rests silent beats

A rest is a pause in a melody when there is a break in the sound for a particular musical phrase.

Rests in a musical phrase hold silence for some number of beats, but they do not indicate a break anywhere else in the melody.

A single beat of rest is written Z.

play "G G Z G G"

Longer and Shorter Rests

A rest can be followed by a number or fraction for a different number of beats of silence.

play """
  D''/2 B'/2 Z3
  D''/2 B'/2 Z3
  Z3/2 E''/2
  G''/2 Z/2 G''
"""

More about beat notation on the reference page for beats.

Staccato

If you are using rests to separate notes to create a "plucky" sound, consider using staccato notation instead.