Legato is a technique, whereas a slur is a marking. In standard notation legato is indicated either with the word legato itself, or by a slur (a curved line) under the notes that are to be joined in one legato group.

to make different notes feel connected

• STACCATO (adjective) Meaning: (music) marked by or composed of disconnected parts or sounds; cut short crisply.

Indicates a short note, long chord, or medium passage to be played louder or more forcefully than surrounding music. Staccato. Signifies a note of shortened duration or detached (not legato) Legato. Indicates musical notes are to be played or sung smoothly and connected.

In guitar playing (apart from classical guitar) legato is used interchangeably as a label for both musical articulation and a particular application of technique—playing musical phrases using the left hand to play the notes—using techniques such as glissando, string bending, hammer-ons and pull-offs instead of picking …

Good luck, and enjoy these quick legato tips!

1. 1 – Scale It Up! Try to play your scales in various legato ways.
2. 2 – Don’t Pay Attention! A huge part of good legato technique, as with good technique in anything, is muscle memory.
3. 3 – Speed Up and Slow Down!
4. 4 – Do Finger Exercises.
5. 5 – Try It Both Ways!

Sweep picking is a guitar playing technique. When sweep picking, the guitarist plays single notes on consecutive strings with a ‘sweeping’ motion of the pick, while using the fretting hand to produce a specific series of notes that are fast and fluid in sound.

About 3-4 months

For some reason, sweep picking infatuates a large segment of the guitar community. Perhaps it’s due to the flashy visual nature of the technique. Maybe it’s because the robotic sound hypnotizes us into a trance, manipulating us with its cyclical sound.

It’s really not “necessary” for any genre, though its most prevalent in metal, and in a modern context its very common. Sweep picking is a good trick to have under your belt, but other than using it to play quick, flashy arpeggios it isn’t really all that useful.

The first guitar scale you should learn is the minor pentatonic scale. The minor pentatonic scale can be used in many types of music, but it’s really good for rock music and after learning this you can easily learn the blues scale by adding a few notes.