Many of us have heard of dotted 8th-notes or noticed them in a quantisation drop-down menus. But what are they? And more to the point, how can you use them in your beats to add instant groove?

The Dotted 8th-Note explained

1. In musical notation, a dotted eighth note consists of an eighth note with an additional dot placed next to it.
2. By adding the dot this increases the duration of the note by half of its original value. This makes a dotted eighth note equivalent to three sixteenth notes in duration.
3. When counting beats, a dotted eighth note generally receives one and a half beats in 4/4 timing.

How to use Dotted 8th-Notes For Instant Groove

One of the key uses of the dotted 8th in rhythm is to add syncopation and groove. In this insightful video CableGuys showcase 4 examples of where you can use dotted 8th-note timing to add groove to your beats.

• Example 1: Uses the dotted 8th-rule of three sixteenths to draw a repeating pattern in MIDI.
• Example 2: Adding rimshot hits offset to dotted 8th-notes to embellish a basic 4/4 rhythm.
• Example 3: Using dotted 8th-notes in LFOs and effects and applying to pads
• Example 4: Using dotted 8th-note delays to add counter rhythms to vocals, melodies, percussion etc.

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