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How To Read A Drum Sheet
This post explain to you how to play a drum sheet, from the basics of writing to the specificity of the drums.
The drums has the particularity of not having notes but different stamps.
Yet it is written in the same way as a piano sheet.
Measure
Since the twelfth century, our music has been written on a staff composed of five lines.
The Staff
The staff is cut by bars which define a space of time more or less long according to the number of times and the speed of execution of these times.
Bar Line
The number of times in each bars is defined by the time signature. It is placed at the beginning of a score, as long as there is no other one keeps this signature.
It consists of 2 numbers placed one above the other in the manner of a fraction. The number above indicates the number of times in each measure. The number below represents the value of time.
1 = Whole Note = 4 beats
2 = half note = 2 beats
4 = Quarter note = 1 beat
8 = Eighth Note = 1/2 Beat
16 = Sixteenth Note = 1/4 Beat
32 = Thirty Second note = 1/8 Beat
Some examples:
A maximum of 4 quarter notes or equivalents may be placed in this measure.
(1 whole note, 2 half notes, 8 eight notes, 16 sixteen notes, etc…)
A maximum of 3 quarter notes or equivalents may be placed in this measure.
(1 dotted whole note, 6 eight notes, 12 sixteen notes, etc…)
A maximum of 6 eight notes or equivalents may be placed in this measure.
(2 dotted quarter notes, 3 quarter notes, etc…)
A maximum of 15 sixteen notes or equivalents may be placed in this measure.
(5 dotted quarter notes, 7 eight notes + 1 sixteen note, etc…)
Writing notes
On a piano, the notes are written from the lowest to the highest, from bottom to top on a staff. They have the following names: A B C D E F G
On drums, it is the same way. Each position on the staff is equivalent to a sound on the drums. We try to respect the bass sounds at the bottom and treble at the top of the staff.
To this have been added signs to differentiate the different cymbals or sound on the drums.
You can download the drum notations here.
These signs may vary according to the author and the country but generally before each score there is the detail of the symbols used.
Structure
All the song have a structure including a number of bars. In classic, it’s called movements. In jazz, these parts are named by letters such as AABA. In current music, we speak about verse, chorus, bridge.
To facilitate the writing and therefore the reading, we use repeat signs.
Enclose a passage that is to be played more than once. If there is no left repeat sign, the right repeat sign sends the performer back to the start of the piece or the nearest double bar.
Play the measures between repeat signs the number of times indicated (here 4 times)
Volta brackets (1st and 2nd endings)
A repeated passage is to be played with different endings on different playings, it is possible to have more than two endings (1st, 2nd, 3rd …).
Simile marks : Denote that preceding groups of beats or measures are to be repeated. In the examples here, it means to repeat the previous measure.
This one usually means to repeat the previous two measures.
Multi-measure rest: Indicates the number of measures in a resting part without a change in meter to conserve space and to simplify notation. Also called gathered rest or multi-bar rest.
How to play drums without rhythm notions
If the drum score is well done, you will be able to read it without any rhythm notions. Simply by counting the times and graphically, playing the sound of the drums which fall at the same time.
On a regular counting, 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &, kick the bass drum on 1 and 3, snare drum on 2 and 4.
It is, of course, very recommended to understand what we play and to know the different rhythmic notes.
In this way you can play easy drum scores.
If you encounter more complex rhythms especially in fills, you can read RHYTHM VARIATIONS , main rhythms are played in video and audio.
