The reel is the most common and most popular tune type. It is in 4/4 time or sometimes Cut time. There are two strong beats (beats 1 and 3) in a bar so, though we can write them in 4/4 time, Cut time may also be used. The most likely reason for the reels’ popularity is that players can best express their art through them. The possibilities for ornamentation, variation, phrasing, rhythm, and tempo are endless and this can be heard in different players’ approach to any one tune. Because of this-and because the tunes themselves tend to be more difficult-it can take some time to master them. The Mountain Road. Here then is our first reel. Once mastered, reels are great fun to play, so enjoy. This is also the first time that we will use the G string in a tune. You may notice that the G string has quite a different feel because of the thickness of the gauge. It requires a little extra pressure to be sure of a clean sounding note. This A part of this tune revolves around the F# note on the 3rd string at fret 4. You can see that I play this note with my 3rd finger. The figure in the first bar is a very common one in Irish traditional music, particularly the reel. You can see how the first part is built around this figure.