Basic Music Theory: How to Read, Write, and Understand Written Music

Basic Music Theory

Example 16.5 The dotted 8th-16th figure.

Musical Example

Here’s a musical example you’ll recognize which uses the dotted

8th-16th figure.

Example 16.6 First few notes of The Star Spangled Banner

Dotted Rests

Dotted rests are treated exactly the same as dotted notes, the only

difference being that the count will be in parentheses.

This example has dots like a sickness, and that’s for the sake of

illustration. You won’t normally see a musical passage with that many

dots.

Example 16.7 Dotted notes and rests with counting.

1 -e-+a 2 -e-+ a 3 -e-+a4

(1) (2) 3 -e-+ a123 1 -2 3 -e-+a1

O - h say can you see, by the dawn’s

1-+-2 (3-4-5) 6(+) (1-+-2) + 3-e-+ a 4 (e-+-a) 5 6 (1-2-3-4-5-6) 1-2-3-4-5-6