Need help with sheet music symbols

[rowe]

Hello,

I started learning piano/keyboard about a week ago, and now I have hit an obstacle. I am learning using a book, and in some of the manuscript it is using symbols I have not seen before.

One of them lookes like a arched line, connected to one beat and stretches to another beat further along. From what I have seen they are used primarly on the treble clef (top row) It is mentioned they are described as "slurs".

The other is a vertical line that connects a beat from the bass clef to the treble clef.

Any idea how you play these notes? Sorry my description is poor.

Thank you

[hyrst]

A slur is like joining melody lines together smoothly, like words in a sentence the sounds are linked together smoothly (legato) in one part of an idea.  At the end of a sentence, we have a little break in sound so that we can seperate each idea.  We do the same in music - a little moment of silence without the rhythm and time stopping.  At the end of a slur, we play the last note a little softer in the process of drifting up and forwards from the wrist. 

I don't know what you are describing with the vertical line.  It might be saying that the treble note is to be played with the left hand.

[keypeg]

The arched line has two functions.
The first happens when you have two same notes joined together - supposing a B and another B.  Often the second B is in a new bar.  This is called a "tie" and it means you play that B through as if it was one note.  For example, if you have a half note B (two beats) + a quarter note B (one beat) and they are joined with a tie, you play it like a three-beat B, a single note.  Music has something like grammar rules.  The slur is there because of a grammar rule.  Just pretend it is one note.

The arch can also come over two or more notes which are grouped together.  It means the sounds flow into each other, or it's like a sentence in one group as Hyrst explained.  This is called a "slur".  You can think of the flowing sound like singing different notes as "a-a-a-a-a" as opposed to "ta ta ta ta ta" or "da da da da da" (no break).

The line means that the music which you started in the bass clef continues in the treble clef but is still played with the left hand.  It's easier to write it this way - otherwise a lot of leger lines are needed.  However, that seems like complicated music to try playing if you are new to piano.