting on G. This sounds like a major scale with the 7 th note lowered) Different types of Jigs: Double jig is a perpetual motion of jigs, solid moving notes, 6/8 time. (Swallow Tail) Single jigs have a loping rhythm. 6/8 time. Slide jigs have the same loping rhythm as Single jigs, but they are in 12/8, giving them 4 big beats. Slip jigs are in 9/8 time, giving them 3 big beats. Very cool and unique! Swallow Tail is a double jig, with usually six 8 th notes per bar, grouped in threes, giving them a triplet feel. It has 2 big beats per bar. Swallow Tail is in E Dorian. It is in AB simple form. It has a pick-up. The only tricky thing about Swallow Tail is learning to cover both strings with your 1 st finger. Vocabulary: See above for Double jig, Single jig, Slide jig, Slip jig, Ionian, Aeolian, Dorian, Mixolydian ADVANCED CHALLENGE: Play Swallow Tail as a Hoedown or as a Waltz! Lesson 6B: Bow Patterns and Variations New Bowing: Basic Jig Bowing This is Pete Cooper s term for plain old Detache. This is a basic, obvious bowing, but it works GREAT on this tune. Vocabulary: Balanced Bowing means there are equal numbers of down and up bows. Usually, the big beats will alternate Down bow, Up bow. The basic jig bowing is a balanced bowing. New Bowing: Basic Jig Bowing with Slurs This bowing is useful to help maintain your balanced bowing even when the rhythm changes. This helps to keep your big beats alternating Down and Up bows.
New Bow Ornament Tool: Soft Accent This is an accent that happens in the middle of a bow, or during a slur. In fact, you utilize the soft accent in the basic jig bowing with slurs. Create the accent with bow weight plus bow speed. This technique can be supplemented with a left hand ornament. Lesson 6C: Left Hand Technique Double jigs don t have much room, nor do they have much need for other ornaments. However, there are opportunities to slip one in here and there! Upper Neighbor Triplets and Double Cuts are possible, but NOT adviseable.it will just slow you down! Part A: Use a quick grace note on your 1 st finger B on the A string. Use a grace note on the 3 rd finger D on the A string. This will require an agile, developed pinky! Part B: Use a U.N.T. or Double Cut, or Slide on your 1 st finger on the E string Use a sloooow slide or a Pitch Bend on your 3 rd finger D on the A string. Lesson 6D: Scale, Arpeggio, Finger Patterns We reviewed E minor and its relative major, G Major. (1 sharp, both keys!) We reviewed E minor and its parallel major, E Major. But we aren t in E minor.close, but no cigar. We are in E DORIAN. We discussed the white note patterns that form the four modes of Irish music. We practiced E minor and E Dorian AND their arpeggios in the following way: Basic Jig Bowing, ACCENTING the big beats. Do each scale with 6 reps, then 3 reps. Basic Jig Bowing with Slurs, ACCENTING the big beats. Do each scale with 6, then 3 reps. Lesson 6E: Chords Only 2 chords in this tune! We practiced our Soft Accent on this easy chord progression by playing LONG BOWS on each chord, and making a soft accent on beat 2. We did this with chord chart 1 and chord chart 2. Lesson 6F: Bowings for Back-Up New Back-Up bowing for Jigs: The Gallop is a long, short long, short long pattern (quarter, eighth alternating). It is executed in the lower half of the bow, requiring you to use your wrist, elbow, and finger flexibility. No broken chicken wing, and no shoulder! It is almost spiccato, or bounced, but not quite.it is more of a brush stroke. Down-Up-Up Chop Groove (Jig style)
This is almost identical to how you did it on hoedowns, but it s easier, and COOLER! Remember, this is just Down Up chop Up Arpeggiated Back-Up It just so happens that jigs work perfectly for you to just play your arpeggios up and down for each bar. It makes a very cool back-up style. Lesson 6G: Playing Intros and Endings Potatoes New Potatoes: CHOPS on the beat 4 chops work best. You can do 2 chops only if you prefer. (many professionals give only 2 chops) You can give chops just on the TONIC chord, or you can go Tonic- Dominant-Dominant-Tonic (I-V-V-I) Four chops = 4 potatoes = 4 big beats = 2 bars! Do your chops near the frog. No broken chicken wing. Bend your wrist gently. Engage your PINKY New Potatoes: Gallop long, short long, short long pattern. Do this near the frog, bounce-brush the bow. If you play long short long short long short long, that is 4 potatoes, 4 big beats, but you leave out the last short so that you have room for your pick-up. New Potatoes: Drones w/soft Accent You have done drones before, now just add a soft accent for beat 2. To give 4 potatoes, you only need 2 bows. Each bow gives 2 potatoes. Introductions May be fancy or basic, as long as your introduction establishes TEMPO and KEY. May be 2 bars (4 potatoes) or 4 bars (8 potatoes) Potatoes are a form of Introduction, but an Introduction is a little more special than potatoes Bridges and Introductions are extremely interchangeable New Introduction Idea: Descending or Ascending Scale in long notes= 8 potatoes! (8 notes in an octave) Add ornaments to the scale for extra flair. Bridges A Double Jig is full of moving 8 th notes. A nice bridge would add contrast by using LONG notes. We explored 4 simple bridges. 1) Em arpeggio long notes descending, then a quick Em arpeggio up and down 2) Em arpeggio long notes descending, then a quick DM arpeggio up and down 3) Broken thirds E, G, F#, A, then BBBAGF# E (in quick 8 th note triplets) 4) Broken thirds, E, G, F#, A, then DDDAGF# E (in quick 8 th note triplets) TIP: Remember, a 4 bar bridge is equal to 8 big beats. Keep this in mind, and you can think up cool bridges in the shower or at red lights! Endings: We reviewed our old Shave and a Haircut starting on the 3 rd finger. (This covers A, D, G, C Major) We reviewed Shave and a Haircut with a Twist starting on the 3 rd finger. (A, D, G, C Major)
