Level 2 (like Grade 2) · Unit 7 of 24
Dotted notes and ties
Two ways to make a note last longer: a dot after it, or a tie to the next note.
By the end you will be able to:
- work out how long a dotted note lasts
- add up tied notes
- write rhythms with dotted notes
Learn
The dot
A dot after a note makes it half as long again.
- Dotted minim: 2 + 1 = 3 beats.
- Dotted crotchet: 1 + ½ = 1½ beats – often followed by a quaver to finish the beat.
- Dotted quaver: ½ + ¼ = ¾ beat – usually with a semiquaver.
The tie
A tie is a curved line joining two notes of the SAME pitch. Play the first note and hold it through the second, without playing again: the lengths add up. Ties are the only way to hold a note across a bar line.
Tie or slur?
A slur looks like a tie but joins DIFFERENT notes. It means play them smoothly (legato), not hold one note on. If the notes are the same, it is a tie.
Your turn
Watch and listen, then practise with new questions every time – reading questions, and writing tasks you answer on the stave. Take the check when you are ready: 80% passes the unit.
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Level 2 is like Grade 2 music theory. These are Classfern’s own levels, not an exam board’s. Questions are made and marked by rules in your browser.