Dotted note
The dot to the right of a note extends it by half its value.
What it means
A dot to the right of the notehead extends the note value by half of itself. A dotted half note thus lasts three quarters, a dotted quarter three eighths, a dotted eighth three sixteenths. The same holds for rests.
A second dot extends by half of the first dot again: a doubly dotted half note lasts three and a half quarters. Such double dottings are rarer but occur especially in dotted rhythms of Baroque character.
The augmentation dot is not to be confused with the staccato dot, which stands above or below the notehead and shortens the note. Position decides: to the right of it means longer, above or below it means shorter. Both can stand on the same note at once.
In the notation
The dot stands to the right of the notehead, at the same height as it. If the note lies on a line, the dot is placed in the space above. In compound time signatures, the dotted quarter is the beat, and the dot is thus a fixed part of the notation.
Musical use
Dotted rhythms shape whole genres. In the French overture and in solemn movements, sharply dotted figures give the step weight; in the performance practice of early music, such dottings are sometimes executed more sharply than notated, which is a question of style and source situation. In marches and dances the dotting provides the characteristic forward pull. With a second dot, the doubly dotted note arises, whose additional value amounts to half of the first dot.
Other names
The adjective “dotted” describes the same matter; it also stands in compounds such as dotted rhythm. In English it is called a dotted note.
Performance practice
Calculate the duration instead of estimating it: a dotted note is three parts long, the following short note one. The most common inaccuracy is a short note played too long, whereby the dotting blurs into a triplet. Count along in the smallest occurring unit. And take care that the dot to the right of the note means something different from the dot above it.