Dots and ties in action
Discover how these little music markings make a difference
Double-dotted notes Adding extra dots means extra time
Once you understand dotted
notes, double-dotted notes are
easy. The second dot simply
extends the note by a further
half of the first dot. If a minim/
half note is worth two beats,
then a dotted minim/half note
would be extended to three
beats; a double-dotted minim/
half note would be worth three
and a half beats. Look at our
examples to see how different
note durations could fit into
bars of 4/4 time. Triple-dotted
notes are also used in notation,
which makes a note 1 7/8 of its
duration. You probably won’t
come across it too much!Top tip
All tied up
As well as the duration of
notes, ties can also be used to
carry over accidentals. These
are symbols that appear next
to notes that tell the reader
to play a note sharp, flat or
natural. See the next
page for more.Dotted minim/half note
This is probably the most common dotted note,
as it lasts for three beats in simple time. In 6/8 time
such as this piece, it takes up the whole barTied up
This minim/half note is tied up to a quaver/eighth
note, making this D last a total of five beats in
compound time, or 2 .5 beats in simple time6/8 time
In this example of a popular nursery
rhyme, a 6/8 time signature is used. This
means that there are six beats of quavers/
eighth notes per barDotted crotchet/quarter note
The dot on this crotchet/quarter note extends
the note’s duration by half, meaning that it is
now extended by a further beat in 6/8 time