Tying It Together: Defining the Difference Between Ties and Slurs

The difference between tied notes and slurred notes in music can cause confusion—which is not surprising, since they are both noted the exact same way! Both slurs and ties are indicated with arc-shaped lines placed either above a grouping of notes (if the notes’ stems are pointing down) or below a grouping of notes (if the stems are pointing up).

Clip ‘n Save: Stepping Up and Stepping Down: Augmented and Diminished Intervals

n our “Intro to Intervals,” we learned how to recognize major, minor, and perfect intervals—first, recognizing the distance between the two notes on the staff and then counting the precise number of steps between the two pitches. In addition to major, minor, and perfect, there are two other interval qualities that can come into play: augmented and diminished…

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Going the Distance: Intro to Intervals

To confidently identify intervals, you’ll first need to master your understanding whole-steps and half-steps—also known as tones and semi-tones. A half-step (semi-tone) is two different notes with the smallest possible distance between them—for example, B up to C, or E down to Eb. Think of two frets right next to each other on a guitar, or two keys (including the black keys) right next to each other on the piano. A whole-step (tone) is made up of two half-steps—for example, B up to C#, or E down to D…