Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🎻 Smooth note glide 🎹 Pitch slide effect
portamento

portamento

8.4
A smooth glide from one musical note to another that singers and musicians use
  • noun
  • /pɔːrˈtɑːmentoʊ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : portamento
  • The violinist used portamento to connect the notes in a smooth, expressive way.

Examples

  • The score included a portamento marking, instructing the pianist to slide between the notes.

  • Singers often employ portamento in opera to add emotion between phrases.

  • The singer used a beautiful portamento to transition between notes.

  • Can you hear the portamento in her voice?

  • The singer demonstrated excellent portamento as she effortlessly shifted between notes during her performance.

  • When playing the saxophone, mastering portamento allows musicians to create a more expressive sound.

  • In her song, the artist used portamento to add emotional depth by smoothly transitioning between melodic notes.

Antonyms

staccato
  • Specialized
3 7.3

Sounds that are short and sharp with clear space between each one

How Continuous

portamento
  • Specialized
8.4
glissando
  • Specialized
1 9.8
slide
  • Specialized
16 6.0

Surface Forms

portamento singular
portamenti plural

Etymology

The word portamento comes from Italian portare, which means 'to carry' and is the same root you see in transport and portable. So in singing or playing a note, a portamento is like 'carrying' the sound smoothly into the next note, making the music slide and stay connected.