Jig: Cuts

The first ornament you will learn is called the cut. It consists of a single gracenote with a pitch higher than the note it is ornamenting, and is typically used to separate two identical notes so that tonguing is not necessary. It is also used to separate two dissimilar notes for decorative purposes. The first or third finger is used to perform a cut, depending on the note being graced. If the main note is a D, E, F#, or G, use the third finger. If the main note is an A or B, then use the first finger. The procedure below shows how to separate two G's with a cut:

• 1. Play the first G.
• 2. While blowing continously, quickly lift and replace your third finger. This has the effect of making a short A gracenote. The quicker you do this, the better; the gracenote should not sound like a note, but a tiny "blip" which separates the two G's.

The ornament as described above functions as a rhythmic ornament; that is, it breaks up the tune into its rhythmic components (separate notes). Cuts can also be used as decorative ornaments, or ones which primarily decorate a single note and don't affect the rhythm at all. To cut a single note this way (for example, an E), follow these steps:

• 1. Get ready to play the E, but do not blow.
• 2. Lift your third finger and blow, creating an A grace note.
• 3. Immediately replace your third finger to change to the E main note.

Again, the grace note should be very short, so replace your third finger just a split second after blowing the grace note. You can use this form of a cut to grace the introductory note of a phrase, or any note (almost) that you want to emphasize.

Cuts can be used between two dissimilar notes, where they serve both to separate the notes and to decorate the second note. Doing so, however, is a little bit trickier than simply separating two identical notes. Use the following procedure (changing from D to E with a cut is shown as an example):

• 1. Play the first note, D. Do not stop blowing.
• 2. Lift your third finger to make the cut.
• 3. Before replacing your third finger, lift your sixth finger in preparation for the E.
• 4. Replace your third finger to make the second note E.

EXERCISE 13
Practice cuts on the notes D, E, F#, G, A, and B, until you feel very comfortable separating these notes using cuts, and you can cut as fast as you can tongue.  Then practice changing from lower notes to higher notes using cuts, using the procedure outlined above.

EXERCISE 14
Refer to the music for the jig, above. Play through the tune very slowly, using cuts to separate notes where indicated. Notice that the cuts only occur on the first or fourth beats of a bar - putting cuts in other places puts emphasis on the wrong notes, in my opinion, so I'd tongue those instead.  Make sure you are doing the cuts correctly and with the correct fingers. Gradually increase your speed, and continue until you can play the tune with cuts from memory.

The basic tune, with the simple addition of cuts, becomes much more interesting and takes on quite a different character. As you learn more tunes, you will acquire new fingering patterns, some of which are common to many tunes, and the way you typically ornament these patterns will partly define your style.

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