Duration: Rest Length 1.4 2004/04/05 11:07:10 GMT-5 2007/03/07 11:03:44.671 US/Central Catherine A. Schmidt-Jones casjones@soltec.net Catherine A. Schmidt-Jones casjones@soltec.net duration eighth rest half rest music music notation quarter rest rests whole rest In standard music notation, rests of different lengths have different shapes. A rest stands for a silence in music. For each kind of note, there is a written rest of the same length.

The Most Common Rests

For each note on the first line, write a rest of the same length on the second line. The first measure is done for you.

Rests don't necessarily mean that there is silence in the music at that point; only that that part is silent. Often, on a staff with multiple parts, a rest must be used as a placeholder for one of the parts, even if a single person is playing both parts. When the rhythms are complex, this is necessary to make the rhythm in each part clear.

When multiple simultaneous rhythms are written on the same staff, rests may be used to clarify individual rhythms, even if another rhythm contains notes at that point.