Lessons in Order

Lessons by Topic

Next   Contents   Back

Lesson 40: Rhythm: Rests

This lesson continues the introduction to written notes we began in Lesson 36: Written Notes: Treble Staff.

This lesson teaches how we write and count silence in music, using rests. Before taking this lesson, you should know:

• The common note lengths (whole note, half note, etc.) (Lesson 38: Note Lengths)

A musical rest is like a "silent note". A rest lasts for a certain length of time (beats), like a note does. For each note length (whole note, half note, etc.), there is a matching rest ("whole rest", "half rest", etc.).

So, here are the different rests:

Whole Rest

The whole rest (4 beats) is a small black block which hangs below a staff line:

Half Rest

The half rest (2 beats) looks similar to the whole rest, except it sits above a staff line:

Quarter Rest

The quarter rest (1 beat) is a special squiggle, a bit like a 3 or Z:

Eighth Rest

The eighth rest (½ beat) looks something like a 7:

Sixteenth Rest

The sixteenth rest (¼ beat) is like an eighth rest, but with two flags:



Next:

• Go on to Lesson 41: Key Signatures, which you'll need for Lesson 44: Hook Melodies; -or-
• Skip to Lesson 47: Non-Root-Bass Chords, which you'll need for Lesson 48: Embellishing Tones; -or-
• If you understand the last several written-notes lessons, then you're ready to read the examples in Lesson 46: Melody Rhythm: Rolling Stone.