HOW TO PLAY STACCATO, Part 3 of 3

By Douglas Niedt

Staccato is not just for single-line passages — one voice can play staccato while another plays legato at the same time. Part 3 concludes this staccato series by applying that idea to real repertoire: Giuliani's Rossiniana No. 4, Sor's Grand Solo, Albéniz's Malagueña, the Presto from Bach's Lute Suite No. 1, and a Mr. Bojangles arrangement, with five video demonstrations.

Staccato and Legato at the Same Time??

Melody staccato, bass legato

Sometimes the melody in a passage can be staccato but the bass legato. Look at this passage from Mauro Giuliani's Rossiniana No. 4, Opus 122:

As notated, beat one and beat three are short as is beat one in the next measure. It sounds great that way. However, because this motif is repeated several times I like to vary the articulation. Therefore, on some of the repeated instances of this passage, I like to play:

The melody on beat one and three stays short as before. But this time the bass notes are all played as long, connected quarter notes: legato. So we have the contrast of the upper part (melody) being staccato, but the lower part (bass) being legato. I think it's a great effect for contrast. Check it out:

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Melody legato, bass staccato

The next passage is from the introduction to Fernando Sor's Grand Solo, Opus 14:

Fernando Sor Grand Solo Original Notation

No indication of articulation is given. Playing all the notes sustained and legato sounds fine. But I think the passage takes on an extra dimension or depth and mystery if the bass notes are played a little detached:

Watch this video:

Or, a more complicated example occurs in Malagueña by Issac Albéniz:

Here the melody is legato and the accompaniment staccato. The use of staccato makes the piece come alive. Watch this excellent performance by David Russell:

Staccato in Contrapuntal Music

Sometimes things can get complicated in applying staccato to contrapuntal music such as that by J.S. Bach. Here is the beginning of the Presto from Bach's Präludiem to his Lute Suite No. 1 BMV 996.

It could be played with no articulation. But a scheme of articulation can make it much more interesting and propel the music forward. For this passage, there are many possibilities for articulation. But the important thing is to use the same pattern of articulation for the same motif in each voice for cohesiveness. In this example I have chosen: Long for the upbeat then a recurrent pattern of: Short-Short-Long-Short followed by four legato 16th notes.

In other words for the upper voice:

I keep the same articulation pattern for the lower voice:

Put the articulation in both parts together and we have:

Watch me demonstrate:

Staccato in Arrangements of Popular Music

Staccato isn't just for complex passages in classical music. It can also help differentiate parts in arrangements of popular music. In this example of Mr. Bojangles, adding articulation to the accompaniment emphasizes the rhythm of the accompaniment, adding to its independence against the legato and syncopated melody:

This is a nice one. Watch:

FINAL THOUGHTS

After deep examination, one realizes there is a lot more to staccato than playing notes in a short, detached manner. First of all of, several methods can be used to execute staccato. Also, a good player can execute different degrees of staccato from very short to slightly detached. And, staccato is not just for single-line passages. Staccato can be used in one part while playing another part legato. It is appropriate and effective to use in all styles of music, from classical to pop. Mastery of staccato will definitely kick your playing up a notch.

The PDF Version

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