Expression & tempo
Articulation
Articulation is how a note is started, sustained, and released, the markings that distinguish smooth, separated, accented, and shortened notes from one another.
The core vocabulary is small: a slur for connection, a dot for shortening, a wedge for a sharper shortening, a horizontal line for full length with a slight separation, and an accent for emphasis at the start. These combine, a dot under a slur asks for separated notes within a single bow stroke.
For string players every articulation marking is simultaneously a bowing decision, since the bow is what produces the attack and release. Two players can read the same dot and produce staccato or spiccato depending on tempo, dynamic, and style, which is why articulation is a matter of judgement rather than a lookup table.
Related terms
Every term in this glossary is taught in context somewhere in Arco's curricula, on the staff, on the keyboard, and on your own fingerboard at the same time.