Dotted Notes and Triplets: How Do They Work?

Learning to read music takes quite a while. There are all sorts of symbols and shapes that mean very specific things and it can be confusing trying to keep them all straight. Two common notations that people get confused are triplets and dotted notes.

Dots and triplets modify other notes. They change how long beats are supposed to be held in a very specific way. In this article, we’ll explore how each type of note works.

Dotted Notes

The formula for a dotted note is rather simple. A dot adds fifty percent to the value of the original note. Let’s take a look at a few examples.

Example 1:

In the first example, we see a dotted half note. Because we are in 4/4, the half note is usually worth two beats. However, with the dot we add fifty percent to the notes value. Two plus half of two (one) equals three beats.

Example 2:

In example two, we see a dotted quarter note. Pay attention though. The time signature is 6/8. This means that the quarter note is worth two beats instead of one (like in 4/4 time signatures). Two plus fifty percent of two (one) equals three beats.

Example 3:

In this third example, we half a dotted eighth note. The time signature is 4/4 so the eighth note is normally worth half a beat. We have to work with fractions here so the math is a little trickier. Fifty percent of one half is one fourth. One half plus one fourth equals three fourths of a beat.

Triplets

Triplets work a little differently than dots. Instead of adding value, triplets actually make the notes smaller. Triplets fit three notes in a place where you normally see two.

The formula for figuring out how much a note is worth is two thirds of the notes original value.

Example 1:

This first example shows a common pattern with triplet eighth notes. Eighth notes in 4/4 are usually half a beat. Two thirds of a half equals one third of a beat. That means it now take three triplet eighth notes to equal one beat which is why you usually see triplet eighth notes in groups of three.

Example 2:

In our second triplet example, we see triplet quarter notes. The quarter note here is worth one beat so two thirds of one is two thirds. This pattern is the common pattern associated with the swing and shuffle.

Example 3:

This last example uses smaller fractions. Triplet sixteenth notes are relatively fast. A sixteenth note here is worth one fourth of the beat. One fourth times two thirds equals one sixth. It now take six sixteenth notes to fill up just one beat!

Are There More?

There are plenty more combinations of triplets and dotted notes, but now you should have all you need to figure out how to count the beats when using these rhythmic tools!