Dotted Note

A dot written just to the right of a notehead makes the note longer by half of its own value. The rule is the same for every note value:

• dotted whole note = whole + half = 6 quarter-note beats
• dotted half note = half + quarter = 3 beats
• dotted quarter note = quarter + eighth = 1½ beats
• dotted eighth note = eighth + sixteenth = ¾ of a beat

The dot is a shorthand for a tie: a dotted half note sounds exactly like a half note tied to a quarter note, but it is quicker to write and read.

▶Dotted half note0:05▶Dotted quarter + eighth0:05▶Dotted eighth + sixteenth0:04

Dotted rhythms

A dotted note is very often followed by a short note that completes the beat, making a long-short pattern called a dotted rhythm:

• Dotted quarter + eighth: fills two beats in 4/4, counted "1 (2) &". It is one of the most common rhythms in melodies.
• Dotted eighth + sixteenth: fills one beat, counted "1 (e &) a". It gives marches and many dance tunes their crisp, skipping sound.

Count through the dot. With a dotted quarter on beat 1, say "1, 2" while it holds and play the eighth note on the "&" of 2.

Dots in compound meter

In 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8 the beat itself is a dotted note, usually a dotted quarter, and a dotted half note fills a whole bar of 6/8. See compound meter.

A dot after the note, or above it?

Do not confuse an augmentation dot with a staccato dot. The augmentation dot sits beside the notehead, to its right, and makes the note longer. A staccato dot sits above or below the notehead and makes the note short and detached. When a note sits on a line, its augmentation dot is usually moved up into the space above, so the line does not hide it.

Rests can be dotted too, with the same rule. Two dots make a double-dotted note.

Practice each dotted value with The Dotted Half Note, The Dotted Quarter Note and The Dotted Eighth + Sixteenth.