Eighth Rests and Sixteenth Note
In this lesson, we will be mastering several new figures. We will cover one that uses silence: the eighth rest. We'll explore the group of four sixteenth notes. And, we'll look at two figures that combine one eighth note with two sixteenths.
What does a composer do when he wants a musician to play a note on the "and" of a count, but not on the "number"? Well, one solution is to throw away the first eighth note in a group of two eighths (the rhythm covered in the last lesson) and replace it with an eighth rest. Since the eighth rest has the same value as an eighth note, any eighth note could be replaced by an eighth rest. Since the eighth note stands alone on the second half of the beat, it is written with a flag instead of a beam.
Examples A and B show the two figures that result when each of the two eighth notes in a count is replaced by an eighth rest. To perform example A, count the number (but, don't play it), and strike the drum on the "and" count. To perform B, do the opposite and only play on the number count.