Guitar Dictionary Category
Roots & Traditional Styles
What Is a Reel?
A reel is a fast-flowing duple-metre dance tune found throughout Irish, Scottish and related traditional music. Reels are commonly notated in 4/4 or cut time and are usually felt in two strong pulses per bar.
The written page often shows a stream of eighth notes, but a convincing reel is not simply an exercise in playing evenly and quickly. Accents, phrase direction, articulation and regional style create the rhythmic lift.
How a Reel Is Counted
Count four quarter-note beats at a slow learning tempo, then feel the bar in two larger halves as the tune becomes secure. The eighth notes normally divide the beat evenly, although performers may use subtle inequality and articulation that should be learned by listening rather than imposed as a fixed formula.
Reel vs Jig
A jig uses compound beats divided into three. A reel uses duple subdivision, normally two eighth notes within each quarter-note beat. Switching from “ONE-two-three FOUR-five-six” to “ONE-and TWO-and” changes the physical picking pattern and the dance feel.
Reel vs Hornpipe
A hornpipe often has more deliberate lift, stronger cadences and, in many styles, a more dotted or swung surface. A reel normally moves with a more continuous forward flow. These differences vary by region and performer, so tempo alone does not identify the tune type.
Flatpicking a Reel
Use efficient pick motion and fingerings that avoid unnecessary position shifts. Alternate picking is a useful default, but repeated-string passages, string crossing and ornaments may call for another solution. Preserve phrase accents instead of forcing the same pick direction onto every note.
Practise one two-bar fragment until the left hand, right hand and pulse agree. Then connect fragments while keeping the phrase ending relaxed.
Accompanying a Reel
Support the two large pulses without covering the melody. Short chord voicings, bass movement and open-string drones work well. Chord changes should follow the tune’s harmonic direction rather than a generic four-chord loop.
Reel Practice Method
- Learn the melody slowly without ornaments.
- Mark the two strongest pulse points in each bar.
- Repeat one phrase at a tempo where every string crossing is clean.
- Increase the tempo only after three accurate repetitions.
- Record two complete passes and check whether the second one rushes.
Why Reels Matter
Reels develop continuous rhythmic flow, economical picking and long-form concentration. Their apparent simplicity exposes uneven subdivisions, tense technique and weak phrase endings immediately.
Kalymi Tip
Choose a learning tempo where the eighth notes remain relaxed and distinct. A reel that is clean and rhythmically alive at moderate speed is more useful than one that survives only as a blur.
Build tempo from short phrases, then test the entire tune. Local speed is not enough if the player rushes across repeats or loses the pulse at a difficult string crossing.
Listen for accents and releases in traditional recordings. Do not flatten every bar into eight equally weighted notes.
Related Terms
Learn More
- 12 Tips for Flatpicking Celtic Guitar
- DADGAD Guitar Celtic Flatpicking
- Celtic Flatpicking in Open D
- Open G Celtic Guitar Flatpicking
- Guitar Arrangements
- Kalymi Music Audio Tracks
Reviewed by
Brent C. Robitaille,
music educator and founder of
Kalymi Music.