Are Staccatos Accented?

Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. The subject today is about staccatos. Are staccatos accented? You see the little dots in your music, and you know to play short or detached, but does that mean you also articulate them with accents?

There are different markings for accents.

You have little sideways triangles, and you also have sforzandos, which are strong accents. For example, Ballad of Burgmüller starts off with staccatos, and then you have sforzandos. You have the nice, crisp staccatos and the accented sforzandos. But what about other instances where there are just staccatos? Should they be accented?

There are times when staccatos are an indication to play with some emphasis, but oftentimes it’s exactly the opposite!

A good example of that is when you have two-note slurs. The first note is articulated with some energy, particularly when it’s on the beat, and then the offbeats are light. For example, in the Allegro k.3 of Mozart, you want to articulate the two-note slurs by playing the second note of each slur staccato. By doing this, you end up with a light staccato. Imagine if those staccatos were articulated with energy. It would give a syncopated feel to the rhythm like in Debussy’s Golliwog’s Cakewalk, which is not at all what a 2/4 time usually is. Generally, the strong beats are on the beats and the off beats are lighter, except in instances where syncopation is happening. There are times when accents are on staccato notes and off the beat, but most often staccatos are light, particularly when there are two note slurs. Remember to accentuate the beat. The offbeats, the second notes of two note slurs, should be light.

The way to achieve light staccatos is by using a down-up motion.

Staccato is simply an down-up motion of the wrist. Well, a two-note slur is the same thing, except it’s delayed. For example, at the beginning of the Mozart Allegro, the first note is staccato. So it involves just a simple down and up motion of the wrist. Nothing could be simpler. Then, when you have two-note slurs, go down on the slurred notes and up on the staccato notes, which is also a down-up motion. This naturally gives you the energy on the slurred notes and makes the staccato notes light. That’s how you achieve a light staccato, even when playing quickly. That is something you should consider in your music. It’s all about context. Weak beats should be de-emphasized, and you can do this with the wrist with two note slurs. Try it in your music and see how it works for you! Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin, here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.

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