How to Write Drum Set Notes

The heart of any drum set is the snare drum. It sits on the second space from the top of the staff. The bass drum is located on the bottom of the staff and the toms are placed in between. Depending on the type of drum set, additional toms may be placed above and below. Each of these toms is identified by its name on the master drum key.

When writing a drum set part, it’s important to clearly identify which instrument each note is for. This helps the drummer read and interpret the sheet music. For example, a snare drum hit might be indicated by the symbol , while a kick would be indicated with . Specifying duration is also important for clarity. However, long durations are not commonly written in drum sheet music because drum sets don’t resonate the way other instruments do. Long durations can confuse the drummer and lead to bad timing.

In most cases, the exact length of a note should be determined by feel. It is best to practice each part in a slow tempo to ensure proper placement and execution of the notes. Once the drummer feels comfortable with the parts, he or she can move on to a faster tempo.

The first thing to look for in a piece of drum sheet music is the drum clef, which consists of two thick lines that look like drumsticks at the beginning of the sheet music. This indicates that this is a piece of drum music and not for other instruments.

Once the clef is in place, you’ll see a number of bars that contain measures and beats. These are separated by bar lines, which keep the sheet music organized and easy to read. These bars will usually also include a tempo – which is the number of beats per minute (BPM) that the song should be played at.

Drum sheet music is also full of different subdivisions, which are rhythmic patterns that tell the drummer how many notes to play in a certain timeframe. The most common subdivisions are quarter notes, eighth notes and sixteenth notes, although some songs may use more complicated subdivisions such as triplets and septuplets.

To help the drummer read drum sheet music, the various parts of the drum kit are identified by their names and where they sit on the staff. For example, the snare drum sits on the second space from the top and the bass drum is on the bottom of the staff. The toms are placed in between, with the high tom sitting above the snare and the low tom sitting below it. Additional toms may be added above and below the snare and are identified by their name on the master drum key.

Drum sheets will also show different tom arrangements, such as a “Two Up, Two Down” arrangement, which consists of one tom mounted above the bass drum (i.e., “up”) and two toms resting on the ground (i.e., “down”). Each of these toms are identified by their name on the master drum keys and shown in a different color in the Drum input palette. Blue represents voice 1, green is voice 2, etc. This can be changed in the Edit Drumset dialog if required.