What's the difference between legato slide and slide?

Normally you play both notes in a slide, but in a legato slide you play just the first and let your finger pressure sound the note as it slides to the target fret. The result is like a combination of slide and hammer on or pull off (legato).

The term legato slide is a fairly new one, and it simply means there's no new attack on the second note.

You can tell the difference by listening for the pick attack, but I don't think it matters very much. I also think a lot of the folks arguing over these fine distinctions don't really understand musical phrasing (vs. playing musical phrases on the guitar). There are two main techniques used in sequencing notes in musical phrases: the term 'legato' is Italian for 'tied together', and the opposite effect is 'staccato' (separated). You can have varying degrees of either, and legato doesn't mean there can't be a pick attack - only that there's no break between the sound of sequential notes.

Since there's no physical way you can start a slide, stop the sound midway, and then resume the slide without a second string attack, there are no staccato slides - and all slides must be legato techniques.

I'm not a fan of the new terminology, since it's at best a bit inaccurate. Some folks are proposing that "legato" slides should be noted with a slur symbol, but I think that's redundant - if the second attack is actually important to the performance, simply note the stroke with a picking symbol or an accent mark - that'll work for either tab or standard notation.

I'm no music teacher but I believe legato means "slurred". So as Fretsource said, play the first note and simply slide to the next allowing it to sound without picking. I also believe that hammering-on and pulling-off notes are called legato notes.

Yep, all slurs are also legato. But not all legato phrases are slurred.

I seem to recall a thread on this about 3-4 years ago...

Legato phrases (a set of notes with a curved line over/under the phrase) mean the notes are connected, with no separation. You'll see those marks in music for just about all instruments, even those that must attack each note (like pianos).

Slurs are two notes with different pitches, and the note heads are connected by a curved line. The idea is to connect the notes into a single sound as much as you can. When possible they're done with a single attack - one pick stroke on the guitar, no tonguing on brass/winds, single bow stroke on classical strings, etc.

But even those instruments that can't produce two pitches with a single attack - like pianos - develop techniques to get the notes connected as smoothly as possible... a pianist will drop the wrist on the first note, raising it at the second.

There's a difference between 'global' musical directions (like legato or slur symbols) which refer to the phrasing of a melody, and the technqiues an individual instrument can apply to get those sounds. Guitars can perform slurs by hammers/pulls, bends, slides - all of them will result in a legato/slurred phrasing.

So really, slurs are just a "more legato" flavor of legato. Staccato techniques have variations too - marcato, etc - with varying degrees of separation and emphasis.

NoteBoat

That was an excellent post. I always learn a lot from you. :D

Thanks.

Thanks for the replies. I think I was already doing it at times.