Staccato is the playing of a note or notes separated from each other by a very brief silence. It is the opposite of legato, which is the playing of a group of notes smoothly and without intervening silences. Notes of any length or rhythm can be played staccato. In standard music notation, each note that is to be played staccato is marked with a small dot either above or below the notehead. Staccato markings should not be confused with the dots on dotted notes, which are placed directly after the notehead and indicate that the note value of the note should be extended by half.