For example, there are no such things as “Fifth Notes”. The bottom number has to be a note value that we are familiar with in our drum notation system. The top number can be any number! The bottom number, however, has certain limitations. Bottom number = what unit of rhythm that count represents. In 6/8, I will count “1 2 3 4 5 6″, and each one of those counts will represent one 8th note in that bar of music. The quarter note, in this case, is the unit of pulse (the BOTTOM number). In 4/4, I’ll count “1 2 3 4″, and each of those will represent a one-quarter note. The top number is the number that we count when we count the beats of a bar out loud. “7/16″ tells us there are 7 sixteenth notes. The top number tells us how many beats there are in the bar, and the bottom number tells us what value those beats are.įor example, “4/4″ time tells us there are 4 quarter notes to a bar. What do these numbers mean? It’s quite simple. Any time with a pulse felt in 2′s can be called “cut time” or “half time”. “Cut Time” is another way to say 2/4, or 2/2. Common time just means 4/4, because it’s such a popular time signature. We might also occasionally see signs for “common time” and “cut time”. When we want to express a time signature using words, we simply say the top number, then the bottom number. It’s one of the fundamentals of drum notation.Ī time signature consists of 2 numbers, one on top of the other. The time signature sets the groundwork for how we read all sheet music. ![]() In this installment, I’ll cover the bare fundamentals of notating rhythm. ![]() This is the first of 3 lessons in drum notation (beginner, intermediate, advanced). So, as you can probably see, the notation is a must-learn for any beginner drummers out there. Many of my examples are written out, and many of my descriptions involve notational terms (quarter note, eighth note, etc.). If we can’t read music, we can’t get very far in understanding music theory.Īs I’ve said before, music theory is key in using the rest of this website. Understanding drum notation is a key part of learning the drums. Posted in Learn | Last Updated on October 4, 2018
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |