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← All lessonsLesson 12 of 15 · 12 min practice
Finger ornaments

Long & short rolls

Combine a cut and a tap while preserving the main note’s rhythm.

Build onCuts: a crisp interruptionTaps: a quick touchDeveloping

By the end of this lessonDistinguish a long roll from a short roll and keep both inside their allotted time.

Build a long roll on G

Begin with G, cut with your left ring finger, return to G, tap with your right index finger, and return again. Keep one continuous breath. The cut and tap are brief disturbances; the three G portions carry the rhythmic shape.

A short roll starts differently

In the version taught here, a short roll begins with the cut and omits the long roll’s initial plain portion. It then returns to G, taps, and returns again. It occupies a shorter rhythmic space, rather than being a rushed long roll. Timing and terminology vary among players.

Fit the written space

A common long-roll setting is a dotted-quarter note, lasting three eighth-note units; a short roll can occupy two. The demonstration uses those proportions at a slow teaching pace. The cut and tap remain quick in both. Low D cannot take this ordinary cut-and-tap pattern.

Tab symbols & fingering charts
PICK UP YOUR WHISTLE

Hold, cut, tap

  1. Count three equal units and play one sustained G. Repeat with a cut at the start of unit two and a tap at the start of unit three.
  2. Practise the cut and tap separately if the order breaks down. Do not divide the roll into five equally long notes.
  3. Compare the long and short examples. For the short version, count two units: cut at the start, tap at the second unit, and finish on time.
PLAY ALONG · HIGH D WHISTLE

Long rolls in a phrase

Fit each long roll into the three-count G. Compare with plain playback, then study the short-roll demonstration below.

Listen, then play along

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. 1. Hold G
  2. 2. Cut
  3. 3. Return
  4. 4. Tap
  5. 5. Return
TAKE IT INTO A TUNE

Hear long rolls in The Kesh

Use a ROLL label for a slow breakdown. The tab’s ROLL markings demonstrate long rolls; the short example here is a separate lesson exercise.

Open tabs

Your self-check

I can hear the main G throughout a roll and finish in three units or two, as intended.

Take your time. You can revisit any lesson, completed or not.