What Is Glissando?
Glissando is a musical term that refers to sliding between two pitches while filling in all the intermediate pitches rapidly. On the piano, for example, all notes between the starting note and the ending note would be played by dragging the knuckle or fingernail across the piano keyboard, striking all the keys. On instruments that can produce any pitch, such as the violin, the flute, or the tuba, a glissando will technically include all possible pitches in between the starting and the ending pitch. Instruments Any instrument that can produce a variegated pitch can be used to play a glissando. Pianists play them by running their knuckles or nails rapidly over a succession of notes. String instrumentalists play them by sliding their finger along the string from one note to another. The musical saw is played entirely with glissando, as all transitions between notes include the notes in between. Glissando can even be performed on drums–for example, sliding ones fingers across the the drum
