Rests
Just as notes indicate a specific time value, rests are used to indicate a specific period of silence. When rests appear in the notation, it is important to keep counting so your timing doesn’t falter. Your counting should be the same regardless of whether notes or rests appear in the notation.
The Quarter Rest
This symbol is a quarter rest. It indicates one beat of silence.
When you are learning any new note or rest value, it is a good idea to become familiar with it using only one drum before moving around the kit. The following example is played on the snare drum and demonstrates the use of quarter rests. It is more difficult to keep steady time when using rests than when playing constant notes. For this reason, it is important to count out loud, and listen to your metronome as you play to make sure your notes are in time with it.
It is important to be able to count rests comfortably while using any part of the drumkit. This example moves between all of the drums you have learned so far. The snare drum is played with the left hand and the toms are all played with the right hand.
