Slip jig (four-part), D, traditional Irish
Also known as: The Foxhunter; The Foxhunter’s Jig; The Foxhunt
TrailJams Tune of the Week: December 7, 2025
The Foxhunter’s Jig is a four-part traditional Irish slip jig that tells a lively musical story—hounds in motion, galloping horses, and an elusive fox always one step ahead. There’s also a two-part version in circulation, and a related reel called Foxhunter’s, so don’t be surprised if you encounter several variations of the name.
Don’t Fear the Four Parts — Most slip jigs in the Irish tradition have two parts, sometimes three, so a four-part slip jig is unusual and memorable. But each part here is only four measures long, giving the tune a light, compact feel rather than a long one. It’s also friendly for intermediate players: no awkward low notes, minimal high reach, and no tricky accidentals. Better yet, the third part (Part C) is simply Part A played an octave higher. Overall, this tune sounds more intricate than it actually is.
About the Illustration — The artwork above is adapted from the watercolor “Fox Hunting” by Heywood Hardy (1843–1933). A foxhunt in Ireland in the mid-1800s may have looked much like this. One small distinction: unlike in England, Irish hunters were less bound to formal scarlet coats and often wore green or blue jackets as well.
About Fox Hunting — This tune was named in an era when hunting live foxes was part of rural life. That practice has been largely replaced or outlawed in many regions today, with modern hunts typically following a laid scent trail instead.
Recordings
- Video – Comhaltas: The Foxhunt – from the album Foinn Seisiún 2: Traditional Irish Session Tunes, published by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.
- Audio – Philippe Barnes: The Choice Wife / The Foxhunter’s Jig / Toss the Feathers – from the album An Feochàn. (The Foxhunter’s Jig starts at time 1:34 in this recording.)
- Audio – The Barley House Band: Fig For A Kiss / Foxhunter’s – from the album The Strand. (The Foxhunter’s Jig starts at time 1:07 in this recording.)
Sheet Music
As always for traditional tunes, the musical notation and chords do not indicate the “right” way to play the tune, but are a useful reference.
Play-along Tracks
Sets
Examples of sets that include this tune.
- Fig & Fox Slip Jig Set: A Fig for Kiss (E Dor) / The Foxhunter’s Jig (D)
- The Choice Wife / The Foxhunter’s Jig / Toss the Feathers
- The Foxhunter’s Jig / Kid on the Mountain
References and Resources
For those who want to dig deeper, here are some other resources.
- More Recordings (two-part version of the tune)
- Video – John and James Kelly: Foxhunter’s Jig – from the album Irish Traditional Music
- Lesson, video, audio – Baron Collins-Hill (MandoLessons): The Foxhunter’s Slip Jig
- Books
- Book – Michael D. Long: The King Street Sessions Tunebook (Interactive edition by Michael Eskin) – free downloadable book in PDF format. The Interactive edition by Michael Eskin adds playable ABC transcriptions.
- Book – Foinn Seisiún, Volume 2 — Published by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
- Lessons
- Lesson – Kevin Burke (Fiddlevideo): The Foxhunter’s (Slip Jig) – Trad Irish Fiddle Lesson – Video lesson excerpt. (Partial lesson; full lesson requires a subscription to Fiddlevideo.)
- Lesson – Peakfiddler: Irish Fiddle – Foxhunters Slip Jig – video demonstration of the tune played on fiddle, with on-screen sheet music.
- Lesson – Sean Cunningham (whistletutor): The Foxhunters (slip jig) – tin whistle/Irish flute lesson – video lesson with part-by-part breakdown and suggestions for ornamentation. (Tabs and sheet music on Patreon / whistletutor.)
- Lesson – Hatao (hatao’s Irish tune of the day): The Foxhunters (Slip Jig, D) – video lesson. Tune played on flute with on-screen sheet music.
- Additional Resources
- Web page – The Session: The Foxhunter (slip jig) – crowdsourced sheet music, comments and more