Grace notes and their chiefs—that is, those notes to which the grace notes are attached—should ever be played with one and the same muscular impulse. The time occupied by the grace notes should be so minimal that it should not be discernible whether they appear simultaneously with the base note or slightly before it. In modern music it is usually meant to precede the bass note, though the good taste of the player may occasionally prefer it otherwise.
Rests Used Under or Over Notes
What is the meaning of a rest above or below the notes of the treble clef?
The rests you speak of can occur only when more than one voice (or part) is written in the same staff, and they indicate how long the entrance of the other voice is to be delayed.
What a Double Dot Means
What does it mean when a note is double-dotted like
I thought first it was a misprint, but it seems to occur too frequently for that.
As the first dot prolongs the note by one-half of its own value, so does the second dot add one-half of the value of the first dot. A half-note with one dot lasts three-quarters, with two dots it lasts seven-eighths.
The Playing of Slurred Notes