Hi all. I have just started playing in a concert band after 8 years of not playing and there are a few things i have forgotten. just wondering if anyone can help - On some music there are 4 crotchets with dots beneath them, suggesting that they should be played staccato, however it has a curve connecting the first and last notes, suggesting that they should be slurred notes - am i missing something here?

There is a certain way to play those.....but unfortunatley I forgot how. Lol....but it does look weird doesnt it?! :D

We have many slurred staccatos in a piece we are playing in concert band called Irish Tune From the Country Derry. My band director said that they cancel each other out and that the slurs are there to show phrases. He said that they are supposed to be played as though the staccato marks and the slurs are not there. I hope that helps.

hmmm, sounds a bit odd, i wonder why they dont just write them as normal crotchets? Oh well i believe you, ill just play them as normal crotchets, thanks!

It`s not a slur, it`s not staccato... it`s spiccato! Playing staccato with a single bow motion.

Of course non-string instuments don`t "bow", but it`s the effect that is being called for.

It`s staccato that is not too separated.

Try tapping directly onto a desk in a single point and tapping moving your arm across the desk tapping. That kind of thing, but a bow striking a string at different points of the bow.

i see..... thanks for that ill get practising! :-)

When I had talked to my band director he said that they write it that way to help show phrasing. I was really stumped when I say it first too. It really was a bit strange.

Its actually called mezzo staccato and should be played with a light tounging. staccato is very short, with the tongue cutting off the duration of the note, where as mezzo staccato has light tounging and the note is left to resonate

maybe think of it as mezzo staccato being a "taaaa" sound and staccato being "tut"

Its actually called mezzo staccato

No, it's definately spiccato. Mezzo staccato is as correct as mezzo tenuto.

It is mezzo staccato. Check any website or professional.

I have a book that says that while playing notes with a staccato and slur, instead of hitting the note with a 't' hit with a 'duh.' its almost like a 'muffled staccato.' this information is valid so i hope it will be of your assistance.

What I recccommend is to lighty tounge each note. Don't make them sharp as sepearte let them flow into eachother without being too detatched

Robin: It's quite funny, 'cause I asked my conductor, and he said: "MEZZO STACCATO??? What the h*** is that supposed to mean?? It's called spicatto!"

SO I actually think you're wrong about that

I'm a string player, so this is my understanding:

Articulation symbols (ie. how a note should sound):

Staccato: note should be held for about half its value. Represented by a dot under/above the note.

Portamento: slight accent that is held for the full duration of the note value. Represented by a dash or line under/above each note. (This is not a slur as each note has a separate dash under/above it.)

Mezzo staccato: means half staccato and is a combination of the staccato and portamento. Note would have both a dot and a line under/above it. Notes would sound slightly accented and detached.

Expressive Markings:

Spiccato: is written above the music as an indication of a specific bow technique required (to use a light bouncing motion of the bow).

Expressive markings are written to express a musical idea, such as rit. for ritardando (graudally gets slower).

Given this information, how would I interpret slurred staccato? As detached notes under a single bow stroke. I would not use spiccato unless I saw the word written in the music. So it does indicate the type of phrasing required. Detached notes with separate bow strokes sound different from detached notes within a single bow stroke.

The definitions stated above were taken from www.treblis.com/notation/accent.html.

Ida: I think you're wrong about that

No chance. Perhaps different countries use different words. I asked my conductor what spiccato was and he didn't have a clue.