Whole Rest
also called: semibreve rest · whole-bar rest
The small solid block hanging below a staff line meaning a whole note's worth of silence — and, in practice, usually a full bar of it.
What you do
Rest for the entire measure and count it honestly. By long convention the hanging block marks a whole BAR of silence in almost any meter, not just four beats — one of notation's little acts of mercy.
Don’t confuse with
half-rest
The half rest SITS ON TOP of the middle line like a hat; the whole rest HANGS BELOW its line. Mnemonic — the whole rest is heavier, so it sinks.
The half rest SITS ON TOP of the middle line like a hat; the whole rest HANGS BELOW its line. Mnemonic — the whole rest is heavier, so it sinks.
See also
quarter-rest · half-rest
For specialists
SMuFL: restWhole
Record status: draft — verification pending (bookshelf locators + chord-symbol authority; OQ-1 blocks the slice gate)