ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Attacco

Attacco is an Italian word that means "attack" in English. It refers to a technique in music where the musician starts playing a note or a chord with a strong and sudden attack.

Imagine you have a toy piano in front of you. If you were to press one key slowly, the sound would gradually get louder. But if you were to hit the key hard and quickly, the sound would be loud from the very beginning. That's what attacco is like in music!

Attacco is commonly used in orchestral and chamber music, where it's important for everyone to start playing at the same time. The conductor will signal the moment to start, and the musicians will use attacco to play their first notes together with precision.

So, attacco is a technique that helps musicians start playing their music with a sudden and strong attack, usually when they need to play together at the same time.