How to Read Drum Music

Drum musical notation is very similar to standard musical notation. The notes, rests and time signatures are exactly the same.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. 4/4 Time. Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Understand time signatures. A time signature is two numbers at the left of every line, one on top of the other. The top number indicates the number of beats per measure. The bottom signature indicates the type of note that constitutes one beat. For example, the time signature 4/4 indicates 4 quarter notes per measure. The time signature 3/8 indicates 3 eighth notes per measure. 4/4 is the most common time signature in Western music.
2. Image Courtesy of Quamut.com Learn the types of notes The basic notes are whole, half, quarter, eight, and sixteenth. Each is half as long as the one before, so a whole note takes the same amount of time as two half note, or four quarter notes, and so on. To think about it another way, you would play four quarter notes in the same amount of time as you would play two half notes or one whole note.
3. Image Courtesy of Quamut.com Learn the rests. Rests work the same way as notes, and come in whole rest, half, quarter, and so on.
4. Quarter Note Triplet. Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Learn about triplets. A triplet is three notes that take the same amount of time to play as two non-triplets. For example, 3 triplet eight notes take as long to play as two normal eighths.
5. Dotted Quarter Note. Image Courtesy of WIkimedia Commons Learn about dotted notes and rests. A dot adds half the original length to a note or rest. For example, a dotted quarter note is equivelant to 3 eight notes.
6. Understand drum conventions. All the beats from a particular drum will be played on the same line. In general, the bass drum is on the bottom line, the high-hat is at the top, and the snare is somewhere in between. In rhythms involving more drums, there will usually be a key indicating which position corresponds to which drum.
7. Understand high-hat drum music. Often, the high-hat is written with an "x" instead of a filled in circle on the line.

Tips & Warnings

• The stem on a note can be either up or down. It is a matter of convention, and makes no difference in how the music is played.