Editing Music theory (section)

====Articulation====
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2015}}
{{Main|Articulation (music)}}
[[File:Notation accents1.png|thumb|upright=1.4|Examples of articulation marks. From left to right: [[staccato]], [[staccatissimo]], [[martellato]], [[Accent (music)|accent]], [[tenuto]].]]
Articulation is the way the performer sounds notes. For example, ''[[staccato]]'' is the shortening of duration compared to the written note value, ''[[legato]]'' performs the notes in a smoothly joined sequence with no separation. Articulation is often described rather than quantified, therefore there is room to interpret how to execute precisely each articulation.

For example, ''staccato'' is often referred to as "separated" or "detached" rather than having a defined or numbered amount by which to reduce the notated duration. Violin players use a variety of techniques to perform different qualities of ''staccato.'' The manner in which a performer decides to execute a given articulation is usually based on the context of the piece or phrase, but many articulation symbols and verbal instructions depend on the instrument and musical period (e.g. viol, wind; classical, baroque; etc.).

There is a set of articulations that most instruments and voices perform in common. They are—from long to short: ''legato'' (smooth, connected); ''[[tenuto]]'' (pressed or played to full notated duration); ''[[marcato]]'' (accented and detached); ''staccato'' ("separated", "detached"); ''[[martelé (bowstroke)|martelé]]'' (heavily accented or "hammered").{{Contradictory inline|date=March 2020|reason=The accompanying illustration names "staccato", "tenuto", and three other articulations not listed here. Are these synonyms and, if so, which are synonyms of which? Neither list is cited to a reliable source.}} Many of these can be combined to create certain "in-between" articulations. For example, ''[[portato]]'' is the combination of ''tenuto'' and ''staccato''. Some instruments have unique methods by which to produce sounds, such as ''[[spiccato]]'' for bowed strings, where the bow bounces off the string.