How to Count a Whole Rest

On your sheet music, a whole rest resembles an upside-down top hat hanging down from the second-to-top line on a staff. To count a whole rest, you must first know how to hold the beat for a whole note. Once you accomplish this task, counting a whole rest is easy.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Determine the time signature when reading music. For this example, use a 4/4 time signature, indicating four beats per measure with the quarter note setting the beat.

2. Begin counting the beats per measure as "one-and, two-and, three-and, four-and." Keep repeating these counts until your beats are consistent.

3. Play your instrument on the count of "one."

4. Hold the note through and entire measure. You should count "one-and, two-and, three-and, four-and" with the note held down.

5. Release the note after the fourth and last beat of the measure.

6. Refrain from playing your instrument on the next count, which is the first count of the next measure. Count "one-and, two-and, three-and, four-and" without playing any notes.

7. Continue practicing whole note measures and observing whole rest measures until you are comfortable counting both.

Tips & Warnings

• If you use a metronome to keep your beats consistent, you must also count the beats per measure to ensure you are holding your whole notes and whole rests for the correct number of beats.
• Whole rests are sometimes can indicate that an entire measure should be held in silence, even if the time signature is not in 4/4 timing. If the measure has nothing but a whole rest in it, refrain from playing your instrument for the entire measure. If there are notes included in the measure, only count four beats.