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Drum Kit Notation Guide

This legend defines the drum kit notation style used at sachakdrums.com for sheet music and exercise worksheets. Note
that drums use normal note heads (with the exception of snare cross-stick), while cymbals use crosses or circled crosses.
Generally, notes played with the sticks have upward-pointing stems, and notes played with the foot pedals have
downward-pointing stems. Some stems may change their direction depending which is easiest to read for each
particular application.

Drum Kit Elements And Their Staff Positions

SNARE DRUM SNARE CROSS-STICK BASS DRUM / KICK DRUM 2ND BASS DRUM
(DOUBLE KICK SETUP)

/ œ ¿ œ
œ ¿ œ
/ œ œ
HIGH TOM TOM MID TOM TOM LOW TOM TOM SUB TOM TOM
(RACK TOM 1) (RACK TOM 2) (FLOOR TOM 1) (FLOOR TOM 2)

œ œ œ
/ œ
œ œ œ
/ œ
HI-HAT OPEN HI-HAT CLOSED HI-HAT HI-HAT PEDAL HI-HAT SPLASH CLOSE HI-HATS
(AFTER OPENING) (CLOSE HATS WITH FOOT) (CLASH HATS & RELEASE) (AFTER SPLASH)
o +
¿ ¿o ¿+
/ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿
/ ¿ ¿o ¿+
RIDE CYMBAL RIDE CYMBAL BELL CRASH CYMBAL COWBELL
o
COWBELL PEDAL
+
(PLAYED WITH FOOT)

¿ X X 1
/ ¿ X X 1 1
/
Common Articulations, Abbreviations & Score Conventions
1
ACCENT MARCATO STACCATO GHOST NOTE FERMATA
(LOUDER THAN SURROUNDING NOTES) (SHORT ACCENT) (SHORT NOTE) (MUCH QUIETER NOTE) (PAUSE/HOLD NOTE)
> ^ . U
/ >œ œ^ œ. œ œ
U
/ œ œ œ œ œ

PLAY AS BUZZ ROLL FOR DURATION PLAY AS PLAY AS PLAY AS

(MULTIPLE BOUNCE ROLL) EIGHTH-NOTES SIXTEENTH-NOTES THIRTY-SECOND-NOTES
FOR DURATION FOR DURATION æ FOR DURATION
œ7 œæ œ œ œæ œœœœ œææ œœœœœœœœ
œæ = œ œ œ = œœœœ œæ = œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
/ æ
/ œ7

FLAMMED NOTE DRAGGED NOTE PLAY TIME REPEAT REPEAT

(SINGLE GRACE NOTE [QUIET NOTE] (DOUBLE GRACE NOTE (ONE BEAT PER SLASH) PREVIOUS BAR PREVIOUS TWO BARS
2
BEFORE MAIN NOTE)
j BEFORE MAIN NOTE)
/ œ œ œœ œ ™™ ? ? ? ? ™™ ‘ 2
•
j
/ œ œ œœ œ ™™ ? ? ? ? ™™ ‘ •
REPEAT MARKS DOUBLE BARLINE FINAL BARLINE
(REPEAT ALL BARS WITHIN ONCE) (END OF STRAIN/SECTION) (END OF PIECE)

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