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

16: Seeing Dots

Moving On

The concepts you’re learning are becoming more complex, and you’ll

probably find it will take some time living with these ideas before they

really stick, so come back and review as much as you want.

Now that you understand that a dot increases the length of a note by half

its original value, you can decipher the length of any dotted note.

Coming up next is another treatment of the notes you already know,

called triplets, which is a grouping of three notes. Find out what it all

means in the next chapter.

Chapter 16 Review

1. What does a dot do to a note?


2. How long is a dotted half note?


3. How long is a dotted quarter note?


4. How long is a dotted eighth note?


5. Which type of note usually follows a dotted eighth
   note?


6. Why?
   
   
   1. Makes the note it
      follows 1 1/2 times
      as long
   
   
   2. Three beats
   
   
   3. 1 1/2 beats
   
   
   4. 3/4 of a beat
   
   
   5. Sixteenth note
   
   
   6. To round out the
      beat
   
   
   
   

Practical Use

1. In any clef, using as few measures as possible in 6/4 time, include every dotted note
   you’ve learned. Write in the counting and the letter names of the notes. Check your
   work with a friend.