Rhythm & Meter
Note Values, Rests, Ties and Dots Explained
Each note value is half the one above it. Whole to sixteenth notes and their rests, plus how dots, ties and beams change what you count.
Dot (augmentation dot)
A small mark after a note or rest that extends its value by half, so a dotted quarter lasts as long as three eighth notes.
Also called: dotted note, dotted rhythm, augmentation dot
An augmentation dot placed after a note or rest lengthens it by half its value. A dotted half note lasts three beats in 4/4, equal to a half plus a quarter. A dotted quarter lasts one and a half beats, equal to three eighth notes. A double dot adds half of the first dot's value again, so a double-dotted quarter lasts one and three quarters beats. Dots are placed to the right of the note head. If the note sits on a line, its dot moves into the space above so that it does not sit on the line. In compound meters such as 6/8, a dotted quarter note usually fills one whole beat. Dotted rhythms, a long note followed by a short one, are common throughout Baroque and later music.
Related terms
- TieA curved line joining two notes of the same pitch, so that they sound as one note lasting the combined value.
- Time signatureA pair of numbers after the key signature: the top gives beats per measure, the bottom the note value of one beat.
- SlurA curved line over or under notes of different pitches, asking for them to be played smoothly and as one phrase.
- StaffThe set of five horizontal lines and four spaces on which pitch is written, read from bottom to top.
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Rhythm & Meter
Compound Meter: 6/8 vs 3/4 and How to Hear the Difference
Six eighth notes per bar can group as 3+3 in 6/8 or 2+2+2 in 3/4. Accent, contour, hemiola and conducting show which grouping you are hearing.