Dotted Eighth note

[Bill_B]

Having trouble with counting, I read the entire thread 'I Give...Counting'. https://bluesguitarunleashed.com/forum/index.php?threads/i-give-counting.29644/

Picked up a great deal from that, and was doing fine until I got to the dotted eighth note. The dotted quarter makes sense, but every explanation of the dotted eighth I've found seems to make it shorter, not longer.

Oh Boy! how to explain without notation? Here goes: If '1 and' is the length of an eighth, then a dotted eighth would fall half way between 'and' and '2'. Something like '1..and a'. The note sounding on the 'a'.
Somehow I don't think that is very clear, but if anyone know of a clear explanation I would really appreciate it.
Counting is truly my nemesis.

 

[Paleo]

If '1 and' is the length of an eighth, then a dotted eighth would fall half way between 'and' and '2'.

That's exactly right.

Which means you have to count 16th notes.

You will be subdividing the beat by 4, rather than 2.

The dot adds half the value of the 8th.

It is worth an 8th plus a 16th.

Or the equivalent of three 16th notes.

Counting 16th's, 1 beat would be: 1 e and uh.

The dotted 8th would be: 1 e and.

(Then there may be another 16th note or 16th rest on "uh" to complete the beat.)

An 8th note gets 1/2 a beat, the dotted 8th gets 3/4 of a beat. i.e. it lasts 'til half way between "and" and "2", which is "uh" when counting 16ths. It gets 3 counts, rather than the 2 counts of a "regular 8th".



A dot requires you to change the count to the next smaller note value since you are adding half its value to itself.

A dotted quarter requires you to count 8ths. You change from 1 count per beat to 2.

A dotted 8th requires you to count 16ths. You change from 2 counts per beat to 4. The dotted 8th gets 3 counts.

 

[Bill_B]

Thanks Paleo
Yes, three 16th notes makes sense. Here is what I was watching https://youtu.be/9yg_gr4khVw
It's the same notation used in solo 2 BGU 2.0, but I was completely confused by the video.

Edit: Lol. I think I just got what the video was explaining.

 

[Paleo]

Yeah, I would be confused by that video if I didn't already know what he's doing.

I would have shown the groups of four 16th notes on top first.

Count them "1 e and uh".

Then below show that the dotted 8th was = to the first 3 notes in each group.

So you still are counting "1 e and" for the dotted 8th and sometimes only saying the "1", holding it thru the "e and" then saying the "uh"for the last 16th.

 

[dwparker]

Or as they say here in Sweden "one po ta to", to which I always counter " you mean one bur ri to". It drives my daughters violin teacher bonkers.

 

[david moon]

Hopefully you can feel and hear the difference between the 16th note feel and the 8th note triplet swing/shuffle feel

 

[Bill_B]

Yeah, I would be confused by that video if I didn't already know what he's doing.

Your explanation was kind of a 'smack in the back of the head' kind of thing. When I watched it again I think a did a face palm for not seeing it.

David, I had to stop for a second, but yes I can hear the difference between the two.

 

[Paleo]

That's gonna happen a lot when studying music.

You'll struggle with a concept to the point of giving up from frustration.

Then one day it clicks and you'll wonder why something so "simple" seemed so "complicated".