If you play drums then move on to the next stage by finding out how to read drum notation. Drum notation is sheet music that shows you the timing of each drum in the drum kit. If you already understand how to read music you will adjust to drum notation easily. In view of the fact that it uses a number of similar notations to standard sheet music, if you understand how to read music you will have no difficulty with drum notation. The following explanations illustrate how the timing in drum notation is indicated in the music, so even if you don't understand how to read traditional sheet music these should make it easy for you to understand drum notation.
Standard sheet music has three parts - a staff, a time signature at the beginning and the notes of music. The staff is 5 horizontal lines (staves) divided into a series of measures by vertical bars. Additionally other marks are shown to indicate how to play the music, these are known as dynamics.
The time signature gives the timing of the music and is made up of two numbers, one above the other. 4/4 is called common time as it is the most often used time signature, but there are several others in use, for example 2/4, 3/4, 6/8. These numbers indicate the timing as follows: the number at the bottom tells you which type of note gets just one beat, and the number at the top tells you how many beats are in a measure, hence for 2/4 time there will be 2 beats in a measure and a quarter note will get one beat, and a time signature of 6/8 would indicate that each quarter note was to be given one beat and every measure is to have 6 beats. This timing is relative to how fast the music is played and is not an absolute measure of time.
You need to count the beats out loud as you play, in a constant rhythm, and to ensure you play the note at the appropriate count. This will assist you to learn correct timing. If you were playing piano, where you have the ability to hold a note, then you would hold the note for the count indicated. If you were playing in 4/4 time you would hold each quarter note for a single beat, each half note for two beats and each whole note for 4 beats. With drums you are unable to hold the note so you have to strike the drum at the proper time in the count then wait out the rest of the count for that note.
Given that there are different drums in a drum kit the music must specify which drum to hit. Sheet music for other instruments indicates the pitch of the note by locating the notes on or between the staves. In drum notation showing the pitch is not needed and the location of the note on the staves is used to show which drum to strike. Each drum will be shown on a separate stave, the standard way to do this is bass drum at the bottom, snare drum in the middle and hi-hat cymbals at the top. Some music will have a key to tell you which line specifies which drum if the regular positioning is not being utilised. Cymbals are often written as an x instead of a dot.
