Portamento

For the album by The Drums, see Portamento (album).
Not to be confused with Portato or portmanteau.
"Pitch bending" redirects here. For the control on a synthesizer to vary the pitch in a continuously variable manner, see Pitch wheel.

In music, portamento (pl.: portamenti; from old portamento, meaning 'carriage' or 'carrying'), also known by its French name glissade, is a pitch sliding from one note to another. The term originated from the Italian expression portamento della voce ('carriage of the voice'), denoting from the beginning of the 17th century its use in vocal performances[1] and emulation by members of the violin family and certain wind instruments,[2] and is sometimes used interchangeably with anticipation.[3] It is also applied to one type of glissando on, e.g., slide trombones, as well as to the "glide" function of steel guitars and synthesizers.

  1. ^ Harris 2001.
  2. ^ Stowell 2001.
  3. ^ Merritt 1939, 82; Jeppesen 1946, 184 & 188; Gauldin 1985;[page needed] Stewart 1994, 37; Schenker 2001, 88; Benjamin 2005, 71.