Symbols and Terminology: Tie and Slur

TIE and SLUR

a tie is always located between two consecutive notes of same pitch. it is equivalent to a single note whose duration is the sum of the durations of the two notes.


a slur is located between two notes of any pitch. if it is played, the note pitch will vary smoothly or semitone by semitone from the first pitch to the second one. a slur can also be used, when underlining a whole group of notes, to specify "phrasing", i.e. indicate this group of notes has to be played in a single "sentence" ( in a single blow for a wind instrument ) and it can be inserted between two notes belonging to different staves.

figure ix.a.
a tie and a slur

what's the difference between a TIE and a SLUR?

simple, aside sa hitsura nila na minsan hindi mo madistinguished dahil pareho silang curved line, you'll notice that ties connect notes of the same pitch, forming essentially one longer note. slurs smoothly connect notes of different pitch. this means to play the notes without breaks. always look for the same pitch not necessarily the same note okie, pag may curve line na nagko-connect sa kanila, tied notes yun and all you have to do is add all the note's duration, that's how long you'll play that pitch before going to the next note to play... magkarugtong sila. on the other hand, ang slur naman para kasi siyang isang phrase... you'll play the notes individually pero connected parang walang hinga in between... magkakarugtong nga pero iba-iba naman sila ng pitch. gets nyo na ba?! ^_^v



next... Symbols and Terminology: TIME SIGNATURE

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