What is articulation in music?
In music, articulation is a lot like punctuation in language. It tells us how to play a specific note or chord, outside of what specific note to play and for how long. The notes are in specific lines and spaces in the staff, and this tells us the pitches of the notes. The stems and tails of each note tells us they are all quavers, or eighth notes.
What are the articulation marks in music notation?
In music notation articulation marks include the slur, phrase mark, staccato, staccatissimo, accent, sforzando, rinforzando, and legato.
How do string instruments use articulation?
String instruments use these methods to achieve different articulations, varying the speed, pressure, and angle of the bow or pick. Musicians use articulation to create a link between notes, such as legato. Legato is formed by letting the string vibrate without stopping or muting it so the note slurs with the consecutive ones.
Do Western composers use traditional articulations?
Western music has a set of traditional articulations that were standardized in the 19th century and remain widely used. Composers are not limited to these, however, and may invent new articulations as a piece requires. When writing electronic and computer music, composers can design articulations from the ground up.
What is articulation style music?
Articulation in Music. The music definition of articulation is the way in which a specific note or group of notes should be performed beyond the basics of pitch, duration and dynamic. It covers techniques such as staccato, legato, slurs, pauses and ornaments, including trills, appoggiaturas and acciaccaturas.
What is articulation an example of music?
Articulation in music refers to how specific notes or passages are played or sung. Composers and arrangers provide articulation directions in the form of written notation, symbols placed above or below notes. Some articulation, like bowing and plucking marks for strings, is exclusive to specific instruments.
What is melodic articulation?
The definition of melodic articulation is the manner or way a single note is performed. In Western music, there are four common musical articulations that are used- staccato, legato, tenuto and marcato.
What are dynamics and articulations in music?
Dynamics are used to show how loudly to play a piece of music. Articulation is used to show how a note should be played or sung - eg staccato or slur.
What is a musical parameter?
They are: pitch, duration, loudness, timbre, sonic texture and spatial location. A 'parameter' is any element that can be manipulated (composed) separately from other elements or focused on separately in an educational context.
What does articulation mean in sound?
articulation, in phonetics, a configuration of the vocal tract (the larynx and the pharyngeal, oral, and nasal cavities) resulting from the positioning of the mobile organs of the vocal tract (e.g., tongue) relative to other parts of the vocal tract that may be rigid (e.g., hard palate).
What is called articulation?
Definition of articulation 1a : a joint or juncture between bones or cartilages in the skeleton of a vertebrate. b : a movable joint between rigid parts of an animal. 2a : the action or manner of jointing or interrelating the articulation of the limbs. b : the state of being jointed or interrelated.
How many articulations are there in music?
Types of Articulation Marks. There are seven main articulation marks used in music.
What is a another word for articulation?
In this page you can discover 40 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for articulation, like: union, enunciation, vocalization, unification, elaboration, utterance, laryngeal, coupling, junction, connection and joint.
What is the difference between the musical parameters tempo and dynamics?
Dynamics: Volume (amplitude)—how loud, soft, medium, gradually getting louder or softer (crescendo, decrescendo). Tempo: Beats per minute; how fast, medium, or slow a piece of music is played or sung.
What is an articulation or joint?
Joints, also known as articulations, are a form of connection between bones. They provide stability to the skeletal system as well as allowing for specialized movement. Joints can be classified: Histologically, on the dominant type of connective tissue. ie fibrous, cartilaginous, and synovial.
What are articulations quizlet?
Articulation. A point of contact between 2 or more bones, between bone and cartilage, or between teeth and bone. Synovial Cavity. The space or joint cavity filled with synovial fluid and found between articulating bones.
What is musical articulation?
Musical articulation is analogous to the articulation of speech, and during the Baroque and Classical periods it was taught by comparison to oratory . Western music has a set of traditional articulations that were standardized in the 19th century and remain widely used.
What is the function of articulation in music?
Articulation is a fundamental musical parameter that determines how a single note or other discrete event is sounded. Articulations primarily structure an event's start and end, determining the length of its sound and the shape of its attack and decay. They can also modify an event's timbre, dynamics, and pitch.
How do woodwinds and brass instruments produce articulations?
