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Music Theory

Musical Articulation Exercises

A quiz on the five main articulations: legato, staccato, accent, tenuto and marcato. It works in both directions: you are given the name and must recognize the symbol drawn on the staff, or you see the symbol and must give the name.

ArticulationSymbolEffect
Legato (smooth, connected)slur (curved line)Notes joined, with no gap
Staccato (detached)small dot above or below the noteShort, separated notes
Accent> (angle sign)Note attacked with more force
Tenutohorizontal line (—)Hold the note for its full value, with weight
Marcatovertical wedge (strong accent)Very marked and energetic

Musical articulation quiz

How to use the exercise: Choose the direction (name → symbol, symbol → name, or mixed) and answer the questions; no articulation is repeated. The app corrects each answer right away and, if you miss, explains the correct articulation.

What you practice: recognizing articulation symbols on the staff, linking each symbol to its name, telling staccato, tenuto, accent and marcato apart, and recognizing legato by its slur.

The full theory, with an example staff for each articulation, is on the page about musical articulation.

Definitions quiz

This second quiz does not use the staff: you match each articulation with its definition. You are given the name and choose what it means, or you are given the meaning and choose the name.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which articulations are in the quiz?
The five main ones: legato (smooth), staccato (detached), accent, tenuto and marcato. Each one comes with its name, its symbol and its effect.
What do the two directions of the quiz mean?
In "Name → Symbol" you get the name of the articulation and must recognize its symbol drawn on the staff among several options. In "Symbol → Name" it is the other way around: you see the symbol and choose its name. The "Mixed" mode combines both directions at random.
Where is the articulation mark placed on the staff?
On the side opposite the stem: if the stem points up, the mark goes below the notehead; if it points down, the mark goes above. In this quiz the notes have stems pointing up, so the marks appear below the notehead.
What are the main musical articulations?
The ones practiced in this exercise: legato, staccato, accent, tenuto and marcato. Each has its own symbol and changes how the notes are attacked, sustained or separated.
What is the definitions quiz?
A second quiz, without a staff, that matches each articulation with its meaning: you get the name and choose what effect it produces (for example, staccato means short, separated notes), or the other way around.