A tilde or hyphen in mini-notation inserts a silent step that preserves the grid

In mini-notation (Strudel and Tidal), the tilde ~ (or hyphen -) represents a rest: an empty step that produces silence while occupying the same time slot, and the same duration, as any sounding step in its position. Rests are the primary way to create rhythmic breathing space and phrasing. The key distinction from simply deleting a token: removing a token changes the number of steps and therefore the density and timing of every other event, whereas a rest holds the grid fixed and only silences that one slot. A rest composes with every other mini-notation feature — it can appear inside a bracketed group, be multiplied, or be nested — behaving exactly like a sound token except that nothing plays.

Examples

sound("bd ~ sd ~") — kick on step 1, snare on step 3, silence on 2 and 4. sound("bd hh - rim - bd hh rim") — hyphen rests hold the eight-step grid. d1 $ sound "[bd ~]*2 sn" — a rest inside a bracketed group that is then repeated.

Assessment

Rewrite sound("bd sd hh cp") to add a rest between the snare and the hi-hat without changing the cycle length. Then write a pattern placing a kick on beats 1 and 3 and a snare on 2 and 4 of a 4-step cycle using only bd, sn, and ~, and explain why using a rest differs from deleting the token.