More Note Lengths

Adding a Dot After a Note

A lot of people have only half-learnt what it means to put a dot after a note in music because they were taught that it adds half to the note length. It does not - it adds half as much again to whatever the note was worth in length, see Reading Music Note Lengths - 1. So, for example, if the original note is worth 2 beats, adding a dot after it makes it worth 2+1 beats (3 beats). If the original is worth 4 beats, adding the following dot makes it 4+2 beats (6 beats). If it is worth a half-a-beat, adding the dot makes it worth a half-a-beat + a quarter-of a-beat (equalling three-quarters of a beat).

For example, if = 2 beats, then . = 2 + 1 (= 3) beats. ( + )

Or if = 1 beat, then . = 1 + 0.5 (= 1-and-a-half) beats. ( + )

Important: All the above only refers to putting a dot after a note; putting a dot above or below a note means something completely different! (staccato)

Shorter Note Lengths

As you should know by now, the note an eighth the length of a semibreve or whole note is called a quaver or eighth note and looks like this:
In musical notation, when there is a group of 2 or more quavers, sometimes their tails become a linking straight line called a beam between the ends of their stems like this: .

The note equal to half the length of a quaver is a semiquaver and has two tails. Groups of semiquavers are also joined together but with a double beam line, for example: These are generally grouped to make up the total of whatever 1 beat is in the time signature of the piece; here 4 semiquavers equalling 1 crotchet beat.

Similarly, the note half the length of a semiquaver is a demisemiquaver which has 3 tails and can be beamed with 3 lines.

the shortest note written is half the length of a demisemiquaver and is called a hemidemisemiquaver, which has 4 tails and can be beamed with 4 lines.

Author Information:

Brian Farley has been a professional Musical Director and pianist since 1974 and worked worldwide in the top echelons of the entertainment industry. His duet sheet music website "Easy Duets, Sheet Music for Schools, Musical Instrument Students" provides original musical duets and trios for early level students to play together. It also has some good free "reading music notation" information.

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