Instruments & Performance

Cutting

Japanese name
カッティング

Cutting is a guitar technique that plays chords short and crisp so that they work as rhythm.

How to use it

Relax the fretting hand slightly to stop the ring, and chop with the offbeats and accents in mind.

How it differs from related terms

Cutting is about chopping out a rhythm, while palm muting is a specific way of damping the sound with the palm.

Playing only the higher strings you need, rather than every note of the chord, keeps things tidy.

Sources & review

Last reviewed July 16, 2026

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