I Wrote A Jig- I need feedback!

I've been teaching myself to play the recorder for a couple of years, and during that time one of the things i've enjoyed playing most is jigs. Today I woke up and fancied trying to write one. I thought i'd show you the result, and see what you think... I'd like to improve and work on my little jig and turn it into a full tune- so if you have any suggestions for instruments or sounds you'd like to challenge me to put into the full version, let me know in the comments!
Instagram: @claythorpemusic

[@jedimistress2751]

Wonderful!

[@Smurgles]

I think it's lovely! You've done very well for your first try. It feels like something that you might hear in a medieval tavern. I really like it!

[@Ross0Stockwell]

Very nice! It’s enjoyable as is. Maybe try messing with different/wider intervals to add some drama/dynamic - especially on the b section (to contrast with the a section). I wanted to hear the jig really ‘belt out’ at that point. Also maybe vary the loud/soft in your phrasing - just suggestions

[@Michajeru]

I agree with your comment.

[@Michajeru]

Add more contrast between the A and B section. More dynamics and definitely some ornamentation. Also try it out on a tin whistle to give it more of an Irish sound.

[@dawnswales5825]

Beautiful 😍

[@marcusmicksch]

Sounds really like a wintery windy piece of music, you hear while you walk through thick snow past an Irish Pub. An icy wind is slowly but steadily blowing and the only other musical instrument is a tambourine. Eager to hear you play it as it's meant to be as jig. :)

[@charlotteshepherd4908]

I like this. It sounds very authentic. Well done.

[@simonm2092]

That's really good! I was in all innocence going to write, " let's get jiggy" as a kinda fun remark - but then I thought, that doesn't quite sound right. 🤣😆

[@1cleandude]

Sounds great maybe include fiddle guitar and that hand drum thingy!🙏🙏🙏

[@JeanClaudePeeters]

You are amazing. From starting as an absolute novice to this in a couple of years ...❤❤

[@theghostofsw6276]

....and nice Jig too, BTW!

[@victoryinhim9689]

i love it

[@Jim-iw1yd]

Very nice melody indeed, good job. To me it had the sound of "the promise of a good harvest sound" you might hear in one of those rituals folk would do in the past before they plant the seeds. But now that you mention it does also have that "stillness" sound of winter music impling nature is asleep and yet beautiful. What would sound good I think would be the crunch sound you get when you walk through frozen snow, and as a counter point the crackle sound of a warm fire in a pub as you walk in after a walk on a cold winters day. Piano for ice and a warm strum of a classical guitar for the fire. Best of luck and creativity with it.❄🔥🙂

[@vintschevski]

The wistful nature of the tune is very appealing and is enhanced by the tone of your recorder, and I like the way it flows continuously. Coincidentally I have also been teaching myself recorder, mainly soprano, and have also tried writing a few jigs. I've put them into MuseScore and when you post a tune on MuseScore, you can send it ti youtube to share with everybody (if you want to share, it's not obligatory). You can see my examples if you wish to, on "my channel". I try putting chords in, as well, not always successfully, I'm sure. Thanks for this video, well done!

[@stefaniedecoster2772]

I like the flow of it! My minds eye saw someone skipping around in early spring discovering new buds here and there. As a recorder and ukulele player I'm already imagining some chord melody ukulele (although that might make it less like a jig maybe?) and some light drums to go along with it.

[@LUISALFREDO2009]

Nice!!!! I like it! Uri haim, rio de janeiro.

[@takamichitheshanghaipatroi91]

Noice play

[@davidmacdougall7079]

Very creative. I immediately noticed the Playford influence when you started your jig. It’s a lovely piece, but it’s too lively for me. I live in Canada, and our winters are quite severe, so everything slows down and becomes more reflective in winter. My first thought was to slow down the tempo, and create a more melancholy atmosphere. Also, my favourite recorder is the tenor recorder, partly because I enjoy playing mine, and it has a deeper sound which might sound less shrill for your jig. Perhaps you could share your music notes so that I could try it out? Love your KZbin channel!

[@jeanshenk]

I think you did a marvelous job for your very first try and just sitting down in one setting to write it. Pretty impressive. I might play with some variance in range, volume or scale if it were me as you develop it, or even just a note here and there that are slightly longer or shorter in the pattern.

[@jeffstratford]

The jig being a dance - maybe clogs with a hint of uilleann pipes/kazoo, or what about a washboard? Oh well done on taking on the challenge 👏

[@benjaminsilva-santisteban9958]

That's not bad at all!! :) For interpretation, you could make it more spirited. You can achieve that by emphasizing the first note of each group of three. TU-ru tu TU-ru tu TU-ru tu (the last note "tu" very short). Hard to explain with text xD but nice job!

[@FB-no4lr]

I think melodically, both sections are good. However, there's not much contrast between the two sections. I wasn't entirely sure where A stopped and B began on the first listen. I think you could actually remove some of the notes in the B section and hold the downbeat note longer, you won't lose the feel of 3 (or 6/8 I assume?) if you had something with this kind of feel: ♩ ♪ ♪♪♪. It would help to contrast the A section which seems mostly to be ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪. I'd be happy to help you work on it! (really hoping those ascii notes show when I submit this comment!)

[@Jesuswinsbirdofmichigan]

Yup too.

