ɐ kˈʌɾɪŋ kˈɑːntɛst ɪz ɐ tˈaɪp ʌv mjˈuːzɪkəl bˈæɾəl ðæt wʌz tɹɐdˈɪʃənəli hˈɛld bᵻtwˌiːn vˈɛɹiəs stɹˈaɪd piˈænoʊ plˈeɪɚz fɹʌmðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti z tə ðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi z, ænd tʊ ɐ lˈɛsɚɹ ɛkstˈɛnt ɪn ˌɪmpɹəvəzˈeɪʃən kˈɑːntɛsts ˌɔn ˈʌðɚ dʒˈæz ˈɪnstɹəmənts dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə swˈɪŋ ˈiəɹə.
A cutting contest is a type of musical battle that was traditionally held between various stride piano players from the 1920s to the 1940s, and to a lesser extent in improvisation contests on other jazz instruments during the swing era.