Guitar Dictionary Category
Notation & Reading
What Is a Tie in Guitar Notation?
A tie is a curved line joining two notes of the same pitch. The durations are added together and the second note is not attacked again. Ties are used when one sustained sound must cross a beat, measure or notational division that cannot be written clearly as a single note value.
For example, a quarter note tied to an eighth note lasts for three eighth-note subdivisions. The guitarist plays the first note once and continues holding it through the value of the second note.
How to Recognize a Tie
Both connected noteheads represent the same pitch. If the pitches differ, the curved line is a slur, not a tie. A tie normally connects adjacent notes and may cross a barline.
In polyphonic guitar music, several tied voices can appear at once. Follow the stem direction and voice so that the correct note continues while another voice moves.
How to Play a Tie on Guitar
Maintain the fretting finger and avoid touching the string with the picking hand. Do not pick the second written note. Count through the full combined duration before releasing.
An open string can also be tied. Allow it to continue vibrating and make sure a moving finger or palm does not stop it accidentally.
Tie vs Let Ring
A tie specifies one pitch and an exact combined rhythmic duration. Let ring is a broader sustain instruction that may allow several different notes to overlap. A tied note must continue; a let-ring texture requires the player to judge which resonances remain musically appropriate.
Tie vs Slur
A tie is part of rhythmic notation. A slur is an articulation or phrasing symbol. On guitar, the slur may indicate a hammer-on or pull-off, while the tie requires no new attack at all.
Tie Counting Exercise
Count: 1 & 2
Attack: play on 1 and hold through the “and” and beat 2.
Release: after the full three-eighth-note duration.
Clap and count the rhythm before playing it. Then practise ties across the barline while keeping the metronome unchanged. The visual barline must not cause an accidental reattack.
Common Tie Mistakes
- Picking the second note again.
- Releasing the fretting finger at the barline.
- Confusing the tie with a hammer-on or pull-off slur.
- Allowing another finger to mute the sustained string.
- Losing the beat because no attack occurs on the tied note.
Why Ties Matter
Ties separate musical duration from physical attack. They allow syncopation, sustained bass notes and independent guitar voices to continue across beats and measures without changing pitch.
Kalymi Tip
Count the tied note through the silent attack point. The absence of a new pick stroke does not remove the beat or subdivision.
My rhythm lessons recommend tapping the foot and feeling the pulse underneath every note value. Apply that directly to ties: hold the sound while the internal count continues.
In fingerstyle music, practise the tied bass note alone while speaking the upper-voice rhythm. Then add the other notes without allowing the thumb or moving fingers to stop the sustained string.
Related Terms
Learn More
- Top 10 Tips for Better Music Rhythm
- How to Play Classical Guitar: Lesson Two
- Guitar Learning Path
- Classical Guitar Book in Open D Tuning
- Slurs and Ties Reference
- Kalymi Music Library
Reviewed by
Brent C. Robitaille,
music educator and founder of
Kalymi Music.