Rests

Key idea A rest is a measured silence, counted exactly like a note. Every note value has a matching rest.

At a rest, lift your hand from the keys but keep counting. Well-timed silence lets music breathe, like a comma in a sentence.

• Whole rest: a block hanging below line 4. 4 beats, or a whole silent bar.
• Half rest: a block sitting on line 3. 2 beats.
• Quarter rest: a zigzag squiggle. 1 beat.
• Eighth rest: like a 7 with a dot. Half a beat.