Tenuto
Tenuto (Italian “held”) asks you to hold a note for its full value. The sign is a horizontal dash above or below the notehead. Depending on the context the dash can also mean a slight stress.
- Sign
- horizontal dash above or below the notehead
- Abbreviation
- ten.
- Effect
- full note value, often slightly stressed
- Counterpart
- staccato
Using up the value
A note has a written value, but played it often sounds a little shorter, because you release the tone briefly before the next. Tenuto asks for the opposite: the tone is held firmly to its full value. It sounds until the next tone and is not shortened. The sign is a short horizontal dash above or below the notehead.
Tenuto alternating with staccato (treble clef)
The quarters and halves with a dash are held in full, the short eighths with a dot are detached. In this way you hear the difference between the two signs directly.
Tenuto in the melody in the bass clef
Each note gets its full value and sounds until the next note. This gives a calm, sustained line.
Tenuto and stress
The dash primarily means “full length”. In many pieces a slight stress is added: the note should stand out without taking on the character of a sharp accent. How far this holds depends on the context. That is why both are often named as its meaning: holding the value or playing somewhat louder.
Tenuto under a slur
If tenuto dashes are placed on several notes under a slur, the performance is usually a portato: the notes are joined in one stroke but lightly set off from one another. This notation occurs mainly in string parts. It is related to the dots under the slur.
Common mistakes
- Playing tenuto like an accent: The dash asks for length, not hardness.
- Releasing the tone too early: In tenuto the tone lasts until the next.
- Confusing dash and dot: The dash holds, the dot shortens.
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Related terms
StaccatoPortatoAccentLegatoArticulationFermataStaccatissimo
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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