Eight-Bell Jigs
Jigs here come from Ireland, Scotland, and – yes – the USA! We’ve found our eight-bell arrangement of the jigs here to be more than a little challenging, so if you take these on, be prepared for a bit of craziness.
They usually are in 6/8 or 9/8, though that’s not the only possibility. Wrong Foot Forward (by the band Flook) is in 7/8, presumably for the purpose of tangling up the dancers’ feet.
Other than those two, the others here are fairly normal. Well, except for “Grizzly’s Peak”, which contains a joke that we’ll leave for you to figure out.
Don’t you wish you could just play a song like Banish Misfortune and make all the ills of your world go away? Here it is for eight handbells. Alternate Titles: Díbir Anachain Díbir Mí-Ádh The Horse Under The Stairs The Humours Of Mullinafauna The Little Bag Of Meal Mammy’s Horse Is Dying The Mangled Badger …
Historically, slip jigs (with three beats per measure) have been danced by the ladies after some female dancers showed the men they had footwork just as incredible as the men did. We like to think that this slip jig, Barney Brannigan, may recall someone who was skeptical until he saw the real thing. Likewise, your …
We can imagine a line of Irish dancers showing off their skills to the music from a brilliant steam-driven calliope with this tune! Our thanks go to David Richardson and Gilderoy House for granting permission to create this eight-bell arrangement of Calliope House. Alternate titles: Calliope Horse Standard Version: ”Dual-Range”™ Score Package (PDF): $ US …
Dr. Angus MacDonald is a piper and folk musician who, in real life, is a medical doctor in Scotland. Music clearly goes with science, and we are pleased to have received permission from Dr. MacDonald to offer this eight-handbell arrangement of Chloe’s Passion. Standard Version: ”Dual-Range”™ Score Package (PDF): $ US G5-based practice MP3: $ …
Here’s an Irish-American jig Grizzly’s Peak that you might happen to know by a different name… You’ll have a great time playing it on eight handbells! Standard Version: ”Dual-Range”™ Score Package (PDF): $ US G5-based practice MP3: $ US F5-based practice MP3: $ US AGO Alzheimer’s Benefit Concert with Angela Kraft Cross, January 23, 2015 …
We can see Hardiman the fiddler having a great time leaht ding the dancers ever faster and faster as the celebration goes on. Your eight bells will be flying! Alternate Titles: (for some reason, there apparently aren’t any…) Standard Version: ”Dual-Range”™ Score Package (PDF): $ US G5-based practice MP3: $ US F5-based practice MP3: $ …
Jim (Jimmy) Ward was a tremendously skilled Irish banjo player who wrote this tune. We think you’ll have a lot of fun playing his eponymous Jim Ward’s Jig on eight bells! Alternate Titles: An Chéad Phunnann Clare, The Clare The First Sheaf Jimmy Ward’s Favourite Port Shéamus Mhic A Bháird Standard Version: ”Dual-Range”™ Score Package …
The story of Morrison’s Jig was that it was a tune composed by Tom Carmondy, and that his fiddler friend Morrison played/recorded it for him. You’ll hear the fiddle playing the repeated motifs in the melody as you ring your eight handbells… dance the night away! Alternate Titles: Cry Of The Celtic Tom Carmondy’s Favorite …
Kissing the Blarney Stone can be a somewhat scary experience. You, the “pilgrim”, climb to the top of Blarney Castle… easy. You lie down across the edge of the parapet… probably not easy. You bend downward below the level of the wall’s edge to kiss the stone, upside down… definitely not easy. And then you …
The Butterfly was our first eight-bell arrangement of an Irish jig! It turns out that this is one of the most popular – if not the most popular – jig of all time! Alternate Titles: Barney’s Goat The Bug The Butterfly Gig Eitil Im Fiona Im Ag Eitilt Kick The Peeler The Red Admiral Butterfly …
We’d like to hope that the fox gets to dance this jig, rather than becoming the foxhunter’s trophy. The eight-bell arrangement of this jig might feel as if it’s on the easy side, but pay attention or the little changes will get you! Alternate titles: Nead A Lachan Sa Mhuta Standard Version: ”Dual-Range”™ Score Package …
We’re not entirely certain as to which definition of “humours” applies, but perhaps the most apt is “state of mind” or “disposition”, brand of whiskey aside. Our eight-bell arrangement of this happy jig comes with some fun twists (no pun intended…) – and quite possibly is a bit more challenging for a quartet of two-bell …
Our eight-bell arrangement of the Irish jig The Kesh will have you dancing in no time! Alternate titles: The Castle Kerrigan’s The Kincora The Mountaineers’ March Standard Version: ”Dual-Range”™ Score Package (PDF): $ US G5-based practice MP3: $ US F5-based practice MP3: $ US Purchasing this 8-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain …
No, we don’t actually know what the “swaggering” in this jig is about… but we can imagine happily walking arm in arm with friends on a nice night out. However, we don’t recommend interlocking arms while you play our eight-bell arrangement! Oh… and this includes an optional return-to-the-beginning in case your Irish dancers need more …
Leitrim (pronounced LEE-trim) is in the north of Ireland. You can imagine the lovely green hills and the beautiful scenery as you ring our eight-bell arrangement! Alternate Titles: Cnoic Aiteannach Liadroma Standard Version: ”Dual-Range”™ Score Package (PDF): $ US G5-based practice MP3: $ US F5-based practice MP3: $ US This arrangement is also included in …
In case you wonder how one can be “tripping up” stairs, we don’t know how that’s done. But this Irish jig is all about fast footwork, and our eight-bell arrangement is about fast handwork! Alternate titles: The Cocoon The Plains of Kilkorkery The Pride of Kildare Roscabury Sacho’s The Syracuse Standard Version: ”Dual-Range”™ Score Package …
We love Wrong Foot Forward by Sarah Allen and Brian Finnegan of “Flook” The challenge: It’s in 7/8 – you can imagine how it might confuse the dancers. Frankly, we were also a bit confused playing our own eight-bell arrangement at first! Alternate Titles: (for some reason, there apparently aren’t any…) Standard Version: ”Dual-Range”™ Score …