[@Joy_of_Music_Kate]

Nice music

[@themistermax]

I'm no expert in jigs, or much of anything else, but I like it. Get it down and play it in a more spirited way, I think it will be very nice. I have no idea what's "supposed" to accompany a jig (if there is such a "rule"), but it seems to me a simple accompaniment on a mandola or bouzouki would sound nice. Anyway, nice work.

[@nibler887]

didn't know the word so, jig: a lively dance with leaping movements.

[@randlyons7278]

Well, pretty darn good for classical jig style. See how it sounds with a Celtic whistle. Write a beautiful ballad in a minor key. Study James Horner's work for "The Titanic".

[@emilsonlim8240]

If you make it bouncy and put staccato it will sounds like medieval market dance.

[@wdashwor]

Thanks for sharing this! I have a little trouble following where the melody is going is the B part (which is probably mostly me, I hasten to add). It might help if there were a little more of a break between phrases in the playing. I think my mind is looking for something like a repeated figure to orient itself. For example, in the Playford tune, that rhythm in the first full measure that’s repeated throughout, the dotted quarter-eighth-quarter (sorry for American terms, I forgot the British names) is like a unifying device. But I don't know much about how jigs work-something like those kinds of repeated elements may not be a characteristic of them (?) At any rate, I LOVE the sound and feel of this, and am looking forward to what you will do with it. 🙂

[@Jesuswinsbirdofmichigan]

Yup

[@zmarazm]

Hello there! New follower here...what do you use to record your videos? They are lovely made and i really like the editing. Thank you in advance and keep up your good vibes!!!

[@theghostofsw6276]

I was thinking some Geezer Butler type bass lines to thicken it out a bit, perhaps some drums in the vein of Nick Menza? RIP Nick.

[@Clarionetist]

Sounds very nice and could become a classic. I suggest a slight change to the initial melody, which is DFEDGFF. At first I was thinking the last two Fs should be separated more with stronger tonguing. Then I thought it might be better to change the FF to EF so the melody is DFEDGEF (or not). The accompaniment can be a simple piano or guitar.

[@grahamhill5954]

That sounds very good for a first attempt. Remember that jigs are music to dance to. To keep a steady beat in mind while you play, a background rhythm of a rice shaker every once or twice in a bar might help. Then try some pauses every second bar to see how that works too? It is a good start and it will improve by trying small changes, and keeping the ones that work as it evolves. Always keep the dancer(s) in mind while you make changes, even if nobody ever dances to it. Good luck with your music project. I look forward to seeing how it goes.🙂

[@a.p.1279]

Hi! I'm going to try my hand at constructive criticism, but take my opinion with a grain of salt, as I'm not an expert at all! First of all, I like your jig, the melody sounds nice and flows really well. There is one thing I would change a little bit : I think the A and B sections sound a bit too similar in their rythm. Maybe you could play with tiny changes? Add a dotted note somewhere in the B section, to give it a more different feel? Also, it might be a terrible idea, I have no actual clue. For the instrumentation, I like the soprano recorder, it sounds "wintery" to me, maybe because it's quite a high instrument. You could add percussion, it's always nice for dance music. Music purists might not agree, but you could add some cajon to your jig.

[@mid9moth]

As it is a "Winter" jig, I suggest you add some sleigh bells to give or that "icy" vibe of the season

[@Jesuswinsbirdofmichigan]

I gave it 3 repeats @ 100%/(normal) speed; 2x@75%, gettin closer to my taste. But, @ 50%/ ½ speed and (if) performed on a Tenor recorder I've got something nice for the first initial melody, only. The second half is just not cohesive, it's too busy and lacks the solid quality the beginning part has. Oh, I'm nobody, quit highschool blah, blah. Just an older dude who spends his day on Ewe-Doob. Merry Christmas.

[@billgrabbe9992]

Your phrases are really long. Jigs need to be singable (even if they are instrumental) and singers need to breathe. So, some kind of pause every 2-3 measures is recommended. Also, if you listen to well-written jigs, you can imagine the guitar chords that would be playing along with them. That is because you are playing chord tones on the strong beats. Looks like you are playing in Dm. The chords you'll be using are likely Dm, C major and G major or G minor, depending on whether you are playing D natural minor or D dorian. So, for Dm you are hitting D, F and A on the strong beats (1,2,3 and 4 if you are in 4/4), for G major you are hitting G, B and D on the strong beats, for G major you hitting G, Bb and D on the strong beats, and on C major you are hitting C, E and G on the strong beats. It can be hard to write this way unless you write the chords first, and then add the notes on top of them. Writing melody first can make it difficult to add structure later because you get attached to the melody and it sounds "right" to you even if you can't superimpose a structure on it. All musical rules can be broken, but you are better off knowing the rule, knowing that you are breaking it, and knowing why you are breaking it than you would be never having learned the rules at all. I would recommend trying these techniques with a new composition, not ripping your first effort apart and getting frustrated. Many of the best songwriters keep the majority of their work to themselves and only share the best of what they produce. Every composition is a chance to practice and to learn, so the effort is never wasted.

[@rolandscales9380]

It's pretty - but you need to think about phrasing and beat. Where should the accents fall? Try to imagine what people would be doing with their feet while you're playing.