Rests are an essential part of music theory and rather than describing how long to hold a note for, they refer to empty spaces within a bar. Each note value has its own equivalent rest and when one of these is shown you play nothing for the appropriate number of beats. All rests for note values shown in our previous lesson are listed below.
A Crotchet Rest
A Crotchet rest means play nothing for 1 beat.
A Quaver Rest
A Quaver rest means play nothing for half a beat.
A Semi Quaver Rest
A Semi Quaver rest means play nothing for a quarter of a beat.
A Minim Rest
A Minim rest means play nothing for 2 beats.
A Semi Breve Rest
A Semi Breve rest means play nothing for 4 beats.
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