Lesson 12: Adding Rests

	UK Rest Name	US Rest Name	Tips
	Semibreve	Whole	Hangs off the second line from the top
	Minim	Half	Sits on the middle line (think 'middle=minim')
	Crotchet	Quarter	Draw it like a backwards '3'
	Quaver	Eighth	Like a '7' with a blob on the top!
	Semiquaver	Sixteenth	A '7' with 2 blobs!

How to Add Rests to a Melody

If you get a question asking you to add a rest or rest to a melody, the first thing you need to check is the time signature.

Here's an example question:

Add the correct rest(s) at the places marked * in this tune to make each bar complete.

The time sigature is 2/2, so we need to have 2 minim (half note) beats per bar.

Find the first bar with missing rests, and pencil in the values of the notes that you do have. Add small values together to make complete beats, where you can.

Here we can see that we only have one and a half beats in the second half of the bar, where in fact we need 2. So we need a quaver (eighth note) to complete the full minim beat. Here's the rest added to the bar:

Try to work out the other rests for yourself, in the same way. Remember that your rests need to make complete beats. Think carefully about the last bar - you need to complete the first minim (half note) beat first, then finish the bar off, so you'll need two rests in the last bar. Hover your mouse over the stave to reveal the answer.

Is this wrong?

Look at that last bar again. Students often wonder if it's wrong to write something like a dotted minim rest or a minim followed by a crotchet, in this type of bar. After all, it's just a silence isn't it, so does it really matter?

Well, the short answer is, yes, it does matter! You must look carefully at the time signature, and you must make up complete beats before you do anything else. A similar situation often comes up when we compare the time signature of 3/4 with 6/8. What's the right way to add rests to this 6/8 and this 3/4 bar?

First we need to remember that in 6/8, we have two dotted crotchet (quarter note) beats. So the first thing we need to do is make the first beat complete - so we add a quaver. Then we have one dotted crotchet beat left, so we can use a dotted crotchet, like this:

If the time signature is 3/4, we get a different answer, although the length of the silence is technically exactly the same! In 3/4, we have three crotchet (quarter note) beats. So, we just need to put in two crotchet rests, like this: