Slurs

[xiaoken]

How are they supposed to be played?

Also, every note under the slur is part of it right? Or are only the two notes connected by the slur?

[allchopin]

Slurs are kinda weird.  Everything "under" the slur is played legato, and if two of the same notes are connected, then it is called a tie, and you dont play the second note.  What ive wondered though, is what if a note in measure 1 is tied to a note in measure 3?  Do you still not play that far-away second note?

[NetherMagic]

naw I don't think that is right in the theoreotical sense, you would definately need a note in measure 2 as well, or else the publisher or the editor or the wutever must have never taken theory lessons before

[allchopin]

What do you mean?  Im saying like if the first note in measure one (an F) is played, then a bunch of other notes, then more notes played in measure two, then another note (F) in measure three is receiving the tie, do you play it?  or is it like nulled by the buffer measure in between?

[ThEmUsIcMaNBJ]

It depends in what voice it's written in.  In a lot of Bach for instence...  I'll just make up an example.  Say theres a whole note "C" on the staff top voice...  And it's TIED to the next measure quarter note C, but there is a lower voice with many other notes going on.  You want to hold the C with one finger and play all the other notes with all the rest or whatever...

A slur is different...  You can tell if it's the same voice...  If like allchopin said an F then a lot of notes then another F, if it's the same note it's a slur still.  IF it's the same voice.  It's pretty obvious 99% of the time...  But it doesn't have to end in the same note to be a slur.  At the end of a slur, which is usually a phrase, you "lift".  Make the last note a little "shorter" not quite SHORTER but just have a little tiny maybe rest in between that note and the next slur or note or WHATEVER...  It's an audible lift and is very important phrasing technique.  

In a wind instrument it means to not tongue the notes within the slur.  And then when the slur ends you tongue the next note which gives pretty much the same impression of  the lift.  Everything under the slur with piano is played legato and then the lift at the end like I said.  

Hope that's what you needed I'm not quite sure I made a lot of sense!  I have problems with that sometimes  

[jlh]

If a note in measure 1 is definitely tied to the same note in measure 3, then don't play it again.  All other notes in between are usually another voice and for it to be a slur, it would have a seperate marking for that.