This is a sixteenth note.
It lasts for one quarter of a beat. There are four sixteenth notes in one beat. There are 16 sixteenth notes in one bar of * time.
Two sixteenth notes joined together.
Four sixteenth notes joined together.
Take sixteenth notes slowly at first and count as you play. Tap your foot on each beat and remember that there are four sixteenth notes per beat.
A dot placed after an eighth note lengthens the note by half its value. This means that a dotted eighth note is equivalent in duration to three sixteenth notes. A dotted eighth note is often followed by a sixteenth note, making the equivalent of four sixteenth notes.
This popular South American folk song moves between the relative keys of D minor and F major. It features the dotted eighth notes. The rit symbol at the end indicates a gradual slowing down of the tempo.