I have often wondered what the word “Reel” means when it comes to bagpipe music. The words jig and reel are often used to define a tune as fitting into one category or other. I have noticed that a jig is nearly always in a 6/8 or sometimes a 3/8 time signature while a reel typically is done in 2/4 or 4/4.
So I can definitely hear a difference when I play such tunes and it was only after I asked a long time piper what the names actually referred to. His answer: A Dance. A jig is simply a style of irish or celtic dance. The same idea follows for hornpipes and reels; they refer to a dance style.
As a bagpiper and also a penny-whistler, I now can better understand the purpose behind many of the tunes I play. They were originally meant to accompany a dancer or troupe of dancers.
How interesting is that!