Measure rests

Updated 9 years ago
This page shows old instructions for MuseScore 1.
For MuseScore 4 users, see Measure rests.

Full-measure rest

A full-measure rest looks like a whole-note (semi-breve) rest except it is centered in the middle of a measure

When an entire measure is devoid of notes, a full-measure (full-bar) rest is used.

To create a one-bar rest select a measure and press Del. All notes and rests on this measure are then replaced by a one-bar rest.

Multi-measure rest

Multi-measure rests have a number above the staff indicating the duration of the rest by the number of measures

Multi-measure (multi-bar) rests indicate a long duration of silence for an instrument and are frequently used in ensemble sheet music.

Instructions

  1. From the menu choose StyleEdit General Style (in versions 0.9.5 and earlier it is called StyleEdit Style)
  2. Click on the "Score" tab if it is not already selected
  3. Add a check mark next to "Create Multi Measure Rests"

Limitations

The style option automatically creates multi-measure rests throughout the score. Therefore it is recommended that you enter all your notes first and then turn on multi-measure rests afterward.

Versions 0.9.5 and earlier do not automatically break multi-measure rests at important points such as double bar lines, key signatures, rehearsal marks. This is fixed for the latest versions of MuseScore. As a workaround for earlier versions see the "Break multi-measure rests" heading of measure operations .