Lessons · Unit 13: Expression

Articulation

Articulation does not say which note to play or how long it is written, but how to attack it and how long to let it ring. Three signs cover nearly everything you will meet at first.

A dot above or below the head: staccato, short and detached.
A wedge (>): accent, that note is struck harder.
A horizontal line: tenuto, held for its full value, not clipped.

Staccato: four short notes

Accent on the first, tenuto on the last

Careful: the staccato dot goes above or below the note; the dot that lengthens sits right beside the head. They look alike and mean nothing like each other.

Drill

The session goes on until every skill below is mastered: at least 10 answers, at most 40. Your progress carries over between sessions.

Master the previous lesson first: Dynamics