Cut time (2/2)
Cut time is another name for 2/2, written as a C with a vertical line through it. There are two beats in each measure and the half note gets one beat, so the music is felt in two big beats instead of four small ones.
Cut time shows up in marches, fast classical pieces and lots of band and choir music. The sign looks like a letter C sliced by a line, and its message is simple: count the music in two, not in four. It uses the same notes as 4/4, but you feel and conduct it differently.
What does cut time mean?
Cut time is the time signature 2/2. The top 2 says there are two beats in each measure. The bottom 2 says that the half note gets one beat. It is also called alla breve (an Italian phrase meaning "in the short style" or "to the breve"), because in older notation the beat was a breve, a very long note. Today you will see either the name cut time or alla breve for the same thing.
What does the symbol look like?
The symbol is a C with a vertical line. It is the common time symbol, the C that stands for 4/4, "cut" by a line. That is where the name comes from. Remember the idea this way: common time has four beats, and when you cut it, you halve the number of beats. The line tells you to count in two.
How many beats are in a measure of cut time?
Two. Each beat is a half note, so a measure is worth two half notes, which equals one whole note, which equals four quarter notes. The total length of a measure is the same as 4/4. Only the beat has changed.
| Note | Beats in cut time | Beats in 4/4 |
|---|---|---|
| Whole note | 2 | 4 |
| Half note | 1 | 2 |
| Quarter note | 1/2 | 1 |
| Eighth note | 1/4 | 1/2 |
| Sixteenth note | 1/8 | 1/4 |
How do you count cut time?
Count "1 2" for each measure. For quarter notes, say "1 and 2 and," with each quarter getting half a count. A measure of four quarter notes is counted "1 and 2 and." Eighth notes are quarter-count subdivisions: "1 e and a 2 e and a."
What is the difference between 4/4 and cut time?
The notes on the page can look the same. The difference is the speed of the beat. In 4/4 a performer taps a quarter note beat, and in cut time they tap a half note beat. If a conductor beats 60 times a minute in cut time, each beat is a half note, so you hear 120 quarter notes a minute. The same 60 beats in 4/4 would be only 60 quarter notes a minute.
That is why cut time is used for fast music. It makes the page look calmer, with the notes bearing less to count, and tells the players to feel the long beat. Count only in two, and let the quarter notes and eighth notes fly by.
- 4/4: four quarter-note beats, a quarter note is the unit
- Cut time (2/2): two half-note beats, a half note is the unit
- Same total measure length, different pulse
Where is cut time used?
Marches are the classic home of cut time, because marching is naturally in two. Many band and orchestral pieces use it, and so do many hymns and choral works where the director wants a flowing two-beat sway. Renaissance and Baroque music often uses alla breve to indicate a stately, flowing pulse in two. You will meet it when you play in a school band, because a march can be practiced slowly in 4/4 and then performed in cut time.
How do you practice cut time?
- Pick a short piece written in 4/4 and play it slowly, counting four.
- Now count only two per measure, one beat for each half note, and feel the quarter notes between them.
- Set a metronome to click on the half note beat and play along.
- Clap the rhythm while your foot taps only twice per measure.
- Mark the cut time sign on a copy of your music and conduct two beats with your hand.
Memory trick: when you see the line through the C, think "cut it in half." Half as many beats to count, and each beat is the long note: the half note.
Some people also call 2/2 a "half-note meter." For a general guide to the rest of the signatures, see time signatures. If you need to review the note lengths first, read note values and half note.
Check yourself
1. What is the time signature of cut time?
Answer: 2/2. Cut time is another name for the 2/2 time signature.
2. Which note gets the beat in cut time?
Answer: Half note. A bottom number of 2 means the half note is the beat.
3. How many beats are in a measure of cut time?
Answer: Two. The top number 2 means two beats in each measure.
4. Which name also means cut time?
Answer: Alla breve. Alla breve is the older, traditional name for 2/2 time.
5. What does the vertical line through the C tell you?
Answer: Count in two instead of four. Cut time feels in two beats.