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Reading Drum Sheet Music Tutorial

Reading drum sheet music is a valuable skill. When bandleaders give you a chart, you'll be able to translate what's on the page into music and learn it quickly. Each drum has its own line on the staff--such as hi-hat, snare drum and bass drum notation--and the rhythms are written out in that notation.

Instructions

    • 1

      Hi-hat notation is symbolized by the letter "x" with the stems pointing upward. Quarter-note hi-hat notation is just the x with the stem pointing upward, and for eighth notes, the x's are beamed together (a horizontal line connecting the tops of the stems). Find the hi-hat notation either on the top space of the staff or on the first line from the top, depending on how the composer is writing.

    • 2

      Find the snare drum notation on the third space from the bottom of the staff. The snare drum notation is a circle that's filled in so it's darkened. The stems for snare drum notation point downward.

    • 3

      Find the bass drum notation on the first space from the bottom of the staff. The bass drum notation is also a darkened circle with the stems pointing downward.

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