Portamento
A goal-directed slide — expression rather than the notes passed through
Related
Portamento is the playing of a slide into a note, with the emphasis on arrival: what matters is not the pitches passed through but the expression of getting there. It is most at home in singing, strings and trombone; on strings it is a finger travelling along the string.
It differs from glissando in intention: glissando stresses the sliding process itself (especially a run of notes on keyboard or harp), portamento an expressive, goal-directed slide. Portamento is not "the longer the better": it often occupies only a fraction of the distance, sometimes just the instant before arrival.
Read deeper → glissando
Sources
- portamento 与 glissando 的区别，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Portamento"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.