How to get used to playing dotted notes?

Youkalaylee · Feb 19, 2013

I'm working through mark nelson's fingerstyle book and I'm now on "all through the night".

There are dots after the notes, so what's the best way to practice these and ensure I'm on time? I've been using a metronome so far on my iPad. So lets the notes are quarter with dot, then half note, I start playing the quarter with dot on the first best of the metronome, then do I play the half note after the 2nd beat has sounded, just after, or what?

I dd get up to grade 3 keyboard when I was in school so I'm not completely lost, just forgotten it all! Lol

Stackabones · Feb 19, 2013

I'll assume that you are in 4/4 time.

Practice counting 1 2 3 4 with the beats on your metronome. Then add the &s exactly in between: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.

Tap your foot. The downbeats (when your foot taps) are 1 2 3 4. The backbeats, the &s, are when your foot is in midair.

The dotted quarter note starts on the one and the half note will fall on the and of two.
1 (2)& (3) (4)&

Since I'm assuming that you are in 4/4, I'll assume that the and of four is either an eighth rest or an eighth note.

Youkalaylee · Feb 19, 2013

Stackabones said:
I'll assume that you are in 4/4 time.

Practice counting 1 2 3 4 with the beats on your metronome. Then add the &s exactly in between: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.

Tap your foot. The downbeats (when your foot taps) are 1 2 3 4. The backbeats, the &s, are when your foot is in midair.

The dotted quarter note starts on the one and the half note will fall on the and of two.
1 (2)& (3) (4)&

Since I'm assuming that you are in 4/4, I'll assume that the and of four is either an eighth rest or an eighth note.

Yes, 4/4 time, and thanks that's made it a lot easier to think of when I'm playing.

wallyboy · Feb 19, 2013

when i did it i just practiced until i could play along with cd as same time

JamieFromOntario · Feb 19, 2013

I highly recommend following Stackabones' instructions. Get into the habit of counting the 'ands'. Once you do it long enough, it will become total ingrained and you'll be able to do the subdivisions in your head without vocalizing the 'ands', but that takes time.

Bill Mc · Feb 19, 2013

In addition to Stackabones great advice you might try tapping your foot and "playing" the notes by clapping them out. Sometimes playing a melody on an instrument while you are learning new rhythms is difficult. Clapping it out can help to get the rhythms ingrained in your memory.

Katz-in-Boots · Feb 20, 2013

Stackabones said:
I'll assume that you are in 4/4 time.

Practice counting 1 2 3 4 with the beats on your metronome. Then add the &s exactly in between: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.

Tap your foot. The downbeats (when your foot taps) are 1 2 3 4. The backbeats, the &s, are when your foot is in midair.

The dotted quarter note starts on the one and the half note will fall on the and of two.
1 (2)& (3) (4)&

Since I'm assuming that you are in 4/4, I'll assume that the and of four is either an eighth rest or an eighth note.

Totally agree with this advice. It'll help with syncopation too as you advance. Basically the dot extends the value of the note by 1/2 it's original value.
For complex time signatures such as 6/8, the count of each quaver (1/8 note) is 1-&-a, 2-&-a to make up the 6 counts. Or did that just make it more confusing?

Brad Bordessa · Feb 20, 2013

Good advice on counting, but it seems like if you have reference music to listen to you are over thinking it a bit. As long as it sounds like the song and lands on the 1 where itʻs supposed to Iʻm inclined to think itʻs all good, no matter how many dots are behind each note (and I am a theory buff). If you are trying to play 4/4 over 6/8 (like Iʻve done in the past) you will have a problem, but aside from that - just jam it!

How to get used to playing dotted notes?

Youkalaylee

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Stackabones

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Youkalaylee

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wallyboy

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JamieFromOntario

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Bill Mc

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Katz-in-Boots

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Brad Bordessa

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