by Bella
(Ireland)
How do you play music with a tie because I started piano lessons only a few weeks ago and I have one lesson per week????
Dana:
Hi, Bella,
A true tie is the curved line connecting 2 notes that are the same (such as a D to another D), not to be confused with a slur, which is ALSO a curved line, but connects notes which are different.
The tie means that you just keep the same note pressed down for additional time (however long the second note is), while a slur indicates that you should play the notes smoothly one after the other, with no lifting off the keys. As I tell my students, with no "hiccups" in-between!