Quarter Rest
A quarter rest is the squiggle that means one beat of silence in common time.
It has no obvious logic to its shape, which is why everyone just learns it by sight. One quarter rest equals one quarter note of silence.
How To Spot Quarter Rest
A zigzag symbol standing upright in the middle of the staff.
Find It In Thirty Seconds
Find a quarter rest and play the bar it is in, counting all four beats aloud and lifting your hand cleanly on the rest.
Open any piece of sheet music on this site and do it now. Reading is a recognition skill, and recognition is built by finding things, not by reading about them.
Related Topics...
How to Read Sheet Music: Learn how to read sheet music using interactive lessons from Chordzy. Or browse our various reading music topics.
Music Notation Glossary: Every symbol on a page of piano music, explained in one sentence each — clefs, note values, rests, accidentals, dynamics and repeat marks.
Eighth Rest: An eighth rest is a small slanted stroke with a single flag, meaning half a beat of silence.
Half Rest: A half rest is a small filled rectangle sitting on top of the middle line of the staff. It means two beats of silence in common time.
Quarter Note: A quarter note is a filled-in note head with a stem, and it lasts one beat in common time.
More in This Section
Repeat Sign: A repeat sign is a double bar line with two dots. Play up to it, then go back to the matching sign facing the other way — or to the beginning if there is none…
Sharp: A sharp (♯) raises a note by one semitone — the very next key to the right, black or white.