Dynamics, articulation and form
Staccato
Staccato means short and detached. A note with a dot above or below its head is played shorter than written, and the rest of its time is silence.
The staccato sign is a dot at the notehead, above or below it. Do not confuse it with a dotted note: there the dot stands to the right of the head and lengthens the note, while the staccato dot sits above or below and shortens it.
Staccato does not change the counting. A staccato quarter note still takes one beat: the key is pressed at the start of the beat and released at once, and the rest of the beat is silence. The beat itself goes on exactly as before.
The opposite of staccato is legato, connected, where each sound lasts until the next begins. On the piano staccato is played with a light, quick touch, as if the key were hot.
What it sounds like
Staccato sounds like drops or light hops: short, separate sounds with air between them.
Where it is taught: the studio’s interactive textbook, chapter 17, “Dynamics and articulation”.