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.
