TAB STAFF PAPER HOW TO

You’re measuring time, or more accurately, the space between the notes that you’re playing.įor example, a quarter note in a 4/4 time signature represents one beat, meaning you strike the drum once per beat. The top number tells you how many beats to count within one measure, and the bottom number tells you what type of note gets the beat (quarter notes, eighth notes, etc). Reading time signaturesĪ time signature contains two numbers displayed as a fraction. To communicate what grouping we should count, we use what’s called a time signature. We use “measures” in music to organize the rhythms of the song into these repeated groupings to make it easier to count through a song. Music is often divided up into even (or sometimes odd) groups of space. On drum sets with two crash cymbals, the second crash will be notated in the space above the first crash. Its notation is located above the hi-hat, above the top line on the staff. This cymbal differs from the others on the drum set because it’s often struck with force and can help elevate the dynamic movements of a piece of music. Crash cymbals vary in size and tone and contain a large number of different styles and sounds. A crash cymbal is a very loud, big cymbal that is often used to accent different rhythms within music. Drummers can control the type of note that’s produced by stepping on the hi-hat pedal and tightening the two cymbals together and then striking them, known as closed hi-hat, or letting them lightly bounce off of each other by releasing pressure with the foot, known as open hi-hat. The hi-hat is a pair of cymbals that are used with a unique type of stand that contains a foot pedal.

The hi-hat notation sits above the top line on the staff, and is often a main time-keeping tool. On the staff it’s located on the very top line. The ride cymbal is often tapped with the tip of the stick to create a feeling of “riding,” but it can also be used as a crash cymbal. This cymbal is often the biggest on a drum kit and is used for many different purposes. It gets its famous snare sound from the snare wires that are attached to the bottom head of the drum. Many drum beats are based around the pattern between the bass drum and snare drum.

Its notation is located in the second space from the top of the staff. The snare drum is often considered to be the main drum of the drum set. Many drum fills are started on this drum, and many drum sets have more than one tom. Sometimes called the high tom, this drum typically produces a note higher than both the floor tom and bass drum. Toms are notated on the first space from the top of the staff and the line below that space. It is often referred to as a floor tom because it may rest on the floor by using legs. The floor tom (or low tom) is typically the next lowest note on the drum set. Notation for the floor tom sits in the third space from the top of the staff. It is used with a foot pedal and is often referred to as the “kick drum.” The bass drum is typically the biggest drum on the drum set, and usually produces the lowest note. Notation for the bass drum sits in the bottom space of the staff. There are several symbols musicians should know when starting to read drum notation, especially if they’re just starting off with a four- or five-piece drum set.

TAB STAFF PAPER HOW TO

Notice below that the bass drum is in a different position on the staff than the snare or ride cymbal.ĭrums are notated by dots, while cymbals are notated with an “x.” These symbols typically have “stems” attached to them, which help explain how to count the beat that is shown. Notes are placed in the staff based on which part of the drum set should be played at any given time. The staff is made up of five lines and four spaces, but notes can be positioned above or below the staff as well. Like the English language, drum notation is read from left to right. By learning to read and write this part of the musical language, you’ll develop a strong sense of timing and rhythm control.

The space between the bar lines is referred to as a “measure.” You will typically count beats while playing different notes on the drum set within each measure.ĭrum notation does contain similarities to sheet music in that measures are counted and read the same way. In drum notation, the notes are written on the staff and are separated by vertical bar lines.

Tab staff paper