No - not a good idea. The plan is to create an open bowl shaped tree and cutting off the taller branches would have the exact opposite effect. Pruning cherries is different from many fruit trees.

It 's the shorter low branches I would be unhappy about. Did you buy the tree locally? If so I'd have a look at the other cherries they have and see if they are the same. My instinct would be to cut at least most of them off instead but do check further before you do. Its a bit late now for this season anyway.

There is plenty of info on pruning cherries on Google - worth a browse.

Don't forget to take into consideration pruning time as regards Silver Leaf infection. Best time seems to be late June – mid August.

Sorry I got pruning time wrong. Jimmy's right.

The most important thing to remember when prunining cherry trees is that they are prone to disease, so always sterilize your shears in something like bleach.

As with most deciduous trees, don't cut in spring when the tree has developed buds because the energy goes into bud formation. Cutting in autumn/winter before buds have formed allows the tree to use that energy to produce healthy branches.

As has been said, you need to create an open vase or fan shape to allow air and light in.

Hi Myron, nice to see you back!