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How to Write Drum Charts

Writing drum charts makes laying down the groove that much easier during a rehearsal and performance. Drum chart writing can be as simple as notating a backbeat for a certain number of measures. Just as in charts for other instruments, each line and space has a specific drum attached to it. Written drum charts are also a lifesaver during musical theater or church gigs where little or no rehearsal tends to be the case. Drummers that can read drum charts are able to take well-paying gigs such as these due to having killer chart-reading chops.

Things You'll Need

  • Pencil
  • Staff paper
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Instructions

  1. Notating the Beat: From Sections of the Staff to the Final Groove

    • 1

      Write out the time signature you'd like your drum part to be in. The time signature is written right at the beginning of the treble clef staff. Write in any dynamics (changes in volume during a song) on the chart also.

    • 2

      Write your bass drum part on the bottom line of the five-lined treble clef staff. The lower line can also be used for bass drum parts. This will be the space where your bass drum parts are composed.

    • 3

      Write out your snare drum part on the third space from the bottom of the staff. The note stems for the snare drum part should be pointing downward so as not to get confused with the hi-hat and/or ride cymbal part that will be composed next.

    • 4

      Write the hi-hat or ride cymbal part on top of the top line of the staff. The part can also be composed right on the top line itself of the staff, so the notes have the line of the staff running through them.

    • 5

      Fill in your high tom and floor tom parts by writing high tom parts in the space above your snare drum part and the floor tom parts in the space above the bass drum part.

    • 6

      Look at your chart and write in measures where you would like drum solos to happen during the song. Notate drum solos by writing four slashes in the measure to represent the beats that your drummer is soloing over during the song.

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