Slurs
A slur is a curved line above or below two or more different notes. It indicates that the notes must be played smoothly (called legato). To play legato, only tongue the first note of the group and keep blowing while you change your finger positions for the other notes.
Here are some examples to help you become familiar with slurs. Remember to tongue only the first note of each group of notes connected by the slur. Be careful not to confuse the slur with the tie which connects two or more notes of the same pitch.
Staccato
A dot above or below a note indicates that the note is to be played staccato, which means short and separate from other notes. This is the opposite of legato. To play a note staccato, make a short "t" action with your tongue, and cut off your breath as soon as you tongue the note.
To gain control of the way you play notes, it is a good idea to practice alternating between ordinary tonguing and staccato tonguing as shown in this example.
