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Music vocabulary · Performance and Practice

Legato

Meaning in music, with examples

adverbCommon term

In music, legato means: With successive notes smoothly connected so that the musical line flows without clear gaps between them.

In Turkish: legato, bağlı çalarak

How it is used

Used as a direction in scores and lessons. The physical technique differs between singing, keyboard playing and wind or string instruments.

Example sentences

  1. Sing the vowel legato across all four notes before adding the words.

    The exercise keeps the vocal sound connected while the pitch changes.

  2. The pianist used careful fingering to keep the melody legato without the pedal.

    Finger changes connect the notes instead of relying on sustained pedal resonance.

Common collocations

  • legato playing
  • legato phrase
  • smooth legato
  • articulationThe way notes are started, connected, separated, or accented in performance, shaping clarity and musical character.
  • melodyA sequence of single notes that forms a recognisable musical line, often the part that people remember and sing along to.
  • vocalsThe singing parts of a piece of music, especially in pop, rock and jazz. The main singer sings the lead vocals, and others sing the backing vocals.

More terms: Performance and Practice

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