The Jig

Tunes in compound time (6/8, 9/8, 12/8), used for dances such as Circassian Circle.
The term ‘jig’ may derive from an old French word, giguer, which translates as ‘to leap’ or’to gambol’. Jigs come in a variety of styles, but basically a single or double jig is denoted with the time signature 6/8 and a slip jig has a 9/8 time signature on written music.
The jig has notes usually group in threes, with a ‘bumpy’ feel. Think of tunes like Humpty Dumpty and Blaydon Races. A common method of remembering the rhythm in Ireland is to repeat the phrase ’Rashers and Sausages’.