Legato

Legato is a way of playing or singing music so that the notes sound smooth and connected, with no pauses in between. This smooth style helps musicians show feelings and ideas through their music. The word "legato" comes from the Italian language and means "tied together."

Musicians show when they want to play legato by writing the word "legato" or drawing a curved line under the notes. This curved line is called a slur and tells the musician to play the notes smoothly as one group. This is different from a tie, which connects notes of the same pitch.

Legato is one of many ways musicians can change how their music sounds. Another way is called staccato, where notes are played short and separated. There is also a middle style called mezzo staccato or non-legato, sometimes known as portato. All these ways of playing help musicians create interesting and beautiful music.

Classical string instruments

In music for Classical string instruments, legato means playing notes smoothly. Musicians use their whole bow and make tiny pauses between notes. This makes the music sound like one smooth line. They move their wrists in a special way and sometimes use vibrato to help. This style is also linked with portamento.

Guitar

In guitar playing, legato is a way to play music smoothly. It uses special techniques like glissando, string bending, hammer-ons, and pull-offs. This makes the notes sound connected.

Some great guitar players like Allan Holdsworth, Shawn Lane, and Brett Garsed became very skilled at this. They could play fast and complex music using these techniques. Legato helps guitarists play smooth runs and make music sound nice.

Synthesizers

In synthesizers, legato is a way to play notes smoothly one after another. Usually, when you press a new note, the sound starts again. But in legato mode, if you hold the first note and press the next one, the sound keeps going. This makes the notes flow together nicely.

Vocal music

See also: Melisma

In classical singing, legato means singing notes smoothly. Singers connect the notes using vowels and only a few consonants. This smooth style was important for singers a long time ago. Today, good legato singing is still important for classical singers, especially when singing phrases without special marks. One challenge is keeping the smooth sound when changing pitch ranges.