Slides and Polkas would still be played more for dancing than not: most of these tunes are from the Sliabh Luachra region where the tradition of set dancing has always remained healthy. Slides (a dance-tune type) are not to be confused with the sliding technique that I have mentioned previously in the tutorial. Slides are in 12/8 time but the feel of the bar is more of a four; the way I hear the underlying rhythm is +1+2+3+4 with an emphasis on +1, +3. The tempo of the Slide and the Polka is very fast. And also, as with the Polka, the dance step is one-two-three, one-two-three, so, when you can dance this step and just about stay on your feet you should pretty much have the right gist!
In the second half of bar three I play a G to an F# in the D chord, that is, a suspended fourth resolving to the full major chord. In bar seven I play a run (A sus4, D added 6th, A sus4) as an alternative to this. Both of these motifs happen on weak beats thus adding to the rhythmic interest of the tune. I repeat this juxtaposition of the suspension-resolution and the run in the second part but notice that the G to F# is now on the low D string.
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