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The same dot. Beside the note it lengthens; above or below it shortens.
Check where the dot sits. A dot immediately to the right of the notehead adds half the note's value again — a dotted half note lasts three beats. A dot directly above or below the head means staccato: play it short and detached. One dot, two opposite instructions, and only position distinguishes them.
The same dot; only its position relative to the notehead distinguishes duration from articulation.
Drawn from the visual attributes recorded for each symbol. Only traits the two records disagree about are listed.
| Trait | Dotted note | Staccato dot |
|---|---|---|
| Symmetry | none | point |
| Dotted note | Staccato dot | |
|---|---|---|
| Position | To the right of the notehead | Directly above or below it |
| Effect on length | Adds half again | Shortens it |
| Changes the bar's count? | Yes | No — the written value stands |
| How much | Exactly half again | Unspecified — a matter of style |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with Staccato dot — The same dot; only its position relative to the notehead distinguishes duration from articulation. | Commonly confused with Dotted note — The same dot; only its position tells articulation from duration. |
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for what a mark instructs a performer to do and for uncontested history, never for a claim that any body defines staff notation.
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for what a mark instructs a performer to do and for uncontested history, never for a claim that any body defines staff notation.
Both are drawn as one continuous decorative stroke with a closed loop and a tail that crosses back over itself, which is why a description of the shape alone reaches both. The clef is far taller, spans a stave, and its spiral encircles one specific line — that encircled line is the note G, and it is the only reason the shape is drawn where it is.
A small note with a plain stem is an appoggiatura and takes its time from the note it leans on — conventionally about half of it, so the main note is genuinely shortened. A small note with a diagonal stroke through the stem is an acciaccatura and is played as fast as possible, taking almost nothing. The stroke is the only difference on the page, and it is easily lost in a poor reproduction, which is why an ambiguous grace note is worth checking against another edition rather than guessing.
They occupy the same place and are read the same way. A C means four-four; two stacked numerals state any metre explicitly. The C is not an abbreviation of the word 'common' — it descends from a broken circle used in medieval notation to mean imperfect time, and a full circle meant threefold time.
Length is the tell. A crescendo hairpin is drawn long, below a stave, and spans the passage it applies to — its extent *is* the instruction. A less-than sign is one character wide and sits between two values. If it stretches, it is music; if it fits between two numbers, it is mathematics.