We learned Shave and a Haircut starting on the 4 th finger. (This covers B, E, A, D Major!) Remember, in Major keys, you have to add a HIGH 3 so you have your leading tone. We adapted Shave and a Haircut both RHYTHMICALLY and HARMONICALLY to fit with Swallow Tail. First, we learned to play the rhythm in a Gallop. Second, we learned to play the notes to fit in E Dorian. VOCABULARY: leading tone is the 7 th scale degree in a Major scale. In Mixolydian mode, it feels like you are playing a Major scale with a conspicuously missing leading tone. So Major scales (Ionian) and Mixolydian are very closely related. NEW ENDING: Shave and a Haircut adapted to Gallop rhythm and Dorian mode Penultimate Bar Repeat is soooo cool Scale Bump (up or down) works extremely well with a Jig Arpeggio Bump (up or down) works extremely well with a Jig Lesson 6H: Change-Ups and Breaks We learned two rhythmic change-ups, and they also happen to be VERY common and useful jig rhythms. You can basically plug these rhythms into ANY jig and it will work! First rhythm has two fast 16 th notes in the middle of each triplet Second rhythm is a dotted rhythm, and makes a sort of gallop sound. UNIT 6 PRACTICE ASSIGNMENTS Lesson / Video A B C D Assignments ASSIGNMENT A1: Learn Swallow Tail, and FAITHFULLY accent the big beats! (alternating down/up) ASSIGNMENT A2: Work on covering the A and D string with your 1 st finger. ASSIGNMENT B1: Practice your Soft Accent just playing 0-1-0, placing a soft accent on 1. ASSIGNMENT C1: Practice Part A, sneaking in a couple grace notes on the 1st finger on the A string, and 3rd finger on the D string. (this requires a pinky grace note!) Use Irish Spacing or Diatonic spacing. EITHER ONE is fabulous. ASSIGNMENT C2: Practice Part B, using an Upper Neighbor Triplet, or Double Cut, or a Slide on the 1st finger on E string. Try them all! It s a great spot for an ornament. ASSIGNMENT C3: Practice a SLOW slide or a Pitch Bend on the 3rd finger on the A string. ASSIGNMENT D1: Play your E minor and G Major scale. (relatives) ASSIGNMENT D2: Practice your Basic Jig Bowing using your E minor scale. Start with 6 reps, then do 3 reps. ACCENT the big beats! ASSIGNMENT D3: Practice your Basic Jig Bowing using your E Dorian scale. Start with 6 reps, then do 3 reps. ACCENT the big beats!
ASSIGNMENT D4: Practice your Basic Jig Bowing with Slurs using your E minor and E Dorian scale. Start with 6 reps, then do 3 reps. ACCENT your big beats! ASSIGNMENT E1: Practice Chord Chart 1 with whole bows on each chord. Add a soft accent. E ASSIGNMENT E2: Practice Chord Chart 2 with whole bows on each chord. Add a soft accent. ASSIGNMENT F1: Practice the Gallop JUST on 1 chord. Work on your bow arm form, wrist flexibility, and a brush sound. ASSIGNMENT F2: Play Chord Chart 1 and 2 with the Gallop bowing. ASSIGNMENT F3: Practice the Down-Up-Up Chop Groove on just 1 chord. Get into the F groove, keep it in the lower half of the bow, just like the Gallop. ASSIGNMENT F4: Play Chord Chart 1 and 2 with the Down-Up-Up Chop Groove. ASSIGNMENT F5: Practice playing arpeggios instead of chords. This tune works very well because you only have 2 arpeggios to worry about! ASSIGNMENT G1: Review Shave and a Haircut the basic form on all 3 rd fingers. ASSIGNMENT G2: Review Shave and a Haircut with a Twist on all 3 rd fingers. ASSIGNMENT G3: Practice Shave and a Haircut in MAJOR keys, starting on all 4 th fingers, all 4 strings. ASSIGNMENT G4: Practice Shave and a Haircut on 3 rd and 4 th fingers, but use the G Gallop-Jig rhythm. ASSIGNMENT G5: Practice Shave and a Haircut on 4 th fingers, in E DORIAN, (low 3), and using the Gallop rhythm. ADVANCED CHALLENGE: Try Shave and a Haircut on 3 rd fingers, and try to figure out how to make it Dorian mode. (hint: low 2) H ASSIGNMENT H1: Practice Swallow Tail Jig using the rhythm with 2 fast notes in the middle of each triplet. ASSIGNMENT H2: Practice Swallow Tail Jig using the Dotted rhythm which is an EXTREMELY wide-spread and common jig rhythm. Watch out for tricky string crossings!
Swallow Tail Jig Chord Chart 1 Instructions: Each letter you see is a chord symbol. Keep in mind you are in 6/8 time, but you still have 2 big beats! Part A: Em / Em / D / D / Em / Em / D / E / Part B: Em / Em / Em / Em D / Em / Em / D / Em / Swallow Tail Jig Chord Chart 2 Instructions: Remember, this is in 6/8 time. Keep track of the BIG BEATS! Part A: Em / / D / / Em / / D / Em / Part B: Em / / / Em D / Em / / D / Em / Swallow Tail Jig Chord Chart 3 Instructions: You no longer need all 3 charts. Eventually, I will present you with only 1 chart---a professional one.