How long is dotted quarter note

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Powered by Solo Build It! The Dotted Note When learning an instrument the dotted note is something many students have a problem with. I am always answering questions such as How many beats does a dotted crotchet have?

What does a dot after a note mean? How do I count a dotted quaver? The rule is very simple A dot after a note increases its duration length by half its original value Examples of how dotted notes work.

Durations are notated with either unfilled or filled noteheads. Unfilled noteheads can appear with or without a stem; filled noteheads always appear with a stem. Flags can be added to the stems of filled noteheads; each flag shortens the duration by half. Rests represent silence in musical notation. For each durational symbol there exists a corresponding rest.

If it last two beats the dotted note lasts 3 beats. Hold the note for its duration plus half of its original length. To learn more on this topic and to learn how to read music, check out my course, check out my course, How To Read Music Fast.

A quarter note equals one beat. Half of that length is one eighth note beat. One quarter note plus one eighth note equals one and a half beats. So a dotted quarter note lasts for one and a half beats. In common time a half note equals two beats. Half of that length equals one beat. Two beats plus one beat equals three beats. So a dotted half note lasts for three beats.

But what if there are two dots after the note? In terms of notation, if the dotted note is on a space, its rhythm dot also goes on the space, but if its on a line, the dot goes on the space above.