Topmusicanswers
Legato means to play long notes and Staccato means to play short notes. Think of them as opposites. It's also easy if you correlate the first letter of each one to help you remember which is which: legato = long and then staccato = short.
What is legato and staccato?
Legato and staccato are articulation opposites. Legato means to play the notes as smoothly connected as possible. Staccato means to play the notes as short and crisp and detached as possible. Slur. A slur connects two notes of different pitch.
What is legato in piano?
Answer by Curtis Lindsay, classical pianist and composer: The word legato literally means “connected” or “bound together.” It means that notes follow one another smoothly—legato is the unimpeded constancy of sound and tone.
Is staccato the same as legato?
Sonically speaking, staccato is the opposite of legato. Notes do not flow into one another. Each individual note is sounded briskly; it intentionally leaves a small rest at the end of its allotted duration. Staccato playing is, by its nature, more jaunty and percussive than legato playing.
