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I wrote the sentence below at the beginning of my composition to express 'Do not hold the keys on the piano which belongs to the chord you are playing between the time when it finishes and a different chord follows'

Don't hold the notes; release your hands when a chord finishes and a different one follows.

Does that convey my intended meaning or does it mean 'Do not hold the notes and do not release your hands' (which would be illogical and vague to the performer)?

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    You're allowed to rely on the reader's intelligence to see that hold and release are opposites.
    – Yosef Baskin
    Commented Oct 7, 2022 at 13:32
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    If it was a period instead of a semicolon, would you ask this question? A semicolon is a full stop and indicates a complete sentence.
    – John Lawler
    Commented Oct 7, 2022 at 14:36

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It does.

In most cases, a semicolon can be replaced by a period to create two sentences. Your sentence would then translate to:

  1. Don't hold the note.
  1. Release your hands when a chord finishes and a different one follows.

When in doubt, clarify. You can clarify by using instead.

Don't hold the notes. Instead, release your hands when a chord finishes and a different one follows.

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