Drum notation:

A drum kit is a form of percussion. Percussion (unless it is tuned) can't really be written down. So drummers use a different type of notation in order to write down their parts.

In order to understand drum notation you must have an understanding of what a drum kit looks like and the names of each part of the kit. Have a look at top left picture which shows a basic drum kit layout.

What does drum notation look like?: Drum notation uses the same staff format as traditional music notation. Drum notation also uses the same tempo, dynamic, rhythm and bar markings. The only difference is the lack of a key signature and a different clef marking as seen on the bottom left image.

How do you read drum notation?:

The picture on the right showcases the location of each part of the kit on the stave. As you can see it is designed to relate to the kit e.g. the note for the bass drum is placed at the bottom of the stave. The crosses and the dots allow for a drummer to quickly distinguish between the drums and cymbals.

There are also certain symbols for specific drum techniques e.g. flams, buzz's and ghost notes. These are also shown in the right hand column.

Here is a video of a drummer covering Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus with the notation. This is a very simple song that showcases various drum techniques such as ghost notes and how they are both notated and played.

Why do drummers use drum notation?

Because each part of the drum set has no set pitch traditional staff notation doesn't work. Drum notation makes it easy for drummers to read their music. However it works best for grooves and basic rudiments as there is clear distinction between the cymbal and drum grooves. For complex drum grooves such as solos or fills it is quite difficult to distinguish between the notation for the high and middle toms.

Also some drummers will have kits with additional toms, cymbals and other pieces of percussion and marking all of these on a staff requires way to many symbols for a drummer to remember.