Articulations
There are many different ways in which a note can be played, e.g. loud, soft, staccato, legato, etc. These different ways of playing a note are called articulations. The way you articulate notes can make a dramatic difference to the way the music sounds. There are specific markings which can be used in written music to indicate the articulation desired by the composer. Two examples of this are shown below. A short horizontal line directly above or below a note indicates that the note is to be held for its full written duration. This articulation is called tenuto. Another common articulation which you may already know is staccato, which means the note is to be played short and separate from other notes. Staccato is indicated by a dot placed directly above or below a note.
Most sheet music doesn’t contain detailed articulation markings. Sometimes staccato notes are marked, but tenuto usually isn’t. It is often assumed that most notes will be played tenuto (held for their written duration) The following example shows the G Blues scale alternating between tenuto (not indicated) and staccato. This is often described as long-short. Practice all your scales and in this manner until it becomes natural to you. Once you con do this, it will start to come out in your playing by itself.
