Whole rest (semibreve rest)
A whole rest gives a whole-note duration of silence, and when it stands alone it commonly marks an entirely silent bar in any metre. It hangs below a staff line, normally the fourth line from the bottom.
- Notes and rests
- On the staff itself
- A straight line
Do not confuse it with
The half rest sits on top of the middle line; the otherwise similar whole rest hangs below a line.
What the sources say
- Notating Rhythm — Rest Values
a whole rest hangs down from a line while a half rest sits on top of a line
- Comprehensive Musicianship — Basics of Rhythm
Whole rests hang down from line 4 to occupy half of space 3.
- Steps to Music Theory — Simple Meters
Whole rests literally mean a full measure of rest unless the time signature indicates that a whole note would not fill the entire measure and there is another note in it.