How many beats are in a rest?

In music, we indicate to musicians when to play by using different types of musical notes. But what happens when we want to tell the musician not to play? It’s times like this that we used a type of symbol called a rest.

In this post we’re going to cover look in depth at what rests are, how we use them and all the different types. Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

What is a Rest?
The Types of Rests
- Semibreve Rest (Whole Note Rest)
- Minim Rest (Half Note Rest)
- Crotchet Rest (Quarter Note Rest)
- Quaver Rest (Eighth Note Rest)
- Semiquaver Rest (Sixteenth Note Rest)
Dotted Rests
What Rest do you use for a Whole Bar of Silence?

What is a Rest?

A rest in music is a type of symbol that indicates that the musician should not play and that there should be silence.

Every type of note, like crotchets, minims etc, has a corresponding rest symbol that has the same time value.

The Types of Rests

Semibreve Rest (Whole Note Rest)

A semibreve rest (or whole note rest) is drawn as a small rectangle that hangs off the 2nd line from the top of the stave.

It has a value of four beats, the same as a semibreve note.

Minim Rest (Half Note Rest)

The minim rest (or half note rest) is a small rectangle that is very similar to the semibreve rest but, instead of hanging from the second line it sits on the middle line of the stave.

It has a value of two beats, the same as a minim note.

Side note: To remember the difference between a semibreve and minim rest I think of the semibreve rest being bigger (it lasts longer) than a minim and so because it’s “heavier” it hangs off the stave.

Crotchet Rest (Quarter Note Rest)

The crotchet rest (or quarter note rest) is quite complicated to draw.

It kind of looks like a skewed letter Z with a small letter C on the bottom.

It’s drawn right in the middle of the stave in-between the top and the bottom lines of the stave.

It has a value of one beat, the same as a crotchet note

Quaver Rest (Eighth Note Rest)

Up next we have a quaver rest (eighth note rest) which looks like a small number seven with a little blob on the end.

Like the crotchet rest it sits right in the middle of the stave sitting on the 4th line from the top.

It has a value of ½ of a beat, the same as a quaver note.

Semiquaver Rest (Sixteenth Note Rest)

Lastly, we have a semiquaver rest (sixteenth note rest) which is very similar to the quaver rest but slightly taller and has two flicks.

It sits on the bottom line of the stave.

It has a value of ¼ of a beat, the same as a semiquaver.

Dotted Rests

Just as you can have dotted notes which make the note last longer by half its time value, you can also have dotted rests which makes the rest last longer by half its time value.

One thing to note though is that the dot always sits in the second space from the top.

For example:

Dotted rests

One thing to mention is that unlike regular notes which you can tie together, you can’t tie rests together. Instead, you should use another rest.

Do you know how to identify rest notes when reading music? When listening to music, you probably never notice all the moments of pause. Your ear is more focused on the things happening in the song, such as the lyrics or a catchy melody or rhythm. But actually, the silent space is just as important as sound.

A pause in music provides relief and builds suspense. Without it, music would lose important parts of its meaning. In this post, we will explore how silence is used on the piano and how it is shown with music notation and music theory.

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What are rests in music?

We mark silence in music theory using “rests.” Res notes in music are little musical symbols that tell the player to be silent for a particular number of beats and are extremely important to understand when you learn how to play piano.

Just like notes, rests can last for different durations. Let’s take a look at some different music rest symbols, investigate how they work, and learn how we can recognize notes quicker.

Music rest symbols: what are they?

Just as we have quarter, half, and whole notes, so too do we have quarter, half and whole rests.

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Quarter rest or crotchet rest

A quarter rest or crotchet rest looks like this:

Imagine it like a sort of ‘Z’ with a backwards ‘C’ connected at the bottom. The quarter rests or crotchet rests are analogous to quarter notes. It has the same duration of 1 count. The only difference is that instead of pressing down a key, you “rest” your fingers.

Half rest or minim rest

A half rest or minim rest looks like this:

In music notation, this rest symbol is a rectangle that sits on top of the middle line of the staff. The symbol extends upwards and fills about ½ of the fourth space on the staff. This rest has the same duration of two beats as half notes. Remember when you are sight reading that two minim notes equal one whole note.

