Another tricky component of the "rest" or written pause is the tendency of pianists (and I include myself) to sustain notes longer than necessary, usually with the help of the piano's sustain pedal (you know, the one on the right!). Too much pedal--or perhaps any pedal at all--can obliterate a rest. Where a composer like J. S. Bach is concerned, this of course is a no no. Contrapuntal lines tend to become obscured. Glenn Gould is one pianist who, notwithstanding the fact that he undoubtedly hummed through rests, certainly did not commit the faux pas of over-pedaling. John Grant http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/42/john_lewis_grant.html