Sixteenth rest

What it means

The sixteenth rest designates a silence of the duration of a sixteenth note, that is, half of an eighth rest. It belongs among the shortest rests that occur regularly, and despite its brevity it is counted precisely: even a short silence is measured time.

In the series of rests it stands between the eighth and thirty-second rest. As with note values, every step halves the duration.

In the notation

The sign consists of a diagonal stroke with two flags pointing to the left and stands in the middle of the staff. The number of flags corresponds to the number of beams of the equivalent note value: one flag eighth, two sixteenth, three thirty-second. Whoever knows this correspondence recognizes every short rest immediately.

Short rests are placed so that the beats remain visible. A sixteenth rest at the beginning of a group of four shows that the group enters late; it is not counted together with the following note into a longer value.

Musical use

Short rests give figures their sharpness. If a sixteenth rest stands before a note on an accented beat, an emphasis arises, because the expected sound is absent for a moment. In dotted rhythms it occasionally replaces the short note and makes the figure even terser. In the accompaniment it makes chords seem detached rather than bound.

Its sign has two hooks. It is frequent in fast, rhythmically lively passages. Four sixteenth rests together make up one quarter rest. Dotted, it lasts three thirty-seconds, which often occurs in dotted rhythms. It organizes figures and creates air between fast notes.

Performance practice

Really take the rest, instead of holding out the previous note — that is the most common fault and blurs the figure. Count along in sixteenths, as long as the passage does not yet sit securely. With keyboard instruments, take care that the pedal too does not cover the rest. And bear in mind that a short rest above all highlights the following note: it is not a hole but a preparation.