non legato and portato

[zastanawiacz]

What is the difference between portato and non legato? If a child starts to play the piano should they start by playing non legato or portato?

[adodd81802]

I wouldn't have said they're exactly comparable in that sense and i'm not sure the relevance they have to a child learning.

Legato is the way of making notes connected by ensuring there's no break between them.

Portato is more advanced method of making notes connected by the manner in which they're played, usually done so by adding a slight accent or pause to the notes. I'm pretty sure the most common identification of this is staccato notes under a slur.

They don't necessarily need to be played in a full legato manner and if anything are a little advanced for a child to be learning in my opinion, it requires a level of maturity in expression to understand how they're being connected.

Lastly, the technical difference is more notable on other instruments like stringed instruments rather than a piano, but can be achieved in a similar manner never the less.

[zastanawiacz]

But what is the difference between portato and non legato, not portato and legato?

[adodd81802]

But by my last response, the answer should be clear?

Connection is really what it comes down too.

Legato - connection with no break in sound
Staccato - No connection and break in sound
Portato - connection with possibility to have break in sound - but usually just played accented

The last really which is neither legato or staccato is just playing the notes usually with a small break in between for example - imagine a violin player -

Legato is playing several notes in one movement of the bow
Portato is playing several notes with separate bow movements

Non legato is somewhere in between that, it's not exactly definable - and probably i'd say you can hear it better in baroque music or sonatas it's where the notes are play by definition as they are written as opposed to long slurs etc.

As my original point legato / non legato / portato, they're not exactly comparable - you would put legato against staccato, portato as mentioned I would have said was for more mature playing.