Notations on Best Music Sheet drum sheets

There is not really a standard on the symbols used for writing drum sheets in the world, each continent have its own pitch that represents the different instruments of the drums. When I started to write drum sheets for the website I had to choose my symbols and I do not change any more so that all the sheets are uniform.

What I like in this writing is that the hihat, the snare drum and the bass drum are very clearly separated and it follows a logic of verticality with the bass drum at the bottom, the snare drum in the middle and the hi-hat at the top. For toms, I keep the logic high / low as on a piano.

Here are the symbols :
Main bass drum (BD)

Second bass drum (BD)

Snare drum or cross-stick (SN)

Closed Hihat (HH)

Opened hihat (HH)

Closed Hihat played with foot (HH)

Opened Hihat played with foot (HH)

High Tom-tom 1 (T1)

High Tom-tom 2 (T2)

High Tom-tom (T3)

Low Tom-tom 1 (T4)

Low Tom-tom 2 (T5)

Crash cymbal, undefined size and series (C1)

Splash Cymbal (C3)

China Cymbal (C2)

Ride Cymbal (RD)

Cup ride Cymbal (RD)

Special sounds, it can be a clap sound, a tambourine, a sound that is not in the usual drums instrumentarium.

On a “standard” drums, T2, T3 and T4 will be played.

You can download the list of symbols here:
Drum notations