Notation & reading
Tie
A tie is a curved line joining two notes of the same pitch, combining them into a single sound lasting the sum of their values.
Ties exist because note values are limited to halvings, there is no single symbol for a note lasting five eighths, so it is written as a half note tied to an eighth. They are also the standard way to carry a note across a bar line, which no single notehead can do.
The second note of a tie is never re-articulated. On a string instrument this means the bow keeps moving without a direction change or a new attack, and the left-hand finger stays down. Miscounting a tie across a bar line is one of the most common rhythmic errors in student ensembles.
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.