Legato vs Spiccato

Side-by-side comparison of two musical terms.

	Legato	Spiccato
Definition	Smooth, connected	A bouncing bow stroke producing short, separated notes.
Category	articulation	articulation
Pronunciation	leh-GAH-toh	spih-KAH-toh
Origin	Italian	Italian
BPM	—	—
Synonyms	smooth connected	bounced bouncing bow
Antonyms	staccato marcato	Legato Sostenuto
Usage	The cello melody should be played legato, imitating the human voice.	The violins play the rapid semiquavers spiccato, creating a sparkling, effervescent texture.

Definition: Smooth, connected
Category: articulation
Pronunciation: leh-GAH-toh
Origin: Italian
Synonyms: smooth connected
Antonyms: staccato marcato
Usage: The cello melody should be played legato, imitating the human voice.

Definition: A bouncing bow stroke producing short, separated notes.
Category: articulation
Pronunciation: spih-KAH-toh
Origin: Italian
Synonyms: bounced bouncing bow
Antonyms: Legato Sostenuto
Usage: The violins play the rapid semiquavers spiccato, creating a sparkling, effervescent texture.