Music Braille: Notes and Rests

1. Eighth notes have no dots 3 or 6
2. Quarter notes have a dot 6
3. Half notes have a dot 3 but no dot 6
4. Whole notes have both dots 3 and 6

For example, the scales for quarter notes and whole notes are shown below, followed by a table of all of the notes:

Type	C	D	E	F	G	A	B	Rest
Wholes or 16ths
Halves or 32nds
Quarters or 64ths
8ths or 128ths

Some notes are also "dotted", meaning they have a extra time value. The dotted braille notation is a dot 3 .

A simple example should help:

For smaller notes and rests, such as 128ths, the braillist should use this chart. Basically, you use the same symbols as for eighth, quarter, half, and whole notes:

Regular value	Smaller value	Braille
Eighth note (1/8)	128th note
Quarter note (1/4)	64th note
Half note (1/2)	32nd note
Whole note	16th note

Octave Marks

Octave Marks:

1st (bass)
2nd (bass)
3rd (bass)
4th (treble)
5th (treble)
6th (treble)
7th

There are, as you might suspect, a list of rules for the use of octave marks:

1. an octave mark is always required before the first note in a line of music
2. when the interval between two notes is a second or a third, no octave mark is required. To figure out an interval, count the spaces and lines between two notes, making sure to include the notes themselves. For example:

   Interval name	Interval	Description
   Second		Starting on middle C, the interval goes up one whole step to a D. Counting both the C and the D, the interval is a second
   Third		Starting on middle C, count the C, the space after the C, and the E note on the first line. This interval is a third.
   Fourth		Starting on middle C, the interval goes up to an F, the first space on the staff. C-d-e-F gives you an interval of a fourth. The lower case notes in the previous sentence indicate skipped notes.
   Fifth		C-d-e-f-G, a fifth
   Sixth		C-d-e-f-g-A, a sixth

3. when the interval is a fourth or a fifth, an octave mark is required only when the second note is in a different octave.
4. when the interval is a sixth or greater, the octave mark is always used.

An example is certainly useful at this point!

A measure-by-measure analysis:

1. This measure starts with an octave 4 mark (dot 5), since it is the first measure
2. no octave mark
3. this measure starts with an octave 4 mark, since the last note in the previous measure (the C) is a fifth away from the first note in Measure 3 (an F). The "fifth" rule says to use an octave mark when the second note is in a different octave. The C is in the fifth octave, and the F is in the fourth. Why didn't we use the octave 5 marker for the C? Because it only had an interval of a second (B --> C) from the previous note.
4. no octave mark here, still in Octave 4
5. no octave mark here, still in Octave 4
6. this measures starts with an octave 5 mark, since the C is a fourth from the preceding G. We do not need an octave mark before the A, since its interval is a third
7. no octave marks here
8. no octave marks here
9. no octave marks here
10. no octave marks here
11. Measure 11 uses an octave 5 marker, since the interval from the F to the D is a sixth.
12. no octave marks here
13. The interval skip of a fifth from the A to the E, spanning Octaves 4 and 5, requires the use of the octave 5 marker.
14. no octave marks here
15. no octave marks here
16. no octave marks here