It’s a common question that many beginner drummers ask when starting to learn the instrument. Is it worth learning to read music, and will it make me a better drummer?
Whilst there’s no golden rule that states you have to learn to read music in order to become a successful drummer, there’s no denying that learning to read music notation is a massive advantage to drummers of all levels.
For drummers at the beginner stage, it’s a means of progressing more consistently and a valuable tool for strengthening musical literacy.
Think of it like this: when you’re looking to learn a new language, it makes sense to learn how to read and write it. The same holds true for music.
If you want to learn to play a musical instrument, you’ll be much better off with a solid grasp of how to read and write music.
The process of learning the drums is a lot about understanding musical rhythm, as well as practicing the coordination that’s needed to play various beats and fills.
If you can efficiently read music, you’ll also be able to count music. This is essential for developing a good rhythm with your drumming.
Being able to read music will also benefit you in the sense that it’ll help you to understand which hand or foot is meant to play which note.
Not only will this facilitate greater control, it’ll also enhance the dynamics, speed and endurance of your drumming. To put it simply, the more control you have over your drum kit, the better you’ll play.
Aside from improved rhythm and control, understanding music notation will enable you to utilize hundreds of thousands of charts and sheet music exercises.
This will only serve to enhance your drumming further, whatever your ability level.
On the other hand, is it possible to learn the drums without being able to read music? Yes is the answer, with many self-taught drummers forging successful careers for themselves.
The reality of their success however, is years of hard graft, practicing and listening to music.
If you want to become a drummer in a more realistic timescale it’s worth learning to read music to enrich your playing.
This will often mean going back to basics, but it’s worth it if you want to take your drumming to the next level.
Do drummers read music?
The vast majority of drummers will read music, or will have at least read music at some stage in the past.
While it may not be common to see a drummer at a live music venue flipping through a music sheet on stage, there are other contexts such as in practice where this will likely happen.
It’s also common for drummers in an orchestral and jazz setting to read music as they play.
You may think that jazz is all about improvisation, but drummers will typically have a music ‘chart’ that provides them with the structure and outline of the song they’re playing.
Almost like a roadmap to help them get to the correct destination, no matter how creative the journey.
If a drummer plays a song they’ve never heard of, they’ll try to internalize all the information on a music chart or sheet as quickly as possible.
This includes the tempo, time signature and form of the piece. From this information, the vast majority of drummers will be able to more or less play the song.
The better they are at reading music, the better they can make decisions about adding some of their own flair to the melody and harmony of the song.
The bottom line is, if you want to become a studio drummer, a jazz drummer, or a drummer for an orchestra, you’ll definitely need to be able to read music to some level.
How do you read drums for beginners?
Drum notation, like most things, is read from right to left. The staff consists of five lines and four spaces, but it’s worth noting that notes may also appear either above or below the staff.
Each note is in the staff based on the part of the drum set which needs playing at any given time.
Dots signify drums, while cymbals are usually represented with an ‘x’. Below I’ll take a closer look at three of the most important notes to learn when starting out as a beginner drummer.
Bass
You’ll find notation for the bass drum in the bottom space of the staff. For the vast majority of drum sets, the bass drum is the largest drum and produces the lowest note.
It’s operated by a foot pedal and referred to by many drummers as the “kick drum”.
Snare
Considered by many drummers as the main drum of their set is the snare. Notation for the snare is found in the second space from the top of the staff.
A lot of the drum beats you’ll have heard will most likely link to the pattern between the snare drum and the aforementioned bass.
The distinct snare sound of this drum comes from the snare wires that attach to the bottom head of the drum.
Hi-hat
Notation for the hi-hat rests above the top line of the staff, and drummers often use it as their main time-keeping tool.
The hi-hat is a pair of cymbals equipped with a stand and a foot pedal. It offers drummers a degree of control with the type of note they can play.
A closed hi-hat requires a drummer to step on the hi-hat pedal to tighten and then strike them, whereas an open hi-hat should let the cymbals lightly bounce off of each other by releasing the pressure with the foot.