Hornpipe, reel or polka? How to tell them apart
Count the beats and listen for the swing. A polka has two beats in a bar and bounces along quickly. A reel and a hornpipe both have four, but a reel runs in even notes and flies along, while a hornpipe is slower and swung, long-short, and often ends each part on three strong notes. Tap your foot and you’ll hear it.
The polka
The polka is the quickest to recognise: two beats in a bar, one-and two-and, short phrases that keep bouncing back. It’s the music of Sliabh Luachra on the Cork–Kerry border, and it’s where I start beginners, because the tunes are short and the rhythm carries you.
Try: The Britches Full Of Stitches, Egan's (The Kerry Polka), John Ryan's.
▶The reel
Reels are the backbone of a session: 41 of the 105 Irish tunes in my library are reels, more than any other type. Four beats in a bar, filled with a steady stream of even notes, di-dle-di-dle. Played up to speed they fly, which is exactly why I tell students to learn them slowly first.
Try: Miss McLeod's, Drowsy Maggie.
▶The hornpipe
A hornpipe has the same four beats as a reel, and on paper it often looks just like one. The difference is in how it’s played: swung, long-short, long-short, and steadier, with a stately lift. Listen for the end of each part, where many hornpipes land on three strong, even notes, like three stamps of the foot. The Boys Of Bluehill and The Harvest Home both do it.
Try: The Boys Of Bluehill, Off To California, The Harvest Home. Barndances like The Stack Of Barley share that swung feel.
▶At a glance
| Polka | Reel | Hornpipe | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beats in a bar | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Feel | bouncy | even, driving | swung, long-short |
| Speed | quick | fastest | steadier |
| Listen for | “one-and two-and” | a constant stream of notes | three “stamps” at the end of a part |
| Try | The Britches Full Of Stitches, Egan's (The Kerry Polka) | Miss McLeod's, Drowsy Maggie | The Boys Of Bluehill, Off To California |
Try it yourself
Open Miss McLeod’s and The Boys of Bluehill in the Melody Trainer one after the other. Same four beats: tap your foot to each and you’ll feel the reel run straight and the hornpipe swing.
Starting out? My 10 first session tunes include three polkas and three hornpipes and barndances, and they’re nearly all in D or G.
Questions people ask
Is a hornpipe just a slow reel?
No: it’s swung. Play a reel long-short and it starts to sound like a hornpipe, but hornpipes are made to sit in that lilt, with those strong endings.
Why does the sheet music for a hornpipe look like a reel?
Most transcriptions write both in even notes, and players add the swing. So learn hornpipes by ear as well as from the page.