Notation Tips For Drum Set

by Andy Gagnon

Hi! My name is Andy Gagnon. I’m a drummer, composer, and music teacher. If you write a
piece with a drum set part for Music COMP, I’m probably the guy who will be playing it. This
little handout is designed to make both of our lives easier. You’ll know how to write drum set
parts that are easy to read and play, and I’ll be able to play them better for you!

Learn The Drum Set Notation Key:

Here it is:

When in doubt, put some text in the drum part to explain what instrument you want played/how
it should be played.

Stems:
One of the classic blunders when writing drum set parts is to mess up the direction of your
stems, like this:

NO THANK YOU!!!

Drum set does not follow the usual rules about stems. Here’s the drum set stem rule:
If it’s something you play with your hands, stems go up.
If it’s something you play with your feet, stems go down.

1
Example: In this rock groove, the foot is playing the bass drum, so the stems for the bass drum
notes go down. The hands are playing the hi-hat and the snare, so the stems go up. Notice
that the snare and hi-hat notes that happen at the same time share a stem. Also notice that
there is no quarter rest between bass drum notes. No rest is needed since the drummer is
playing other instruments during beats 2 and 4.

YES!!!

Keep It Simple:
At this point in your compositional journey, you are probably used to writing parts showing every
sound exactly as you want to hear it played. This is a great skill to have! When writing for drum
set, you don’t always need to be as specific as you do when writing for other instruments. A
skilled drum set player will know how to take a part that outlines the big ideas of your piece and
turn it into a musical and expressive part. For example, if you write in the groove notated above
and text that reads something like “rock feel, ad lib,” your kit player will know that you want them
to play in a rock style and that they can spice it up a bit.

Slashes:

Above is an example of slash notation. This tells the drummer to keep doing what they’re doing.
In the example, the composer has given the drummer a measure of the groove they want to be
played followed by three measures of slashes (one slash for each pulse in the measure). The
drummer will keep playing the same groove for all four measures, possibly throwing in an
occasional variation here and there. Slashes keep things easy to look at on the drum set
player’s sheet music.

2
Notating Phrasing/Sections:
Drummers like to know about the form of the composition. Use double bar lines to indicate the
start of new sections/phrases, especially if there isn’t a rehearsal number or letter there. When
using slash notation, indicating the total number of bars played at the end of each section is a
good way to ensure that your drummer doesn’t get lost:

Ensemble Rhythms vs. Hits

Ensemble Rhythms​ are rhythms being played by other instruments that you want your
drummer to know about. You don’t expect them to play the rhythm in its entirety, but you think
it’s a rhythm your drummer may want to play with/around. Ensemble rhythms should be written
above the staff​, like this:

Hits​ are rhythms that you want your drummer to play in their entirety. They will probably
embellish and set up the hits, but every rhythm in the hit will be played. Hits should be written
on the staff​, like this:

(Notice that the notation

implies that the first set of
hits would be played with
the hands while the
second set with the feet.)

3
Fills:
Fills are variations on a groove that drummers play to add contrast and variation to a drum set
part. They are often used to emphasise the transition from one section of a piece to another, or
to set up hits/important rhythms in the composition.

Writing out fully realized fills is usually a bad idea. Drummers do not like to read things like this:

Cool idea, friend...but it won’t sound good when your drummer tries to play it live.

Drummers would much rather read something like this:

By stating that you want a fill while leaving the fill open to interpretation, you invite your drum set
player to use some of their creativity and musical experience to enhance your composition.
Smart move!

Simplify Rhythms For Instruments With No Sustain:

Let’s say you’re writing some hits in the drum part, and you want the hits to double the exact
rhythm that the trumpet is playing at that moment:

4
Since the snare drum will be playing the same rhythm, you might be tempted to write it using
identical rhythmic notation. However, since the snare drum can’t sustain its sound (unless you
use a drum roll), the rhythm above can be simplified and written like this:

Since there is no difference in the sound of an eighth note - eighth rest combo and a quarter
note played on a snare drum, when drummers see eighth notes and eighth rests in 4/4 time, we
assume that there is some syncopation in play. By simplifying the rhythm above, you’ve make it
easier for your drummer to quickly understand that the rhythm is primarily hits on the downbeats
of the measure. You should transfer this core concept to all meters and all subdivisional levels.

Talk To Drummers:
If you want to know how percussionists like their parts to be written, ask them. Nobody knows
as much about the little things that make or break a drum part than the person who needs to
play it. Ask your drummer friends to check out your drum parts and give you feedback.* (This
rule holds true when writing for any instrument.)

Listen To Great Drummers:

“You know, it’s a Purdie Shuffle sorta’ thing.” “Take a Buddy Rich solo.” “Gimme a Bonham
groove.” “Do a Sheila E. fill.” “This shuffle needs to have a Blakey feel.” This is how groove
musicians talk to each other about drumming; by referencing the great players and their musical
ideas. If you want to write drum parts that sound good, you need to know what good drumming
sounds like. Listen to great drummers play to expand your musical vocabulary. Sometimes,
this is all it takes in the drum part to make a composition sound great in live performance:

It’s the same idea as the old saying “a picture’s worth a thousand words.” You don’t need to
spend hours and hours notating an Art Blakey shuffle and Art Blakey fills if both you and your
drummer know what Art Blakey sounds like. Strive for common listening experience with your
performers so you can be imagining the same sonic references in your head. (This is essential
when composing for any instrument and any style of music.) ​www.drummerworld.com​ is a great
place to start. Listen to recordings and watch some videos.

*If you don’t have any drummer friends, you’re seriously missing out.