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Detached, shortened — each note clearly separated from the next. Marked with a dot above or below the notehead.
Staccato notes are typically played at roughly half their written duration. Use staccato for bouncing, light textures, rhythmic clarity, or comic effect. In orchestration, staccato strings have a very different character from staccato winds — strings can bounce the bow (spiccato) while winds use tongue articulation.
Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Scherzo — staccato strings create the fairy-like lightness that defines the piece.
Staccato is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
Browse the full dictionary →