Tenuto
A tenuto mark is a short horizontal line over or under a note. It commonly asks you to sustain the note for its full value or give it a little extra weight, without the sharp attack of an accent.
- short line
- full value
- gentle emphasis possible
What does the mark look like?
The tenuto stroke is a small straight dash close to one notehead. It is not a tie or a long phrase line. Its meaning is a performance direction rather than a new note value.
Does it mean longer or louder?
It can imply full length, a touch of weight, or both. That flexibility is why context matters. In a detached passage a tenuto note may simply be less clipped than its neighbors. Under a slur it may invite a gentle new emphasis while the larger phrase stays connected.
How is it different from staccato?
A Staccato dot asks for separation. A tenuto line resists unnecessary shortening. Play the same rhythm both ways and listen to the amount of space between notes. Neither mark changes the printed rhythm or tells you to rush the next beat.
What should you practice?
Play C-D-E-F at a slow pulse. Mark D tenuto and E staccato. Give D its full space, then release E earlier. If both notes sound equally clipped, the tenuto has disappeared; if D steals time from E, the beat needs more support.