Slur The curved line linking two notes. Notes that are slurred are always sung or played very smoothly and expressively, with a gentle stress at the beginning of the slur, and a gentle relaxation at the end of it. Slurs also indicate 'bowing' for stringed instruments, and can indicate proper 'phrasing' for a sequence of notes.
Staccato A note marked with a dot above or below it is meant to be played in a short manner, like the way you would touch a hot iron. If the staccato notes are slurred, they are to be played less shortly, but still separated by silent spaces.
Tie or Bind A tie or bind is a curved line above or below two notes which serves to add the value of these two notes together. Note that both notes must be in the same position on the staff.
A tie joins two notes of the same pitch: it can be confused with a slur, which links together notes of a different pitch. Tied notes always sound like one continuous note.
