Correct Notation?

[MasterProX]

I asked this before and got a few answers but would like to possibly hear a few more now.

There's this one section in this one piece that, as it progresses, goes from staccato to legato the same way a passage can crescendo from piano to forte. What's the "correct" way of indicating this "gradually become more legato" thing?

[McDucky]

I don't know if there's a specific symbol for it, but would staccato notes to normal notes to legato notes work? 
What piece are you talking about?

[MaestroUGC]

There's no symbol or anything like like that for what you're talking about, so you'd have to write "gradually more legato" for that section of music.

[braix]

How does that even work, anyway? Wouldn't you just go right from staccato one measure to legato in another? I don't see how you can transition from staccato to legato any other way.

[MaestroUGC]

It's all in the touch of the performer, there are subtle layers of staccato and legato.

[MasterProX]

What piece are you talking about?

It's just some piece I'm arranging for my school's string orchestra. Trying to keep it secret for now.

There's no symbol or anything like like that for what you're talking about, so you'd have to write "gradually more legato" for that section of music.

Yeah, I know there's no unique notation for it. But how would I write that in Italian? (I'm scared to use Google Translate for this...)

Wouldn't you just go right from staccato one measure to legato in another? I don't see how you can transition from staccato to legato any other way.

I think of it like this: let's say there are eight eighth notes. The first note is so short it lasts only 1/8 of the duration of a regular eighth note (so basically, a sixty-fourth note followed by seven sixty-fourth rests). The second note, 2/8, and so on until you get to the last note, which now lasts its full duration and is therefore legato. Much easier to show you by playing it on my violin (which I'd assume is also easier to demonstrate than on a piano). That's basically what I'm trying to have in my piece; it sounds better to me to do this than to have a subito legato part.

[Jompa]

Yeah, I know there's no unique notation for it. But how would I write that in Italian? (I'm scared to use Google Translate for this...)

Yeah, you'll pretty much have to just write it down on the sheet. In Italian it would be "gradualmente (or just "grad.") più legato".
If you just put that down and specify what section of the song this should be applied to, then that should do as good a job as any musical symbol could.

[McDucky]

Or you could put a "Start with staccato, then gradually move to legato as you approach measure 21" 
 
It's a classic, used all the time, admired for it's elegant simplicity.

[SlowPokemon]

Or you could put a "Start with staccato, then gradually move to legato as you approach measure 21" 
 
It's a classic, used all the time, admired for it's elegant simplicity.

idk who this sassy child is but i like him

[Bloop]

sassy child

[MasterProX]

Massive bump, but it's my own thread and I have a relevant question on the same subject. In this one piece I'm working on for school, I want the tempo to very gradually accelerate throughout a certain long section, such that it starts at 150 BPM and speeds up throughout so that it begins the following section at the new tempo, 180 BPM (basically changing by +1 BPM every few measures or so, you get the idea).

How exactly do I notate this? I was thinking of writing "poco a poco accel. al tempo successivo", or something similar (so that everyone knows you're constantly accelerating to specifically the next tempo), but I'm wondering if anyone knows a better or more succinct way of saying it...

[Jompa]

I was thinking of writing "poco a poco accel. al tempo successivo", or something similar

That would work fine. Or even just writing "accel." would probably make most people understand what your intentions are. As long as it makes people understand.

[Altissimo]

I played a piece where specific tempos to accelerate to were notated every few measures, so it was like "150" two measures later "154" two measures later "158" etc until the final tempo, with something like accel. poco a poco placed under the first measure of it.

If it's something that's going to be conducted, the performers don't necessarily have to know the specifics of "1 BPM per measure" as long as they have a general idea of how it accelerates and the conductor knows the way to conduct it. Take it from an orchestral trumpeter :p

[MasterProX]

I played a piece where specific tempos to accelerate to were notated every few measures, so it was like "150" two measures later "154" two measures later "158" etc until the final tempo, with something like accel. poco a poco placed under the first measure of it.

Yeah, there was something like that in one of the pieces my orchestra played last semester (last movement of Shostakovich's fifth). Am a first violin, by the way, hehe.

Anyway, thanks to you two for the insight. With any luck, I'll finish my (subpar) arrangement in a few days...

[mikey]

what the-?