Reading Musical Rhythms – part 2 (dots, ties and stem direction):

        As we discussed in part one of this series, there are additional rhythmic symbols that can be added to the fundamental rhythmic values found in musical notation.  The two primary additional rhythmic symbols are dots and ties.  A dot next to a rhythm increases the value of the rhythm by half the amount of its original value.  This is not to be confused with a dot placed under or above the note head which is a staccato (indicates to play the note with a short and separated articulation). 

         

        If a dot were to be placed next to a half note, in 4/4 time, the result would be a 3 beat long rhythm.  The half note in 4/4 time has a rhythmic value of 2 beats.  The dot adds half of this value to the overall rhythm.  In this case, that means that the dot adds 1 beat.  This additional beat combined with the original 2 beats results in a total rhythmic value of 3 beats.

                If a dot were to be placed next to a whole note, in 4/4 time, the result would be a 6 beat long rhythm.  The whole note in 4/4 time has a rhythmic value of 4 beats.  The dot adds half of this value to the overall rhythm.  In this case, that means that the dot adds 2 beats.  This additional 2 beats combined with the original 4 beats results in a total rhythmic value of 6 beats.

The other additional rhythmic symbol is the tie.  A tie is a curved line that connects two notes of the same pitch.  The two pitches are played as one (unbroken) pitch.  The tied rhythm is held for the combined rhythmic value of the two rhythms.  Simple tie combinations (such as two half notes tied together in 4/4 time) result in rhythm values that could also be drawn using fundamental rhythms (such as using a whole note instead of the above stated tie example). 

The real reason the tie was invented was to create rhythmic values that would not fit within one measure.  For example, a 4/4 measure only allows four beats per measure.  Drawing a rhythmic value that exceeds 4 beats would be impossible in this time signature.  In addition, when the first three beats of the measure have been taken up by other rhythmic values then only one beat of space remains.  In this type of situation, drawing even a half note (valued at 2 beats in 4/4 time) would be impossible.  We draw these rhythms that extend beyond the boundaries of one measure by distributing the rhythmic value across multiple measures using tied rhythms. 

Finally, let’s discuss the rules regarding stem direction in musical notation.  As stated in part one of this lesson series, stems can either go up or down from a note head.  Stems that go up attach to the right side of the note head and stems that go down attach to the left side of the note head.  Every pitch below the 3^rd line of the staff has the stem going up.  Every pitch on or above the 3^rd line of the staff has the stem going down. 

There is no musical reason for these rules regarding stems.  Stem direction does not affect the rhythmic value or pitch of a note.  The only purpose for these rules is to keep the sheet music neat and legible.  If low pitches had stems going down, the stems may extend into the notation of the next line of music below that one (especially if the next line contained high pitches with stems going up).  The rules regarding stem direction help to keep each note oriented over its staff without extending too far into the staff above or below. 

This Learning Music With Ray video discusses how to read the additional rhythmic symbols of dots and ties that can be added to the fundamental rhythmic values found in musical notation.  In this video, I describe the physical appearance of each additional symbol and explain how to determine the total rhythmic value after the additional symbol is applied.  I also explain the rules regarding stem direction and the reason why these rules were established.  I provide visual illustrations and charts to help explain all of these concepts.