Playing a musical instrument is a fun challenge, but before achieving proficiency with the instrument, it's useful to know read the music you want to play. Learning read drum notation helps drummers to understand the piece being played, and can help drummers learn play better.
Instructions
1. The time signature is shown as a fraction at the beginning of the sheet music. It will tell you how many of what kind of notes there are per measure. The top measure is how many, and the bottom number indicates what kind. For example, 4/4 time means 4 quarter notes per measure.
2. For regular drum beats -- snare, bass, toms -- the note is a typical music note. For cymbals, the note is usually depicted as an "x" with a line next to it. Since there is no way to hold a drum beat, there are no whole or half notes. The note's worth is counted the same as any other music note.
3. The rest types are the same as in any other form of music. A whole rest means for that measure, there is nothing played. A half rest means that half the measure is silent; quarter and eighth rests are similar. Pay attention to what comes before and after the rests so you know the right time to rest.
4. Percussion scores are often written for the individual percussion instrument in that it looks like a single line with the beats marked by regular notes or cymbal notes. Since there is no real change in pitch, there is usually no need for the regular music bar.
5. When there is a change in pitch -- more than one drum -- a regular music stave is used. These can be written differently, as the style depends on the person writing it, but generally it takes this form: Snare notes on the middle line, tom notes in the spaces between the lines, cymbal notes above the top line, hi-hat notes above the cymbal notes, and the foot pedal markings are placed below the bottom line, with bass pedal using a drum note and hi-hat pedal using a cymbal note.
