A dot above or below a note tells you to play it short and detached. This should not be confused with a dot after a note which alters its value. Short, detached, jumpy notes are called staccato.

Clogs: Notation is a way to write down music using symbols called notes. Naomi: Right. So are there any notes that I need to be aware of for my first lesson? Clogs: Yes. They are called semibreve ...