Slur

A sign in musical notation consisting of a curved line drawn over or under a series of notes, indicating that those notes should be played legato. The slur also indicates the grouping and phrasing of a passage in a composition. See also slide.Also [Eng.] slur; [Fr.] liaison; [Ger.] Bindungszeichen; [It.] legatura.a direction, written as a curved line over two or more notes, indicating that they are joined smoothly as one unbroken phrase. In music for strings, slurs are played with one bow stroke. in vocal music, they are sung in one breathIndicates that the two notes are to be played in one physical stroke, one uninterrupted breath, or (on instruments with neither breath nor bow) connected into a phrase as if played in a single breath. Slurs and ties are similar in appearance. A tie is distinguishable because it always joins exactly two immediate adjacent notes of the same pitch, whereas a slur may join any number of notes of varying pitches.