How to Read Snare Music
The snare drum is an important part of any percussion section or band. Played properly, the snare drum can help provide rhythm and important accents. As with other instruments, snare drum players know what to play based on the sheet music in front of them. Knowing how to read snare drum music is essential to a snare drum player’s success. Because the snare drum is only capable of producing one note, snare drum parts are written on only one line of the music staff.
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Instructions
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Look at the time signature, which will be at the beginning of the music piece, as well as other places in the piece if the time signature changes. Is it 4/4? 3/4? 6/8? Something else? This will help you understand how to play the part.
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Look at the tempo of the piece, which is usually written near the top. It will often be written like, “A quarter note = 132,” which means 132 quarter notes (and in this case, beats) a minute.
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Play the piece. A snare drum’s rhythms are typically written like other instruments, in that the same rules apply as far as the length of 16th notes, 8th notes and so on.
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Follow the dynamics and accents of the piece. Dynamics are typically written below the staff. The same applies with crescendos and decrescendos. Accents look like the greater-than symbol (>) and are located above the note that is to be accented.
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Play additional drum-specific notation. While a snare drum’s rhythms are written similarly to other instruments and obey the same rules, there are some notations that you will only find on drum parts, such as flams, which are indicated by a very small 8th note with a line through it that is tied to a normal note. The notation for rolls varies, but is typically a normal note with a line (sometimes two lines) through it that is tied to the next note. Drags are written with two small 16th notes tied to a normal note.
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