Legato Information

In musical notation the Italian word legato (literally meaning "tied together") indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly and connected. That is, in transitioning from note to note, there should be no intervening silence. Legato technique is required for slurred performance, but unlike slurring (as that term is interpreted for some instruments), legato does not forbid rearticulation. In standard notation legato is indicated either with the word legato itself, or by a slur (a curved line) under the notes that are to be joined in one legato group. Legato, like staccato, is a kind of articulation. There is an intermediate articulation called either mezzo staccato or non-legato.

Classical stringed instruments

In music for classical stringed instruments, legato is an articulation which often refers to notes played with a full bow, that are played with the shortest silence, often barely perceptible, between notes. This may be achieved through controlled wrist movements of the bowing hand, often masked or enhanced with vibrato. Such a legato style of playing may also be associated with the use of portamento.

Guitar

In guitar playing (apart from classical guitar) legato usually refers to fast notes, such as hammer-ons and pull-offs. Use of legato technique with electric guitar will generally require playing notes that are close and on the same string, following the first note with others that are played by the techniques just mentioned. Many guitar virtuosos are well-versed in this technique, as it allows for rapid and also "clean" runs. Multiple hammer-ons and pull-offs together are sometimes also referred to colloquially as "rolls," a reference to the fluid sound of the technique. A rapid series of hammer-ons and pull-offs between a single pair of notes is called a trill. When playing legato on guitar, it is common for the musician to play more notes within a beat than the stated timing, i.e. playing 5 (a quintuplet) or 7 (a septuplet) notes against a quarter-note instead of the usual even number or triplet. This gives the passage an unusual timing and when played slowly an unusual sound. However, this is less noticeable by ear when played fast, as legato usually is. There is a fine line between what is legato and what is two hand finger tapping, in some cases making the two techniques harder to distinguish by ear. Generally, legato is used to add a more fluid, smooth sound to the passage being played.

Synthesizers

In synthesizers legato is a type of monophonic operation. In contrast to the typical monophonic mode where every new note rearticulates the sound by restarting the envelope generators, in legato mode the envelopes are not retriggered if the new note is played "legato" (with the previous note still depressed). This causes the initial transient from the attack and decay phases to sound only once, and the envelopes to remain at sustain stage for the whole sequence of notes until the final note is released.

Vocal music

In classical singing, legato can be defined as a string of sustained vowels with minimal interruption from consonants. A good, smooth legato line is still a necessity for any successful classical singer. It was a key characteristic of the bel canto style of vocalism that prevailed among voice teachers and singers during the 18th century and the first four decades of the 19th century.

There are other, unorthodox viewpoints. For example Kendra Colton, a faculty member of the Voice Department at Oberlin Conservatory, believes in separating phrases into two or three word units, and adding large separatory articulations between each unit, and before any word starting with a vowel.

Sources

Elementary Rudiments of Music, by Barbara Wharram, Revised Edition edited by Kathleen Wood, Publisher: Frederick Harris Music, 2005

Audio examples

See also

• Slur (music)
• Staccato
• Portato

References

Categories: Guitar performance techniques | Articulations | Opera terminology | Italian loanwords

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