Woodwind and brass instruments generally produce articulations by tonguing, the use of the tongue to break the airflow into the instrument. Certain palate cues can help student musicians master articulations. For example, the syllable "dah" demonstrates one placement of the tongue to articulate notes.
What does "apagados" mean in music?
Apagados (from the Spanish verb apagar, "to mute") refers to notes that are played dampened or "muted," without sustain. The term is written above or below the notes with a dotted or dashed line drawn to the end of the group of notes that are to be played dampened.
What are the different types of articulation?
In music notation articulation marks include the slur, phrase mark, staccato, staccatissimo, accent, sforzando, rinforzando, and legato. A different symbol, placed above or below the note (depending on its position on the staff), ...
What does it mean to play a note louder?
Indicates a short note, long chord, or medium passage to be played louder or more forcefully than surrounding music. Indicates musical notes are to be played or sung smoothly and connected.
When writing electronic and computer music, can composers design articulations from the ground up?
In addition to the following instructions given by composers, performers choose how to articulate the events of a score independently, in accordance with their interpretation of it.
What is Articulation in Music?
Much like the spoken and written word, the language of music has grammar, vocabulary, syntax, and punctuation. What is articulation in the musical language? Articulation is the punctuation, a musical parameter that determines how a note or musical phrase should be played.
Articulation Markings for Single Notes
Articulation markings for single notes are notation symbols that only apply to one note at a time. Without the articulation symbol, the note would be played with a neutral articulation style or at the performer's discretion.
What is articulation in music?
The music definition of articulation is the way in which a specific note or group of notes should be performed beyond the basics of pitch, duration and dynamic. It covers techniques such as staccato, legato, slurs, pauses and ornaments, including trills, appoggiaturas and acciaccaturas. In many ways, articulations are like musical punctuation.
What is a slur in music?
Slurs. Slurs are shortened versions of phrase marks which join 2 notes of different pitch. Note: this is different to the note ties which connect the length of 2 notes of the same pitch. Traditionally, a slur means that the 1st note should be emphasised slightly and played smoothly (legato) into the 2nd note.
What is the difference between legato and staccato?
Legato. Legato is the opposite of staccato – legato literally means “smooth, together ”. A legato phrase is one that should be played smoothly with no gap between the notes played. A legato phrase is indicated by a curved line (called a phrase mark) over the top of/underneath the music.
What does it mean to slide in music?
A slide (or glissando or portamento) means the performer swoops up/down in pitch from one note to the next rather than jumping straight to the note.#N#This is indicated by a straight diagonal line.#N#So, the following music…
What does the pause in a piano note mean?
Conversely to the staccato mark which tells the performer to shorten the note, the pause (or fermata) tells the performer to hold the note for a longer period of time than written. So, the following extract….

Overview
Articulation is a fundamental musical parameter that determines how a single note or other discrete event is sounded. Articulations primarily structure an event's start and end, determining the length of its sound and the shape of its attack and decay. They can also modify an event's timbre, dynamics, and pitch. Musical articulation is analogous to the articulation of speech, and during the B…
Types of articulations
There are many types of articulation, each with a different effect on how the note is played. In music notation articulation marks include the slur, phrase mark, staccato, staccatissimo, accent, sforzando, rinforzando, and legato. A different symbol, placed above or below the note (depending on its position on the staff), represents each articulation.
Procedure
Woodwind and brass instruments generally produce articulations by tonguing, the use of the tongue to break the airflow into the instrument.
Certain palate cues can help student musicians master articulations. For example, the syllable "dah" demonstrates one placement of the tongue to articulate notes. In most cases, using the near tip of the tongue, is the best way of articulation. However, different articulation markings require …
Compound articulations
Occasionally, articulations can be combined to create stylistically or technically correct sounds. For example, when staccato marks are combined with a slur, the result is portato, also known as articulated legato. Tenuto markings under a slur are called (for bowed strings) hook bows. This name is also less commonly applied to staccato or martellato (martelé) markings.
Apagados (from the Spanish verb apagar, "to mute") refers to notes that are played dampened o…
See also
• List of musical symbols: Articulation Marks
• Prosody (music)
• Tonguing
Bibliography
• Cooper, Helen (1985). Basic Guide to How to Read Music. ISBN 0-399-51122-9.
External links
• GNU Lilypond Notation Software's List of Articulation Symbols