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Dotted rests?

It might seem intuitive that we would use dotted rest notes in the same way we use dotted notes. However, this is often not the case. You might occasionally see a dotted quarter rest, but you will almost never see dotted half rests like you see a dotted half note. The combination of a quarter rest and half rest is most frequently used to measure the length of three beats, instead of dotted rests. You can learn about this and much more with online piano lessons from Skoove.

Whole rest or semibreve rest

The whole rest or semibreve rest looks like this:

The whole rest or semibreve rest is also a rectangular musical shape. These rests hang down from the fourth line of the staff and likewise measures half the length of the fourth space.

Whole rests are analogous to whole notes. Like the whole note, the whole rest lasts for a length of four beats in a 4/4 time signature.

One major difference between notes and rests is that you will often see notes nights together to increase their length. For example, you will never see rests tied together in a piece of music to increase the number of beats you play.

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Smaller lengths of time in notation

So far, we have learned how to measure pauses in larger durations. But, how do we use music rest symbols to measure a smaller value of time? We use an eighth rest and a sixteenth rest to notate a smaller pause in sheet music.

Eighth rest

An eighth rest looks like this:

An eighth rest on sheet music resembles a stylized ‘7’ and is analogous to an eighth note. An eighth rest lasts for one-half of one beat. Therefore, two eighth rests equal one quarter note, just the same as two eighth notes.

How to count this?

For example, we also count the eighth rest in the same way we count the eighth note:

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
(one and two and three and four and)

Here is an example of some basic piano chords with a couple of eighth rests thrown in:

Sixteenth rest or semiquaver rest

A sixteenth rest or semiquaver rest looks like this:

A sixteenth rest features two flags, just like the sixteenth note features two beams. Similar to the sixteenth note, this rest symbol lasts for ¼ of a beat like the note.

How to count this?

For example, we count this musical rest in the same value as well:

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a
(one e and uh two e and uh three e and uh four e and uh)

Here is an example of some major and minor chords with a few sixteenth rests thrown

Rests with fermata

The fermata symbol looks like this:

The fermata symbol looks like a crescent shape with a dot inside of it. The fermata symbol extends the value of the corresponding note or rest. It is generally up to the performer how long to play the fermata. Learning to read these symbols is just as important as learning how to remember piano notes.

What is this rest used for?

A rest followed by a fermata is usually used to extend the length of time musical sound should play or to introduce some element of drama or space to music. You will commonly see rests with a fermata at the end of a piece of music or between sections.

Tie it all together

The rest is used to mark pauses in written music. It is just as important to play rests for the number of beats they are written as it is to play a note. There is a corresponding note for every rest. Rests can occur on any beat, in the middle of a measure, or at the end of a bar. Make sure you pay attention to these very important symbols when you see them!

Skoove can help you to learn how to read rests more easily. With interactive lesson plans that you actually play along with, your ability to read rests will increase every time you practice. Try a seven day free trial and see how fast your reading skills grow!

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Author of this blog post

Eddie Bond is a multi-instrumentalist performer, composer, and music instructor currently based in Seattle, Washington USA. He has performed extensively in the US, Canada, Argentina, and China, released over 40 albums, and has over a decade experience working with music students of all ages and ability levels.

Is a whole rest 4 beats?

A half rest gets 2 beats of silence. Instead, a whole note is equal to a whole rest, which gets 4 beats of silence just as a whole note gets 4 beats held down.

What rest has 2 beats?

Half rest or minim rest This rest has the same duration of two beats as half notes. Remember when you are sight reading that two minim notes equal one whole note.

What is a rest for 4 beats?

Rests. A REST is used in music to indicate silence. A WHOLE REST = 4 Beats, Looks like an upside down top hat, and is written under the fourth line on the staff. A HALF REST = 2 Beats, Looks like a top hat, and it written above the third line on the staff.

How many beats is an eighth rest?

In a 4/4 time signature, a whole rest lasts for four beats, a 1/2 rest for two beats, a 1/4 rest for one beat and an 1/8 rest for half a beat. An eighth rest is half the length of a quarter rest.