When Karl gets time, can we pls have a video explaining where/when (as opposed to how) to insert the various ornaments? Thanks.
While Karl is working on the next video... There's no one way to use ornaments. Karl makes the point that in many cases, the word "ornament" is misleading, and these so-called ornaments function more like punctuation. They separate notes from each other in a more emphatic way than just tonguing them. So one thing to think about is this: When playing a tune that has two or more notes of the same pitch, played consecutively, would the addition of ornaments to some of those notes make them stand out from each other better?
Example: "America the Beautiful" begins with the words "Oh beautiful...", four syllables, four notes, two pitches. If we were playing it in the key of C, it would begin with these four notes: G G E E. This is not a Celtic tune by any means, but that doesn't matter. As I hear this in my head, I would want to play a strike (from a half tone down, F#), but not a cut, between the first and second G. Why? Well...if I use a strike instead of tonguing to separate those notes, I don't stop the air flow, so I get a pretty smooth sound. That particular song, as I would want to play it, should sound smooth and majestic, not too chopped up. I would not use a cut, because even though a cut also doesn't stop the air flow, it's a more abrupt ornamentation, and I don't want abruptness, at least not here.
Karl explains that cuts can be more than a half tone, but a half tone is the minimum cut, and that's what I'd want.
Sometimes you may want to use a strike at the very beginning of a tune or phrase, not just to separate notes. When you do this, it tends to give the phrasing a more jazz or blues feel. The reason for this is that jazz and blues singers tend to "slide" into notes a bit, whereas classical singers are taught to hit a note dead on. So by using strikes at the start of musical phrases, you emulate a certain kind of singer, and that style of singing gets infused into what you're playing. Cuts, on the other hand, don't really have much of a vocal counterpart. Because of their abruptness, they call attention to themselves and add an element of brightness, and even surprise, to the music. Cuts separate notes more emphatically than tonguing does, as Karl points out, so tongued cuts are maximally emphatic. Although cuts are typical in Celtic music, they can be used in other kinds of music too, but in some pieces they would be jarring.
So step 1 is to take a simple piece that you know well, and experiment with strikes and cuts, and see if you like the results. Record yourself, if possible. Gradually you get a feel for what you like, and how you like to use ornaments. Everyone's style is different. You might play "America the Beautiful" with plenty of cuts in there, and make it work.
Ubizmo
