## Dotted Note

A dot after a note head adds half of that note's value again. A dotted half note lasts three beats; a dotted quarter lasts one and a half.

The rule is always the same, whatever the note: original value plus half of it. It is not "a bit longer" — it is exactly one and a half times, and playing it as anything else is the most common rhythm error in beginner piano.


## How To Spot Dotted Note

A small dot immediately to the right of the note head, level with it. Do not confuse it with a staccato dot, which sits above or below the note.


## Find It In Thirty Seconds

Find a dotted quarter note. Count "one-and-two" and hold it across all three syllables, then play the note that follows exactly on "and".

Open any piece of sheet music on this site and do it now. Reading is a recognition skill, and recognition is built by finding things, not by reading about them.