What is a Tie?

What is a Tie?

• A. A curved line connecting the heads of two or more notes of the SAME pitch. Not to be confused with the slur
• B. A curved line connecting notes of different pitches
• C. A passage that ends a piece
• D. From the beginning

Answer: (A)

A tie is a curved line that connects two notes of the same pitch, indicating they should be held as one continuous, longer note. The total duration is the sum of the tied notes, and you don’t rearticulate on the second note. This is why a quarter tied to another quarter lasts as a half note. A tie is different from a slur, which connects notes of different pitches to show legato phrasing rather than lengthening the sound. The remaining descriptions refer to a slur or to concepts like ending or starting, which aren’t what a tie does.

A tie is a curved line that connects two notes of the same pitch, indicating they should be held as one continuous, longer note. The total duration is the sum of the tied notes, and you don’t rearticulate on the second note. This is why a quarter tied to another quarter lasts as a half note. A tie is different from a slur, which connects notes of different pitches to show legato phrasing rather than lengthening the sound. The remaining descriptions refer to a slur or to concepts like ending or starting, which aren’t what a tie does.