The Slur
A slur is a curved line above or below two or more different notes. It tells you to play the notes smoothly. Playing smoothly is 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.
Remember to tongue only the first note of each group of notes connected by the slur.
Staccato
A dot above or below a note tells you to play the note staccato. Staccato means to play a note 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.
This example contains both staccato and slur marks. The slur in bar 4 connects two notes rather than a group of notes.
The following examples contain both staccato and slur marks. Staccato and slurs are examples of articulations. Articulation means the way a note is played. The way you play notes can make a big difference to the way the music sounds.
In bars 1, 3, 5 and 7 of this duet, your part is played staccato, while your teacher's part is played legato. Be sure to play the correct articulation rather than following the other part.
