TIED NOTES: EXTENDING DURATION

• Note values may be extended through the use of a tie: ⁀ .

• Ties connect two or more notes of the same pitch by adding together the note values of each tied note. Ties must be drawn from note head to note head and must connect each note.

• Tied notes are played only once and continue to sustain for the duration of all tied note values.

• Ties may be used to hold a note into the next measure.

• Slurs should not be confused with ties. Ties connect notes of the same pitch while slurs connect two or more notes of different pitches. Slurs should be played smoothly and connected.

DOTTED NOTES AND THE FERMATA: EXTENDING DURATION

• Dots placed after a note extend the duration of that note by adding one-half of its value.

• A dotted note should not be confused with the staccato, which is a dot that is placed above or below a note. Staccato notes are played in a disconnected or unconnected manner.

• The fermata extends the duration of a note by extending the count of a pitch (or pitches that sound simultaneously). The exact length of the count is determined by the performer’s musical taste or interpretation.

ANACRUSIS

• Music compositions do not always begin on the first beat of the measure. An incomplete measure at the beginning of a piece is called an anacrusis (from the Greek word, anákrousis, meaning “to strike, push back”).

• An incomplete measure at the end of the piece together with the anacrusis measure at the beginning will usually total the correct number of beats signified by the top number of the time signature.

• The anacrusis is sometimes called a pick-up or upbeat.

• The anacrusis is sometimes called a pick-up or upbeat.

RESTS

• Rests are symbols for silence; for every note value there is a corresponding symbol to rest.

• Rests may be dotted, but they may not be tied.

• For example, a complete measure of silence in 3/4 may be written as a dotted half rest; it also may be written as a whole rest.