Need help reading sheet music.

[wm_1]

I'm self taught, and am learning Beethoven's Pastoral and Pathetique sonata, first movements from sheetmusic for the first time.

There appears to be a 'horizontal' sidewards parenthesis lookin' line that connects 2 of the same notes, and that symbol really the confuses me.
Now when I listen to the notes when someone else plays it, it seems that I'm only supposed to hit the note "once'
Can somebody help explain this to me?

also

on Pathetique the first movement.

Right after the March, and after the E-flat major to E-flat7 combination, there's this complex part with a bunch of octaves.
I'm confused about the E and B flats.
When you see the Non-Flat symbol for E- Is the next E automatically back to E-flat if you don't see that symbol?

[gyzzzmo]

If to notes on the same height and behind each other, are connected with a bow-like line (legato bow), you should play this as one note. They notated it that way because its easier to read.

And if you see a note-symbol, that symbol counts for the rest of that measure too.

[perfect_pitch]

Can we get a picture to double check... I only ask because I really can't picture it in my head... and I got no idea what Wm_1's talking about.

[redragon]

It's called a tie. It ties two notes together. You add the length of both the notes together. So, you only play it once. But you play it for both of the notes' value.

[redragon]

If the tied notes aren't the same note, you would play both notes. When they're not the same notes, it's called a slur. You can most likely look the Tie and Slur up in the music dictionary if my definition isn't enough.