Rhythm Distribution in Recordings
(All Recordings)

Of related interest:
  • Rhythm History: A graph of how this distribution has changed over the past decades.
  • Discography: List of the recordings considered here.
  • Recordings by Decade: A graph of the historical distribution of these recordings.
  • Top Ten
  • Top 100 Tunes of the Century.
  • Rhythm Definitions: Comments on how I classify tunes according to rhythm.

This list ranks rhythms by how often they occur on commercial recordings of Irish traditional music. The total number of individual tune recordings considered here is 11,911. Since it ignores whether a tune recording is distinct tune or not, it reveals how often each tune type has been recorded. For example, even if one particular reel was recorded by ten different musicians over time, it still counts that as ten "votes" for the reel rhythm.

This report, since it considers all indexed recordings, is slightly different from the report Rhythm Distribution in Recordings (In Fully Irish Albums). Compare also Rhythm Distribution of tune types among all distinct tunes, as well as Rhythm Distribution in Session Tunes.

RhythmNumber of
instances		Percentage
of total		Bar graph
Reel5,48646.1%bar
Double jig2,30319.3%bar
Hornpipe8617.2%bar
Song7035.9%bar
Polka5174.3%bar
Air3943.3%bar
Slide3563.0%bar
Slip jig2742.3%bar
Piece1931.6%bar
March1301.1%bar
Set dance1080.9%bar
Barn dance1010.8%bar
Waltz1000.8%bar
Single jig980.8%bar
Fling940.8%bar
Strathspey630.5%bar
Highland520.4%bar
Mazurka320.3%bar
Other180.2%bar
Schottisch150.1%bar
Single reel130.1%bar
Please cite your source when you share information from this document. This page was updated on 29 April 2008.
© 2006–2008 Alan Ng, agng@facstaff.wisc.edu. Questions? Comments? Please use the easy Feedback Form. Thank you!
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