An Irish tune in 9/8, three groups of three eighth notes to the bar. It is the only common Irish tune type in nine, and at around 3% of the tradition it is rare enough that many players know only a handful.

How do you count a slip jig?

Three beats to the bar with three notes on each: 1 2 3, 2 2 3, 3 2 3. If you can already count a jig, it is the same pulse with a third group added.

Is a slip jig the same as a hop jig?

The names are used interchangeably by many players and distinguished by others. O'Neill treated them as one category in 1907. Where players do distinguish them, "hop jig" means the faster reading with one group per bar and "slip jig" the slower step-dance reading with three.

What is the best slip jig for a beginner?

The Butterfly is the one that appears on every published session list. Its notes are easy; the 9/8 feel is the work.

113 tunes

Irish slip jigs

Nine notes to the bar in three groups of three. A slip jig is a jig with an extra group bolted on, and that extra group is the whole difficulty. Learn one early or 9/8 stays alien.

Time signature: 9/8
How you count it: Three beats to the bar, three notes on each. Count 1 2 3, 2 2 3, 3 2 3.
Competition tempo: 37.7 to 41.3 bars per minute (113 to 124 dotted quarter notes)
Structure: 8 bars per part, AABB
Share of the tradition: 3.0% of all tunes, 3.3% of tunes played at sessions

Where the slip jig came from

O'Neill filed these as "Hop or Slip Jigs" in 1907, which tells you the two names were interchangeable in Chicago at the time. They are still argued over. Some players reserve "hop jig" for the faster reading, one group per bar in the style of Michael Coleman, and "slip jig" for the slower step-dance reading of three groups per bar.

The claim that the slip jig came from England appears in general reference works and is weakly sourced. Treat it as unsettled.

How a slip jig is built

Two 8-bar parts, each repeated. Because the 9/8 bar is longer, competition dancers perform 40 bars where they would dance 48 of a reel.

Playing slip jigs on banjo and mandolin

No named teacher publishes a stroke pattern for 9/8, which is worth saying plainly rather than inventing one. The structural consequence is arithmetic: DUD DUD DUD gives nine strokes, so every bar starts on a downstroke, while strict alternate picking flips the start of each bar between down and up. Marla Fibish teaches the feel rather than the strokes, emphasising the slight secondary weight on the last group of three.

Every slip jig in the library

113 slip jigs, each with tab already written. The 2 that turn up most often at sessions are first.

Showing all 113 slip jigs

FAQ

Questions about Irish slip jigs

An Irish tune in 9/8, three groups of three eighth notes to the bar. It is the only common Irish tune type in nine, and at around 3% of the tradition it is rare enough that many players know only a handful.
Three beats to the bar with three notes on each: 1 2 3, 2 2 3, 3 2 3. If you can already count a jig, it is the same pulse with a third group added.
The names are used interchangeably by many players and distinguished by others. O'Neill treated them as one category in 1907. Where players do distinguish them, "hop jig" means the faster reading with one group per bar and "slip jig" the slower step-dance reading with three.
The Butterfly is the one that appears on every published session list. Its notes are easy; the 9/8 feel is the work.

The other tune types

Each one counts differently and runs at a different speed.

Reels601 tunes · 4/4

The reel is the backbone of an Irish session.

Jigs930 tunes · 6/8

The jig is the oldest form here and the second most common.

Hornpipes291 tunes · 4/4

A hornpipe is written like a reel and played nothing like one.

Set dances29 tunes · Usually 4/4 or 6/8

Set dances break the 8-bar rule on purpose.

Airs36 tunes · Free

An air has no strict metre.

Tempo ranges, structure percentages and repertoire shares from Alan Ng,irishtune.info Irish Traditional Music Tune Index. Historical sources are named in the text.