La Grande Gigue Simple three-two

I picked this up in a session a few years ago, albeit in the much more difficult key of F major. I think D is probably the standard key. I found another transcription on the net, and it’s fairly close to mine. I got the tune from the fiddle playing of session.org member Greenwiggle, and maybe he got it from La Bottine Souriante.

X: 1
T: La Grand Gigue Simple
C: Quebecois reel
S: Tune of the Month, Dec. 2001, Sivler Apple News 8
B: Dance Ce Soir, The fiddle and Accordion Music of Quebec
H: transcription based on a recording of The Bottine Souriante
Z: Paul Stewart Cranford (P.S.C.), <http://www.cranfordpub.com>;
Q: 333
L: 1/8
M: 6/4
F: http://cranfordpub.com/tunes/abcs/silver_apple.abc 2007-05-13 02:26:13 UT
K: D
dfed ceAc eAce|dfed cAdB BAFA|dfed ceAc eAce|1defg afdB A2FA:|
[2dfff gfdf e2 ce|defg afdf gece|defg afdB AGED||
|:A,2 DE FDED EGFD|A,2 DE FDDB AGFD:|
|:A,2 DE FDED EGFD|1A,2 DE FDDB AGFD:|2A,2 DE FDDB AGFA:|]

This tune is what I would call a "slip reel". It’s not a 3/2 hornpipe - those are quicker and more march-like. This one’s played more like a reel with bars that are too big. Another example of a tune like this is The Twisted Bridge http://www.thesession.org/tunes/5151.

For an essay on the history of a tune, and a comparison between it and its descendant "Red River Jig" go here: http://cjtm.icaap.org/content/8/v8art8.html.

For some old recordings of the tune, go here: http://www.collectionscanada.ca/4/4/m2-9002g-e.html.

So here’s the F major setting I picked up:

X: 1
T: La Grande Gigue Simple
M: 3/2
L: 1/8
R: slip reel
K: Fmaj
fagf egce gceg|fagf ecfc dcAc|fagf egce gceg|fgab c’afd c2Ac|fagf egce gceg|
fagf ecfc dcAc|fagf egce gceg|fa~a2 bgeg fage|fgab c’afa bgeg|fgab c’afd c2AG||
|:~F3G AFGF GBAG|~F3G AFAd c2AG|~F3G AFGF GBAG|1 ~F3G AFAd c2AG:|2 ~F3G AFAd c2Ac:|

You can hear it and the red river jig on the virtual gramophone under this link:

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/4/4/m2-9002g-e.html

This tune is requested by dancers all the time!

upsss! was already there! sorry!

Eh? :-/

I’ve at least been asked few times. I believe it was danced as part of a brandy.

Do you get a new partner when it’s danced as part of a whiskey?

There’s a discussion on slip reels with links to some more sheetmusic and sound files etc here http://www.thesession.org/discussions/13704.

Thanks for this version of what I think is the most popular stepdancing tune in Quebec. I know a little different version - more notes, the one in Guy Bouchard’s crooked tunebook which indicates more of the steps that, say, Pierre Chartrand or Benoit Bourque would utilize. But this tune has been recorded by so many many musicians, and each has their own take on it. Especially on how to end it - like one of those Irish circulars that you just have to end by figuring out how to stop somehow!

This is also known as Red River Jig all over Canada. Métis have a dance pattern going with it.

You can hear a sample and see the dots on Pascal Gemme website:

http://tradquebec.over-blog.com/80-index.html

and yes it is a brandy…