A slur is a symbol in Western musical notation indicating that the notes it embraces are to be played without separation (that is, with legato articulation). A slur is denoted with a curved line generally placed over the notes if the stems point downward, and under them if the stems point upwards.

How is a slur played?

A slur is a musical notation that informs the musician to play a sequence of two or more notes without pausing in between notes, like slurring all the notes together. In more technical terms, a slur means you should play the notes in legato. ... In terms of legato, notes should be bound together and played smoothly.

What do slurs do in music?

A slur is a curved line that connects two or more notes of different pitches. A slur means the notes should be played as smoothly as possible, with no space in between. 1. On each line, write the number of counts each pair of tied notes would receive.

Does a slur connect the same notes?

Slurs are also curved lines that are spread across multiple notes, which can include different pitches. In other words, a slur does not connect two or more notes of the same pitch, but rather includes a variety of pitches.

How do you know if a tie is a slur?

Although they look similar, a tie is different from a slur. In a slur, there are notes of different pitch. In a tie, the notes are all of the same pitch. When you play notes that are tied, you play the first note and hold it for the value of all the notes that follow.

Ties & Slurs, Basic Music Theory

26 related questions found

How many notes are in a slur?

Slur is a western musical notation that conveys playing a sequence of two or more notes without taking any pause in between them. To be more specific, the notes should be played in legato. Legato means that each note has to be played smoothly and should be connected with another note.

What is a music phrase?

In music theory, a phrase (Greek: φράση) is a unit of musical meter that has a complete musical sense of its own, built from figures, motifs, and cells, and combining to form melodies, periods and larger sections. A phrase is a substantial musical thought, which ends with a musical punctuation called a cadence.

How do ties work in music?

In music notation, a tie is a curved line connecting the heads of two notes of the same pitch, indicating that they are to be played as a single note with a duration equal to the sum of the individual notes' values. ... Ties are normally employed to join the time-value of two notes of identical pitch.

What is a Anacrusis in music?

1 : one or more syllables at the beginning of a line of poetry that are regarded as preliminary to and not a part of the metrical pattern. 2 : upbeat specifically : one or more notes or tones preceding the first downbeat of a musical phrase.

Should slurs encompass tied notes?

Slurs should be drawn connecting or encompassing note-heads. A common mistake by students is to draw slurs connecting stems. The exception to this general practice occurs when a slur is drawn over note stems that change direction.

When should we use ties instead of dots in written music?

Ties allow you to do something similar while still marking the beat so it's easier to read. One obvious example is when you want a note value to last between measures. Using a tie allows you to still mark the first beat of the next measure even though you don't play it.

How do you label a phrase in music?

Labeling/analysis: we usually label different phrases with lowercase letters; a, b, c, etc.

What is a phrase mark in piano?

A phrase mark is used to express a complete musical thought; a tie is used to connect adjacent pitches together to produce a longer note; while a slur is used to connect a group of different pitches together to produce a smoother musical line, While all three phrase marks (phrase, slur, and tie) look the same, they ...

What is a two note slur?

Two note slurs are essentially one note connecting to the next note. Even if the second is not written to be played staccato, it still is played staccato in most musical contexts.

What does MF mean in music?

Musical dynamics indicate the volume of the music. We use the Italian terms piano and forte to denote soft and strong. They are usually abbreviated as p and f. The mid-piano (mp) is moderately soft and the mezzo-piano (mf) is moderately high.

What are bar lines in music?

In music theory, a bar (or measure) is a single unit of time containing a specific number of beats played at a particular tempo. Bars are designated by vertical bar lines that run perpendicular to the staff, indicating the beginning and end of the bar.

What does flat mean in music?

Flat notes are notes that sound a semitone lower than notes that appear on the lines and spaces of a musical staff. As an example, the note B is represented on the third line of the treble clef staff. The note B-flat is indicated with that same notehead with a ♭ symbol placed to the left of it.

What does a slur with dots mean?

Portato ([porˈtaːto]; Italian past participle of portare, "to carry"), also mezzo-staccato, French notes portées, in music denotes a smooth, pulsing articulation and is often notated by adding dots under slur markings. Portato is also known as articulated legato.

What does a dotted slur mean?

Slurs appear as dotted lines. ... Used to denote that a slur was written incompletely in the source in critical editions. Half-dashed end. The first halves of slurs appear as solid lines, the second halves as dashed lines. Used to denote that a slur was written incompletely in the source in critical editions.

What is the purpose of the dot tie and slur in the piece?

A tie links two notes together to create a new duration. Ties occur between notes of the same pitch. A slur , which looks like a tie, is placed over or under notes of different pitches and means to play them in a connected manner. A dot added to a note increases the duration of that note by half.