Dotted Notes: How They Work

In Lesson 3, we covered the basic note values. This lesson introduces dotted notes. If you are unfamiliar with whole, half and quarter notes, review the earlier lesson first.

A dotted note is an ordinary note with a small dot immediately to its right. What changes when a dot is added?

The note becomes longer. A dot increases its duration by half of its original value.

For example, a dotted half note lasts as long as a half note plus a quarter note. A dotted quarter note lasts as long as a quarter note plus an eighth note.

You may also encounter a note with two dots, called a double-dotted note.

The second dot adds half the value added by the first dot. Altogether, a double-dotted note lasts 1¾ times the duration of the original note.