The four types of Irish music and associated dances are the jig, reel, hornpipe and the set dances. Beginning dancers at a feis may be asked whether they want the music to be slow or fast, often confusing them. Metronomes measure tempos precisely; thus you can observe advanced dancers requesting their set dance in a particular tempo. Slower tempos allow dancers to "pack" more movements into a particular dance. During the age of the dance masters, some would refuse to compete at a feis if the musician insisted on playing a tune at too fast of a tempo. [A note on metronomes: it is jokingly reported that, in the past, musicians when asked to play faster, just played louder and when asked to play more slowly, just played more softly, never changing the tempo. With the coming of the portable electronic metronome, dancers now are comforted that the tempo is correct. However, rumor has it that musicians' solution is to secretly turn off the metronome and substitute their own ticking sound into the microphone, adding an occasional ping for effect!]
Jigs
There are references to the jig in ancient Ireland. A number of variations of the jig are performed including the single (or soft), double, treble, and slip jig. The music is 6/8 time (the emphasis on beats in a jig is: ONE-two-three four-five-six). Slip jigs are in 9/8 time (ONE-two-three four-five-six seven-eight-nine). Dancers perform single or soft jigs in soft shoes. Solo competitions only occur at the level of beginners, advanced beginners, and at some feisianna, Open. Competitions at all levels also occur in the treble jig which has a slower tempo, but dancers triple beats in hard shoes. The slip jig (soft shoes) is the most graceful.
Reel
The reel originated around 1750 in Scotland and the Irish dance masters brought it to full development. The music is 4/4 time and it is danced at a relatively fast tempo (ONE-two-three-four). Both men and women dance the reel. For women, it is a light, rapid soft shoe dance that allows for plenty of leaping and demands an energetic performance from the dancer. Men often dance the reel in hard shoes. Often a feis will include a special competition in the treble reel. Here, dancers in a single line have two chances to display their best efforts in a competition matching boys and girls from multiple age groups. Usually, audiences are extremely enthusiastic in their appreciation for this exciting performance.
Hornpipe
The hornpipe began around 1760, evolving from English stage acts. It was originally danced exclusively by males in hard shoes, but now, both men and women compete. It is reported that the ladies of Cork were the first to brazenly perform the hornpipe in the male style. The hornpipe is in 4/4 time, reminiscent of a slow reel with accents on the first and third beat (ONE-and-a two-and-a three-and-a four-and-a). A notable feature is the frequent use of a rocking motion with the ankles.
Set Dances
A set dance is performed to a specific tune which has remained set over time (at least during the 20th Century). Both males and females dance sets in hard shoes. Competitions begin at the level of "Open" because of the difficulty of the dances. Because the tune is always the same and the dancer knows the tune, adjudicators expect greater interpretation of the music. (In the jig, reel, and hornpipe competitions, the particular tune may vary depending on the musician.) The dances can be either in jig or hornpipe time. In one case, "Is the Big Man Within?" the time changes mid-tune. Regular jigs and hornpipes follow a particular structure of the number of measures per tune, but sets vary. Sets contain two parts, the first is the "lead around" (from 8 to 16 measures), the second is the "set" (12 to 16 measures). Some tunes are more than 250 years old, but most of the dances are of more recent origin, developed by dance masters. Also, some of the tunes have accompanying words.