Short, held, and connected · From Zero to Mozart

Every note is written with a length — a quarter, an eighth. A small mark over or under the notehead then says how much of that length to actually sound, and whether to join it to its neighbour. This is articulation, and it runs on a spectrum from a tiny click to a fully connected line.

The spectrum, shortest to longest

Mark	Name	Sound
a wedge / spike ▾	staccatissimo	very short — a spit, a fraction of the value
a dot ·	staccato	roughly half the written value, clear air after
(nothing)	(plain)	the note as written, with a small natural gap
a short line ‒	tenuto	the full value, held, with a slight lean into it
a slur ⌒	legato	no gap at all — the notes joined, one continuous line

The dot and the line are the two you'll meet most.

Hear it

The same four notes — G, A, B, C on the D and A strings — down the spectrum.

80 bpm

Staccato dots. Each note about half length, then silence. The bow stops on the string between notes — the gap is as much part of the rhythm as the sound.

80 bpm

Tenuto lines. Each note given its full value and a little weight — no gap to speak of, but each note is its own gesture. Held and leaned on, not joined.

80 bpm

A slur — legato. One bow across all four, no re-articulation, the fingers changing under an unbroken sound. This is the connected end of the spectrum.

The two short marks

80 bpm

First two: staccato dots — short, with air. Last two: staccatissimo wedges — shorter still, barely touched. Same idea, taken further.

Try it

Try

Play G–A–B–C as four plain quarter notes at 72. Now staccato: stop the bow on the string after each, so half of every beat is silence. Now tenuto: each note its full length, only a tiny lift of weight between them. Now slurred: one bow, no stops at all. Feel your bow arm do four different jobs on the same notes.

The usual mistake

Playing staccato by hitting harder — but staccato is shorter, not louder. Length and accent are separate instructions. And playing tenuto as a punch: it's a held note with a lean, not a jab. On the very short notes, keep the left-hand finger down through the silence — lift it early and the pitch smears.