6/6/2023 0 Comments Plaaying the train on snare![]() Now a drum key can include much more depending on the drum kit and what is played. That bring us to the Drum Notation Key (aka Drum Key).Ī drum notation key tells us which part of the drum set is being played based on where the notes are placed within the staff. There is just one last thing to quickly cover here and it is knowing what part of the drum set to play. I don’t plan to harp too much on tempos in this post but want you to at least get a brief introduction to it. It’s important to respect this topic mainly because it’s a drummer’s duty to keep time. Quarter note is the most common and is being used for this example. An eighth note or sixteenth note could be used instead. Please understand too that the note value can vary. Essentially, there will be 60 quarter notes played per minute (or in this specific example, 1 quarter note per second). This example tells us that the beats per minute (aka: bpm) is 60 and that a quarter note is the beat. The speed at which music is played is called the Tempo. We will definitely look into this more down the line. This may be the trickiest part of it all, but don’t let that hold you back if you’re not fully understanding it right away. Putting it that all together: 1) we have a quarter note as our beat and 2) there are 4 beats. That means the quarter note is what represents the beat. For the bottom number, look at it as a fraction. The top number tells us how many beats are in a measure. The time signature mentioned here is pronounced as “four-four” time, also called common time as it is in fact, the most common time signature used. As I mentioned earlier on, we are sticking to the basics here and will only work with 4/4 time signatures. Next we need to understand what defines a measure which brings us to Time Signatures. You may also hear this said as “two bars.” Time Signatures & Tempo Time Signatures Here is an example showing two Measures created by two Bar Lines. When notes and rests are placed on a staff they are then broken up into multiple sections called measures which are separated by bar lines, aka bars. We will touch more on this in just a little bit. That somewhere is called a Staff.Ī Staff is made up of five lines that will allow us to place notes to understand what part of the drums we are to play. Now in order to create a drum beat from all this, we have to place these notes and rests somewhere. If you’re reading this, you can clearly read right? If so, then there is nothing but yourself stopping you from learning how to read drum music. ![]() It will come with time just like learning how to read. Rests follow the same rules as notes but represent silence instead of sound.Īgain, do not be intimidated by this stuff. Notes, along with rests, will spell out how to play the beat. Think of it like this, notes are like letters that spell out a word. Notes are what create sound and are broken down as follows. That is it! There is definitely more to it but I don’t want you over thinking it. Notes and Restsĭrum beats are made up of two items: notes and rests. Once you understand the basics, everything else will fall into place, so let’s get to it. We will be sticking to mostly the basics (i.e. This guide is geared towards someone that is just starting off on this topic. Simply put, understanding and being able to read drum sheet music will help make you a better drummer and musician. ![]() Feel free to follow along on my YouTube and Instagram accounts as I post free drum beats along with the drum sheet music that goes with it! It can even be used as a tool to help you break down a drum fill from your favorite drummer. You can be more creative when making your own beats. You’re likely to learn how to play the drums faster. However, there is so much knowledge that can be used the sooner you learn how to read drum music. It probably seems much easier and less boring to just sit behind a drum kit and start playing (guilty of that myself). Do drummers have to be able to read drum music in order to play? You most certainly can learn to play the drums without knowing how to read drum sheet music. Learning how to understand and read drum sheet music, aka drum music and/or drum notation, can be very intimidating at first.
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