What is legato? Performance features

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

One of the most popular techniques you will encounter while learning music is the legato. It is quite difficult to master and even more difficult to use. So what is legato? There are many terms in music that come from the Italian language. Legato is one of them. According to the dictionary of musical terms, this is a coherent performance of sounds, when one, as it were, passes into another without a break between them.

Playing music legato means that each individual note has some possibility of merging with the next. Musical writing contains symbols that show the musician that he must play a certain musical passage with a special technique of performance. The legato sign is indicated in musical notation as an arcuate line that connects the corresponding notes, stretching above or below them. This mark can be dragged across short or long sections of a piece of music.

Historicallyso that legato as a style of playing began to gain popularity at the beginning of the 19th century, when the romantic period came into full force. One of the theories behind its growing popularity during this period was the emergence of new wooden keyboard instruments such as the oboe and clarinet, which are much easier to play in a smooth legato style, as stopping and starting to play music on them required considerable effort.

Features of legato performance on various musical instruments

Legato performance is achieved differently on every musical instrument. When playing a wind instrument, such as the flute, to create legato, the player will play all the notes with one breath. On a stringed instrument, notes will play on a single bow movement. On the guitar, legato is achieved by using techniques such as hammer on and pull off.

Legato is something of an umbrella term that has several different connotations depending on the context and the type of instrument being played.

How to play legato guitar?

The technique involves using a sound with a long sustain (the length of time the note is played) and avoiding over-plucking the strings with the right hand. Instead, hammer on is used to create a smooth progression of interlocking notes. Hammer is performed not by pulling the string, but by pressing it or, as it were, “hammering” the additional finger of the leading hand. Pull-off is the reverse action, when you need to strongly pull the string,to create a sound.

Many guitar learners wonder how to master these techniques. The secret is to practice as much as possible to achieve a clean performance.

Legato in piano playing

Meanwhile, one should understand what legato is on the piano, how it is achieved. This is due to the combined use of a smooth fingering technique and a sustain pedal that extends the duration of notes as the hands move to play the next note or chord, after which the foot can be taken off the pedal so that the transition occurs with a minimally noticeable gap.

As one key is released, the next in sequence is pressed so as not to leave a gap between sounds. This requires very carefully selected fingerings, and in some types of transitions, coordination of the wrist and muscle groups of the upper arm.

Legato on classical stringed instruments

Legato is especially effective when playing stringed instruments, when the bow allows you to slide between notes in a combination of legato and portamento (shifting from one step to another). You can understand what legato is when playing stringed instruments by learning the following ways of playing:

Several notes on the same string are captured with a single bow movement, stopping the string with different fingers

The bow changes directionbetween two notes with a minimum gap

The bow changes angle to play the next note on the adjacent string

When is legato required?

Now that you understand what legato is, you need to figure out when you need to use it. This is a difficult question. Sometimes it is part of the stylistically appropriate practice for performing a particular type of piece, and no special guidelines in the music are required. This is sometimes indicated by the Italian word "legato" or by the presence of a slur marking.

The incessant beautiful legato is extremely difficult to achieve on the piano. It is taught throughout life. A good teacher will work tirelessly to teach and help master legato performance from the earliest stages of learning, practicing the physical movements and critical ear development needed for this purpose.