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I am pretty new to piano and am starting to work on Moonlight Sonata. (I just finished Alfred's Level 1 book for context).

My book (Beethoven Moonlight Sonata Alfred Masterwork Edition) says there are 3 types of staccato but I have only been exposed to one so far (the singular dot).

I tried to research the different types and I think I understand that the wedge notation indicates a "true staccato", the dot notation is "half-staccato" and the dots with a legato line are "slurred"? That seems counterintuitive to me. My book calls this third type of staccato appoggiato but I can't find anything in English about it when googling. Is it another word for portado? Where can I find an example of these different staccatos played so I can understand how to play them myself?

Here is what my book says: Staccato Book Description

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  • In terms of how to play them, the text pictured is exactly how: shortest for the wedges, longer for the dots (usually about half the normal note length), and longest for the slurred dots (maybe 75% of the note length). Also as indicated in the text, the exact note length is varied based on the dynamic mark, tempo, and character of the piece. On instruments other than piano, there can be many more subtleties to staccato, but on piano, note length is at least 95% of it.
    – Todd Wilcox
    Commented Feb 3, 2023 at 3:15
  • I believe your question is a duplicate of Why are there many types of staccato?.
    – Aaron
    Commented Feb 3, 2023 at 6:49

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