Relative Value of Rests
Here you'll learn how the rests compare with one another in length, and which note value each rest matches.
Good news: rests follow exactly the same logic as notes. If you line them up from the whole rest to the 64th rest, each one is worth half the one before it and twice the one after it. The whole rest stands for the longest duration.
| Rest | equals | Fraction of the whole rest |
|---|---|---|
| Whole rest | 2 half rests, 4 quarter rests, 8 eighth rests, 16 sixteenth rests, 32 32nd rests or 64 64th rests | 1 |
| Half rest | 2 quarter rests, 4 eighth rests, 8 sixteenth rests, 16 32nd rests or 32 64th rests | 1/2 |
| Quarter rest | 2 eighth rests, 4 sixteenth rests, 8 32nd rests or 16 64th rests | 1/4 |
| Eighth rest | 2 sixteenth rests, 4 32nd rests or 8 64th rests | 1/8 |
| Sixteenth rest | 2 32nd rests or 4 64th rests | 1/16 |
| 32nd rest | 2 64th rests | 1/32 |
| 64th rest | 1/64 |
Notes and rests of equal length
Now let's put notes and rests side by side. Every rest lasts as long as one of the note values (§ 42). A note and its matching rest take up exactly the same time: one lets you hear the sound, and the other keeps it silent.
| Note | Rest of the same length |
|---|---|
| Whole note (semibreve) | Whole rest |
| Half note (minim) | Half rest |
| Quarter note (crotchet) | Quarter rest |
| Eighth note (quaver) | Eighth rest |
| Sixteenth note (semiquaver) | Sixteenth rest |
| 32nd note (demisemiquaver) | 32nd rest |
| 64th note (hemidemisemiquaver) | 64th rest |
| Double whole note (breve) | Double whole rest |
Each row lasts exactly one whole note. Click a row to hear it over 4 metronome beats: each value is half of the one above.
Write out the table of the relative value of rests from memory (§ 41).
Under each of these rests, write the note value that lasts the same time.
Under each of these notes, write the rest that lasts the same time.
That's it for rests. In the next lesson, we'll leave durations aside for a moment and look at the signs that change the pitch of a note. Before that, try the quiz.