How to Write Sheet Music for the Drums

There is a system of musical notation in place for drums based on the standard system of musical notation for other instruments. The system of musical notation for the drums has been in place since the inception of modern musical notation in the 16th century. Most drummers don't read or write music and rely on their built-in sense of rhythm to play songs, but many drummers are starting to realize the benefits of reading at least basic musical notation for their instrument. You can write drum sheet music that will put your musical creations into a form you can share with other music-reading musicians.

Instructions

1. Use the standard music staff (or stave) for notating your drum parts. This musical staff consists of five lines and four space. Musicians break this staff down into bars, with each bar of music containing a specified number of beats.

2. 

   Understand basic music notation. Sheet music uses a time signature. The time signature is two numbers, with one over the other, located at the beginning of the sheet music. This means that each bar represents four beats and each bar must contain four beats. The four beats can be made up of any combination of note and rest values. The common note values are whole note, quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes. Each note value has a corresponding rest value (see resources).

3. Write hi-hat cymbal notation on the first space above the fifth line of the music staff or on the space below the first line on the staff. The notation is a stem with a small x for the head. If the note is above the staff, you'll play the hi-hat with your hands, if it is below the staff, you play the hi-hat with your foot. The hi-hat cymbal is one of the main rhythmic elements of a drum kit.

4. Notate the bass drum on the first space of the music staff. The bass drum is also referred to as the kick drum and provides a solid foundation for most music. If you are writing drum music for two bass drums, you'll notate the second bass drum on the first line below the standard music staff.

5. 

   Place notation for the snare drum, which provides the back beat, on the third line of the music staff. You can notate the snare with standard music notation or write it with a stem, a circle, and an x inside the circle to indicate cross sticking, which is a technique drummers use to play the snare drum by crossing one hand over the other to hit the beat.

6. Use the second, third, and fourth spaces on the staff. These indicate, from bottom to top, each of the tom-tom drums by pitch (low, medium, and high).

7. 

   Use traditional music accents to indicate dynamics in your drum music. These accents tell you when to play louder or softer and can indicate specific types of drum rolls (see resources).

Resources

• Drum Sheet Music Basics
• Free Drum Sheet Music
• How to Read and Write Sheet Music
• Drum Music Video