Staccato and legato explained for kids: articulation marks

Staccato means short and detached. Legato means smooth and joined. Both are articulation marks, which tell a player how to start each note and how to connect it to the next. The same notes at the same speed and volume can sound quite different with a change of articulation.

The two main marks

Word	Meaning in Italian	Mark	How it sounds
Staccato	Detached	A dot above or below the note	Short, with a gap before the next note
Legato	Bound together	A curved line over the notes, called a slur	Smooth, with no gaps

Staccato does not mean loud, and it does not mean fast. A staccato note can be soft and slow. It is short for its beat, and silence fills the rest.

Other marks to know

Mark	What it looks like	What it means
Accent	A small sideways V above the note	Play it with extra force
Tenuto	A short flat line above the note	Hold it for its full length
Marcato	A small upright wedge, open at the bottom	A strong accent
Staccatissimo	A tiny wedge above the note	Shorter than staccato
Dots under a slur	Staccato dots with a curved line over them	Separated a little

For the full chart, read musical symbols and their meanings.

How each instrument does it

Piano. For staccato, the finger leaves the key at once. For legato, one finger goes down as the last one comes up, so the sounds join.

Violin and other strings. For legato, the player takes several notes in one stroke of the bow. For staccato, the bow stops between notes. Plucking the string, called pizzicato, gives a short, round sound.

Flute, clarinet, trumpet, and other winds. The tongue starts each note, the way it does when you say “too.” For staccato, each note gets a light, quick “too.” For legato, the tongue starts the first note only, and the air keeps going.

Voice. For legato, a singer joins the vowels on one breath. For staccato, each note gets a tiny bounce.

Do not mix them up

• A staccato dot and a dotted note. A dot above or below the note means short. A dot beside the note makes it longer. Read dotted notes and ties explained.
• A slur and a tie. A slur joins different notes. A tie joins two notes of the same pitch into one long note. Read slurs and ties: how to tell them apart.

Pieces to hear

Staccato

• “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” by Tchaikovsky. Short notes on the celesta over plucked strings. See the Nutcracker Suite guide.
• Surprise Symphony, second movement, by Haydn. A tiptoe tune in short notes. See the guide.
• Pizzicato Polka, by Johann Strauss II and Josef Strauss. The strings pluck all the way through.

Legato

• “The Swan,” by Saint-Saëns. One long, smooth line on the cello. See the guide.
• Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3, by Bach. Often called “Air on the G String.”
• “Clair de lune,” by Debussy. Soft, joined notes on the piano.

Both in one piece

• “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” by Grieg. It starts with short, plucked notes and ends with the full orchestra. See the story.

Games to play

Hop and glide. Play a staccato piece and hop. Play a legato piece and glide. Then switch the music with no warning.

Dots and lines. Give your child paper and a crayon. Draw dots for staccato music and long wavy lines for legato music.

Sing it both ways. Sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” with short, bouncy notes. Sing it again as one smooth line. Ask which suits a lullaby.

Mark hunt. Open your child’s music book. Find every staccato dot and every slur on one page.

Play it the other way. Your child plays a line of a piece with the marks on the page. Then they swap every staccato for legato. Ask what changed.

Guess the mark. Write “staccato” on one card and “legato” on another. Play or sing five notes. Your child holds up the card that fits.

Why composers use them

Articulation gives music its character. Short notes can sound light, funny, or sneaky. Smooth notes can sound calm, sad, or grand. A composer picks the mark that fits the mood, and the player brings it out.

Print and play

Print the tempo and dynamics word cards for more Italian words. Read dynamics in music explained for loud and soft, and tempo words in music for fast and slow.