Cuts: a crisp interruption
Separate a note with a quick lift, keeping the air and the pulse steady.
By the end of this lessonPlace a cut on G without turning it into a separate melody note.
Lift, then replace
Hold G with the top three holes closed. Briefly lift your left ring finger and put it straight back. Keep the other fingers still and the breath flowing. This is one common G cut; other players use different cutting fingers.
Listen for an edge
A cut briefly interrupts the main sound from above. It should not become a clearly sustained A between two G notes. Practise the movement at a slow pulse while keeping the lift itself quick and low.
Choose one place
Try a cut where you would otherwise tongue a repeated G. First learn that fragment plainly, then replace one articulation. Use the same total time for both versions; the next melody note must still arrive on schedule.
Two versions of the same G
- Count four evenly spaced beats. Play a plain G through all four, then rest.
- Repeat and add a single left-ring-finger cut on beat three. Do not restart your breath.
- Alternate plain and decorated attempts four times. Listen for an unchanged ending and a brief, clean interruption.
Separate two Gs with a cut
Keep the air flowing from the first G into the second. Use the brief cut to separate them.
Practice
Tap a staff note or finger tab to hear a note and practise from there. The staff and tabs follow the same beat.
Hear it & follow the fingers
Synthesized examples on a high D whistle. Compare the sound, then study the movement below.
Movement breakdown
Read left to right. These diagrams show the order, not equal lengths of time.
- 1. Hold G
- 2. Lift left ring
- 3. Return to G
Try a cut in The Britches
Learn a short phrase plainly, then use a CUT label to inspect its fingering. The cutting finger depends on the melody note.
Your self-check
My cut is quick, the G returns immediately, and the next beat stays in place.
Take your time. You can revisit any lesson, completed or not.