Muiñeira

The muiñeira (Galician: muiñeira, Castilian: muñeira) is a traditional dance and musical genre of Galicia (Spain). It is distinguished mainly by its expressive and lively tempo, played usually in 6/8, although some variants are performed in other time signatures. There are also variant types of muiñeira which remain in the tempo of 6/8 but which displace the accent in different ways. Muiñeira is associated with traditional choreographic schemes and the associated instrumentation is a form of bagpipe known as a gaita. It is subject to highly varied interpretation in differing local traditions. According to "Galicia-The Spanish Cousins", an article on Roots World, muiñeira is the Galician "equivalent" of a jig, which is consistent with the time signature of 6/8. The word "muiñeira" (the same pronunciation in Portuguese, but spelled "moinheira") means literally both millstone and a mill landlady (or the miller's wife, if a man). Galician music is classified as part of Celtic music.