Articulation
The short version
How a note is started and finished.
Same pitch, same length, different articulation: plucked, bowed, slid into, cut short, held. It's the accent of an instrument's speech.
How a note starts and stops
Same four pitches every time.
Why you'd careArticulation is what stops a sampled instrument sounding like a keyboard pressing buttons.
88 words and counting in The Music Guide. Back to the guide