Great question – I totally relate to what you’re going through. When I first started to compose, I had the exact same problem. I had already been taking piano lessons for several years, and I still had difficulty transcribing the rhythms I had in my head, onto the music paper.

I accidentally discovered a method that made everything click in my head. I went to the library and found a beginner level music theory book, all about rhythm. There was one section where they notated the melody line of a famous folk tune – one that I had heard since I was a small child. It was a slightly syncopated melody, yet very easy to sing (it was “Comin’ Through the Rye”). I saw how the specific dotted eighth note/sixteenth note combination sounded when I hummed the words of the folk tune – and I also saw how the sixteenth note/dotted eighth note combination sounded (two different syncopations).

Seeing the rhythm notated on paper and humming the words and melody in my head at the same time, was all that I needed to finally have that specific rhythmic combination make sense. I then realized that the best way to master rhythmic notation was to get sheet music of my favorite songs and compositions and study how the rhythms look. It is so much easier to learn this when you study music that you’ve known all of your life and is second nature to you. It’s also much more fun.

After a while, I found that many of the same rhythmic patterns are used over and over again. Soon, I was able to hear a melody in my head and then quickly transcribe it onto music paper.

Having said that, there are still times when I will hear a complicated rhythmic pattern in my head and it will take me a little longer to properly transcribe it into music. In those instances, I just have to hum the melody very slowly in my head while I tap the tempo beats with my fingers. I will hear whether the rhythm lands on the beat or between the beat – and on what beat they land on. There’s nothing wrong in doing that. Use whatever method works.

Regarding your specific comment about confusing dotted notes with staccato notes – just remember that for staccato notes, you place the dot either on top or below the note. And for dotted notes, you place the dot to the right of the note. Think of it this way – you read music left to right. Since a dotted note extends the duration of a note, you’re placing the dot in the direction that the music is extending.

And finally, don’t get frustrated if it takes a little time to master rhythmic notation. Like everything else, practice makes perfect!

- Gary

I’m sorry I can’t help you with that one. The focus of this site is strictly on teaching composers various aspects of music composition. Good luck with your search.

- Gary