LARSEN'S RULES OF ARTICULATION:
1. Articulation does not involve the throat.
2. Tongue forward at the gum line, upper front teeth or through the teeth, but not on the palate.
3. Never tongue hard even when accented.
4. The first note of a slur is automatically accented by virtue of denying accent to the connected notes.
5. The last note of the slur may be slightly lifted or shorter. This depends on the style/time period and
performance practices of the time in which the piece was composed.
6. Syncopation is weak beat accent.
7. Separate (make space) prior to an accent.
8. Faster tempi require shorter note lengths.
9. Faster articulated passages do not require tonal expression. They need clean articulations, a simple tone color
10. Tenuto sometimes means to give “weight” to the note.
11. Accents sometimes mean to play the note tenuto.
12. When practicing purposefully slower, keep the note lengths the same as the faster goal tempo.