Much of the dance music of Ulster is similar to the dance music of other parts of the British Isles. So there are jigs which came from Ireland, reels and Strathspeys which originated in Scotland, and hornpipes which came from England.<\/p>
You can find examples of all of these tunes in the folk tradition of each part of the British Isles. Most of these were in a standard format of two sections of eight bars each. Strathspeys were normally of four bar sections.<\/p>
The dance music was closely related to the marching tunes played by military bands: usually made up of fifes and drums. These became common with the growth of part-time military organisations including the Irish Volunteers, the Yeomanry and the Militia. The parading tradition was carried on in the 19th century by newly formed groups such as the Ribbonmen and Orangemen.<\/p>
Although these two groups were very different they shared a common reportoire of tunes, in addition to some that were considered \u2018party tunes\u2019 such as the Hibernian \u2018St. Patrick\u2019sDay\u2019, or the Orange \u2018Lilliburlero\u2019. A range of tunes in hornpipe time developed around the Lambeg drum and fife tradition. This type of music was common to both Loyalists and Nationalists at this time, although nowadays it is almost exclusively associated with loyalist music.<\/p> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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There is a range of music and dance traditions associated with Ulster-Scots culture and heritage. Highland dancing is popular in Ulster-Scots communities and the music tradition includes fiddle, fife, drum as well as highland and lowland pipes.<\/p>
Ulster-Scots emigrants took these traditions with them, and over time these influenced other musical genres including American country music, and even rock and roll.<\/p>
The distinctive styles of many modern-day American country, bluegrass and folk music performers can be traced directly back to the 18th century Ulster-Scots or Scots-Irish settlers.<\/p>
Additionally, the dance tradition of the Appalachian region in the south-eastern part of the United States also has very strong Ulster-Scots roots which go hand in hand with the music.<\/p>
This is music and dance which crossed the Atlantic during the great waves of emigration and, in the modern idiom, it is a rich cultural expression which is being taken back to the homeland.<\/p>
The Ulster-Scots sound of drone notes, associated with the pipes and fiddles, is very pronounced and the story-telling balladry of the Scots-Irish diaspora remains deeply rooted in what is American country and folk music today.<\/p> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t