Drum kit

Parts of the drum kit

A drum kit (also called a drum set) is a set of drums and cymbals. A standard kit has a kick drum (bass drum), a snare drum, toms, a hi-hat, a ride cymbal and one or more crash cymbals.

Some drummers add extra instruments, such as a cowbell.

Playing with sticks and feet

The drummer plays the drums and cymbals with sticks in both hands, and uses the feet on pedals.

The kick drum is played with a foot pedal, and the hi-hat has a foot pedal too. The hi-hat is open by default and closes when the pedal is pressed. It is most often hit with a stick while it is closed, and it can also be played with the foot alone.

In a fill (a short break between sections of a song), the steady cymbal pattern often stops so the drummer can use both hands on the snare and toms.

How drum kit music is written

Drum kit music uses the percussion clef on a five-line stave. Each line or space stands for a part of the kit, not a pitch.

There is no single, fully agreed standard for drum kit notation. Good drum music includes a key (legend) that shows what each line, space and symbol means, and it should come before the music starts.

Drums use ordinary oval noteheads. Cymbals, including the hi-hat, ride and crash, use x-shaped noteheads.

Open and closed hi-hat

A small circle (o) over a hi-hat note means play it open. A plus sign (+) means play it closed.

When cymbals and drums share the stave, the cymbal part is often written with stems going up and the kick and snare with stems going down.

Counting a basic rock beat in 4/4

In 4/4 time there are four crotchet (quarter note) beats in every bar (measure). When each beat is split into two quavers (eighth notes), you count 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +, saying "and" for each +.

In a standard rock beat, the closed hi-hat plays quavers all the way through. The kick drum plays on beats 1 and 3, and the snare plays on beats 2 and 4.

A strong accent on beats 2 and 4, usually played by the snare, is called the backbeat.

Sticking: R and L

Sticking tells you which hand plays each note. An R above or below a note means right hand, and an L means left hand.

For example, R L R L means right, left, right, left.

Rudiments

Rudiments are a standard set of sticking patterns that drummers practise to build control. The Percussive Arts Society (PAS) publishes a list of 40 International Drum Rudiments, grouped into four families.

PAS advises practising every rudiment open (slow) to close (fast) to open (slow) again, and also at an even, moderate march tempo. The rudiment trainer in Quick tools and the free rudiment practice sheet show the stickings of some to learn first.

Dynamics: loud and quiet

Dynamics show how loud or quiet to play. Forte (f) means loud and piano (p) means quiet. Crescendo (cresc.) means get louder, and diminuendo (dim.) or decrescendo (decresc.) means get quieter.

An accent (a sideways V, >) over a note means play it with extra stress.

Look after your hearing

Hearing protectors are things you wear that lower the loudness of sound entering your ears. The US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) lists band rehearsals and performances among the places where they are recommended.

Earplugs go into the ear canal and must fit properly. They should never hurt and should never be forced in. Earmuffs cover both ears and are easier to use correctly, especially for young children, and come in child sizes.

Musicians' earplugs are custom-made to protect hearing while letting through as much natural sound as possible.

Practice tips

General tips (not rules), to check with your teacher:

• Start every new beat or rudiment slowly, and only speed up when it feels even and relaxed.
• Count out loud while you play, so you always know where beat 1 is.
• Practise the hands and feet parts separately before putting them together.
• Play at different dynamics, not just loud.
• Wear hearing protection when you play a real drum kit, and take breaks.