Drum Charts

Ok let's look at how drums are written.

In the prior lessons, we used a single line clap chart.

Now let’s move on to drum charts. Drum charts are created on a music staff, just like a single piano staff would be written.

The drum pattern above is the first music pattern we heard.

Now let's look at a slightly different pattern and break it down.

The kick drum is assigned to the 1st space on the staff.

The snare drum is assigned to the 3rd space on the staff.

The hi-hats (cymbals) are assigned to the space above the staff.

Notice the kick and snare use notes as we have been using, but the hi-hats use an X to signify they are cymbals. All cymbals in drum notation use an X.

Also, notice the note stems for the drums are downward, while the notes for the hi-hats are upward.

Let’s listen to a few more patterns and chart them. Because they are patterns, we only need to write one measure down, yet the pattern will play longer.

Make sure you listen closely to the hi-hat rhythm. A hi-hat can easily get masked by the snare drum.