Staccato

Harpists produce a staccato note by placing the finger immediately back on the string after plucking it. Single notes as well as chords can be played staccato.

The fingers stop the note or notes immediately after playing them, creating a short articulated note. However, the resonance of the note will still be audible. Although the string has been stopped, the other strings and the soundboard of the harp continue to resonate. This resonance will be more audible if the note or the chord is played loudly.

A staccato dot is placed above or below the note.

The whole harp.

Replacing the fingers on the strings requires precision and is a considerable action for the harpist. Therefore playing staccato considerably slows the maximum speed of playing successive pitches.