Slur (music)

Updated on Nov 26, 2024

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A slur is a symbol in Western musical notation indicating that the notes it embraces are to be played without separation, i.e. with legato articulation. A slur is denoted with a curved line generally placed over the notes if the stems point downward, and under them if the stems point upwards:

Performance

For bowed string instruments, the notes should be played in one bow stroke.

For guitars, the notes should be played without plucking the individual strings (hammer-ons and pull-offs).

For wind instruments, the notes should be played without rearticulating each note (tonguing), except in trombone.

For vocal music, slurs are usually used to mark notes which are sung to a single syllable (melisma).

A slur can be extended over many notes, sometimes encompassing several bars. In extreme cases, composers are known to write slurs which are near-impossible to achieve; in that case the composer wishes to emphasise that the notes should be performed with as much legato as possible.

References

Slur (music) Wikipedia

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