Ties
A tie is a curved line joining two notes of the same pitch. Play the first note and hold it through the second note's value without striking again.
- same pitch
- one sustained sound
- durations add
How does a tie change the duration?
Add the connected note values. A quarter tied to an eighth lasts three eighth-note units. A half tied to a quarter lasts three quarters. The second note shows how long to continue, not where to make a new attack.
Why use a tie instead of one longer note?
A tie can carry sound across a bar line, where one ordinary note value cannot be written across both measures. It can also show the beat grouping clearly. A quarter tied to an eighth may be easier to read than one dotted quarter when a strong beat lies between them.
Is a tie the same as a slur?
No. A slur usually links different pitches for connected phrasing; each pitch is still played. A tie connects repeated written pitches at the same height and makes one sustained note. If the pitch changes under the curve, read it as phrasing rather than an added duration.
Can a tie join rests?
No. A rest is silence, so there is no sounding pitch to sustain. You can use dotted rests or successive rests to notate a longer silence. A tie may connect more than two notes of the same pitch when a sound spans several written values.