Legato: smooth and connected
Legato is an Italian word meaning bound together. Legato notes are played smoothly, with no gaps between them. In a score it is shown with a slur, a curved line over or under a group of different notes.
Legato (say leh-GAH-toh) comes from the Italian legare, to bind or tie. When music is played legato, each note flows into the next without a break, like beads on a string. It is one of the most common ways to play a singing melody, and it is the opposite of staccato.
How is legato written?
The usual sign is the slur: a curved line that connects two or more notes of different pitches. Everything under the slur is played legato. The slur is usually drawn on the side of the notes opposite the stems, or above the notes if stems go both ways. The word legato is also printed above a passage when the composer does not want to draw many slurs. Cancelling it is done with words such as non legato or staccato, or by simply writing dots under the notes.
A slur looks a lot like a tie, but they are different. A tie joins two notes of the same pitch into one longer sound. A slur joins notes of different pitches into one smooth phrase. A tie adds the note values together. A slur changes only how the notes are connected.
How do you play legato on different instruments?
- Piano: Hold each key down until the next one is just sounding. The fingers overlap by a tiny amount. Move the arm and wrist smoothly so there is no bump between notes. The sustain pedal can help, but do not use it to hide poor finger work.
- Strings: Play many notes in one bow stroke. Change fingers without stopping the bow, and change bows smoothly when you must, so the join is hardly heard.
- Winds: Play many notes in one breath, tonguing only the first note under a slur. The fingers must move together, and the air must never stop.
- Brass: Change pitch with the lips and valves or slide while the air keeps flowing. Trombonists use a soft tongue, or a special technique called a legato tongue, to avoid a hard start on each note.
- Voice: Keep the breath moving across the vowels. Do not aspirate or push each note separately. Legato singing is the foundation of classical singing.
Practice tip: Play the passage as if you were singing it on a single breath. Listen for any gaps or bumps, and aim for a steady flow of sound.
What is the difference between legato and similar markings?
| Marking | How it sounds |
|---|---|
| Legato | Smooth and connected, no gaps |
| Staccato | Short and detached |
| Tenuto | Held for full value, with a slight weight |
| Portato | Between legato and staccato: connected, but with a light separation |
Notice that tenuto is not the same as legato. A tenuto note is held for its full length, but it may still have a clear start. Legato is about the join between notes. You can have tenuto notes that are also legato, but they are separate ideas.
Where do you hear legato?
Lyrical melodies in slow movements, songs, hymns and ballads are almost always legato. A voice or a violin can sing long, connected lines naturally. On the piano the player has to work harder to create the illusion of a singing line, since each note fades after it is struck. That is why legato playing is a skill piano students spend years polishing.
What if there are no markings?
Many pieces have no slurs or dots at all. In that case, the style decides. Baroque music often used a mixture of detached and connected playing, while Romantic music tends to favor a more connected sound. Ask your teacher or listen to recordings of the piece before you decide. The marking sempre legato means always legato.
Check yourself
1. What does legato mean?
Answer: Smooth and connected. It comes from the Italian for bound together.
2. What sign shows legato in a score?
Answer: A slur. A slur is a curved line over notes of different pitches.
3. How is a slur different from a tie?
Answer: A tie joins notes of the same pitch. A slur connects different pitches into a smooth phrase.
4. What is the opposite of legato?
Answer: Staccato. Staccato notes are short and detached.